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The private equity (PE) market in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) has consolidated around key regions and settled into a new, post-financial crisis normal, according to S&P Capital IQ.
In the inaugural issue of EMEA Private Equity Market Snapshot, S&P Capital IQ provides a broad overview of the EMEA PE market in 2013, and highlights some of the most notable trends.
Specifically, the report looks at the performance of the market over the last year and its attractiveness as a target region for investment, the industry sectors that were the most successful for EMEA PE firms, and
Recent European M&A processes have seen strong interest from purely US-based private equity (PE) firms, according to mid-market investment bank Robert W Baird & Co.
Some 44 middle-market leveraged buyout (LBO) transactions have been completed since 2011, where the final buyer was a purely US based PE firm, including:
• Chicago based GTCR’s acquisition of UK based Callcredit Information Group from Vitruvian Partners in February 2014 for GBP480m
• New York based New Mountain Capital’s acquisition of UK based Alexander Mann Solutions from Graphite Capital in October 2013 for GBP260m
• Washington, D.C. based Arlington Capital Partners’ acquisition
Warburg Pincus has appointed Jacques Aigrain as a senior advisor.
Aigrain, who will be based in the firm's London office, will support the firm in the identification and evaluation of new investments, particularly in the European financial services sector, and provide strategic counsel across the firm's global portfolio.
Aigrain has over 30 years of broad financial services experience. He is currently chairman of LCH Clearnet Group, a global clearing house, based in London and is also a non-executive director of the London Stock Exchange Group, Lyondell Basell, Lufthansa and WPP. He is also a member of the Financial Institutions
HIG Europe has backed the management buyout of Kondor, provider of mobile and consumer electronics accessories into the UK and European retail markets.
Terms were not disclosed.
Founded in 1994 by the chairman Malcolm Bartlett, Kondor has evolved alongside the rapid growth in the smartphone and tablet market and today supplies a wide range of accessories including headphones, cases and speakers.
Global brands that Kondor partners with include Beats By Dr Dre, Skullcandy, Sony and Samsung.
Kondor supplies more than 10,000 products into more than of 11,000 stores in the UK and 7,500 outlets across Europe. UK
Novitas has acted as adviser to Equipos on the company’s sale to Simcorp A/S.
The EUR10m acquisition of the UK-based company and its subsequent full integration into the SimCorp organisation will enhance and support SimCorp’s strategy of growing the business based on its single product platform, SimCorp Dimension, while also providing selected applications as standalone solutions to investment managers.
Prior to the full acquisition, SimCorp held a 20 per cent stake in the private limited company’s share capital.
Equipos’ mainstay product is the Equipos Coric Client Communications Suite. The product empowers investment management firms to improve client service
Wroclaw-based Work Service Group has established a new joint venture for the German market with the international Fiege Group of Greven.
The new company will comprise the three German Work Service firms and Fiege subsidiaries Fiege uni/serv GmbH and FIEGE worksess GmbH. The transaction is currently awaiting approval from the competition authorities.
An international team of CMS drawn from its offices in Düsseldorf, Cologne, Warsaw and Vienna advised Work Service on all legal aspects of the project over an extended period. Dr Dirk Jannott acted as lead partner in Germany.
Fiege Logistik Stiftung & Co. KG will hold
Global social listening and analysis platform Synthesio has secured USD20m in funding from European private equity firm Idinvest Partners.
The Series B investment will be used for research and product development, as well as expansion of Synthesio’s global team.
Synthesio has offices in New York, Paris, London, Austin and Singapore.
Using Synthesio’s platform, businesses can monitor and analyse conversations about their brand on social media platforms, blogs, forums, consumer review sites and mainstream media sites across 200 countries and 50 languages.
Loic Moisand, co-founder and CEO of Synthesio, says: “Idinvest Partners really understands our offerings, philosophies and
Kim M Pedersen has joined Hycroft, a specialty investment bank focused exclusively on the alternative investments market, as managing director.
Pedersen has over 17 years of private markets expertise, with strong relationships in the private equity community among both general partners and limited partners in Europe and the US.
At Hycroft Pedersen will be responsible for originating new business opportunities and marketing private equity products and services to investors located in Northern Europe and in the Western US.
Scott A Myers, managing director, says: "We are pleased to add such an experienced and knowledgeable professional to our already
Co.station, a Brussels-based post-accelerator, will launch on 1 April aiming to offer European growth companies access to corporate customers, expertise as well as a direct connection to Silicon Valley.
Apart from offering a physical hub, Co.station also helps growing companies close funding rounds to fuel their growth.
The post-accelerator will start operating at full capacity, having signed agreements with companies like Six Dots, Social Com and Diagnoplex.
On 1 April 2014, Brussels innovation hub Co.station will officially open for business in the Marquis building, right next to Brussels Central Station. It will be fully operational by May.
Chelverton Asset Management (CAM) has appointed Richard Bucknell as investment director in its unquoted equities team.
The team is responsible for sourcing and executing quality investment opportunities in private UK companies for a range of high net worth (HNW) investors and private investment offices.
Bucknell (pictured), an experienced private equity investor, has been working with CAM as a consultant since September last year and will report to CAM’s managing director, David Horner.
Prior to CAM, Bucknell led more than 20 new investments in small and medium-sized enterprises, and has previously held senior investment management positions with Barclays Ventures,
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