Bruegger’s Enterprises an affiliate of private investment firm Sun Capital Partners, Inc (Sun Capital), has been acquired by Le Duff America, Inc, the North American subsidiary of Groupe Le Duff SA. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Bruegger’s is a leading operator and franchisor of fast casual bakery-cafés specialising in bagels, breads, wraps, signature sandwiches, crisp salads, hearty soups, natural cream cheeses, gourmet coffee, and desserts. Headquartered in Burlington, Vermont, Bruegger’s was founded in 1983 with an emphasis on convenience in order to better serve customers with busy lifestyles. Bruegger’s was acquired by an affiliate of Sun Capital

Sir Nigel Rudd (pictured), chairman of Longbow Capital, the specialist VCT and EIS healthcare investor, is urging the Government to support British innovation by strengthening tax relief measures and tightening investment rules in the Budget on 23 March 2011. Longbow is a founding partner of the Boots Centre for Innovation, an innovation hub based in Swansea, Wales, which works closely with early stage companies or inventors to develop pioneering products for the shelves of Boots stores. Sir Nigel says: “Strong British business will be the catalyst for the UK pulling away from recession and into consistent, durable growth. Next week’s

Ingenious Ventures, a manager of VCTs in the entertainment sector, has completed a GBP1.5 million investment to launch two new music festivals in the UK. Ingenious is already well known as an investor in top dance festival, Creamfields (pictured), amongst others. This significant investment, which will be used to launch the ‘We the People’ music festival in Bristol and the ‘Shakedown’ Festival in Brighton, is the first investment to come out of Ingenious Entertainment VCT 1 & 2 D-shares. These Ingenious venture capital trusts give music and entertainment fans the chance to invest in their favourite music festivals, live events

Bowmark Capital, a mid-market private equity firm, has sold Advanced Childcare to GI Partners, a private equity firm focused on investments in asset-intensive businesses and real estate platforms, for GBP28 million.  Advanced Childcare, which is based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, provides care and education to young people with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.   Since Bowmark acquired the business at the end of 2004, Advanced Childcare has expanded across the north of England and the Midlands, growing from a base of seven care homes with 40 residential beds to its current estate of 30 care homes with 123 residential beds and

Harvest Power, a producer of renewable energy and fertilizer products from organic waste, has raised USD51.7 million in Series B financing. Generation Investment Management, a London-based firm, led the round with DAG Ventures and Keating Capital also participating alongside pre-existing investors Kleiner Perkins, Waste Management (NYSE: WM), Munich Venture Partners, and TriplePoint Capital. “Investors recognise our platform as the smart, cost-effective choice for managing organic waste,” says Paul Sellew, CEO of Harvest. “Communities trust us to carry their organic management plans forward and provide local renewable energy and nutrient rich soil amendments with disposal costs lower than landfills.” Harvest’s advanced

Golden Gate Capital is to sell its majority stake in J. Jill to an affiliate of Arcapita Bank BSC. J. Jill, a leading multi-channel retailer of women’s apparel, will continue to be led by President and CEO Paula Bennett and the current management team. As part of the transaction, Golden Gate Capital will remain a minority shareholder of the company. “We have enjoyed a very successful partnership with Paula Bennett and the entire J. Jill team,” says Joshua Olshansky, a Managing Director of Golden Gate Capital. “J. Jill is a fantastic brand and, given their experience in the sector, Arcapita

Royalton Capital Investors II, a private equity fund focused on making investments in Central and Eastern Europe, has acquired a 100% stake in Litcargus UAB, Lithuania’s leading ground handling company, from Cerberus Holdings Ltd. The acquisition of Litcargus marks Royalton’s first investment in Lithuania and second in the Baltic States. Nigel P Williams, the Managing Partner at Royalton Partners says: “The acquisition of Litcargus is fully consistent with Royalton’s strategy of taking control positions in companies active in the non-tradable space in Central and Eastern Europe. The company is involved in all aspects of ground handling, serving airlines and their

Private equity firm Olympus Partners has sold K-Mac Holdings Corp, the third largest Taco Bell franchisee in the country, operating 167 Taco Bells, mainly in the Southwest. It also owns KFC and Golden Corral restaurants, which together with the Taco Bell stores total 190 premises.   Olympus and management acquired K-Mac and its 144 stores at the end of 2004. Since then, the company has opened and/or acquired 46 restaurants and has expanded geographically in several other states. Cash flow has more than doubled since 2004.  Employment has increased by 30 percent. Paul Rubin of Olympus Partners says: “K-Mac has