Latest News
Talk about the elephant in the room. The Alternative Investment Fund Managers directive surely has the largest ears and the longest trunk of the species.
Axa Private Equity has made an investment in JIT Solaire, a specialist player in photovoltaic energy.
Based in the Poitou-Charentes and Rhône-Alpes regions of France, the group installs turnkey electricity generating solar systems for individuals, companies and local authorities, with solutions designed to meet each client’s roofing specifications.
The EUR3m fundraising gives JIT the resources needed to maintain its growth and accelerate the development of its business of installing solar panels and running power plants for its own account.
Founding directors Jérôme Bailleul and Franck Braudel said: “We are delighted to have Axa Private Equity on board, helping us
Actis, the emerging markets private equity firm, has invested USD58m in Companhia Sulamericana de Distribuicao, the operator of Brazilian supermarket chains Sao Francisco and Cidade Cancao.
CSD is one of the three major supermarket retailers in Parana state, and is among the top 25 supermarket operators in Brazil.
The investment marks Actis’s first Brazilian investment to date.
With the new capital injection, CSD will implement an expansion plan based on the opening of new stores in the states of Parana, and Mato Grosso do Sul.
Actis will hold a significant minority stake, working in partnership with the founding families of
Nigel Strachan (pictured), head of business development at Kleinwort Benson’s corporate services business in Jersey and the new chairman of the Jersey Funds Association, sees new opportunities for mezzanine finance to pick up the slack where leverage from traditional sources is thin on the ground.
“Mezzanine finance is essentially a type of finance that provides a solution between bank debt and equity,” he says. “It is a solution that is a hybrid in that it is debt in nature, but it also in some instances has warrants attached to it, so there is an equity element.”
The economic crisis
Atlas Holdings has signed a definitive agreement with MeadWestvaco to purchase its network of media and entertainment packaging businesses, subject to certain closing conditions.
Atlas Holdings has signed a definitive agreement with MeadWestvaco to purchase its network of media and entertainment packaging businesses, subject to certain closing conditions.
Completion of the transaction is expected on 30 September 2010.
The businesses, which operate under the names AGI Media, AGI Amaray and AGI Polymatrix, specialise in packaging for Blu-ray discs, DVDs, music and video games and have approximately 1,450 employees.
Principal operations are in the US, UK, Austria, France, Ireland, Germany, Poland, The Netherlands
Forbion Capital Partners, an investment firm dedicated to the life science sector, has held the final closings of FCF I Co-Invest Fund and FCF II, raising a total of more than EUR190m (USD240m).
Forbion’s EUR54m Co-Invest Fund aims to invest alongside FCF I in a select number of late-stage FCF I portfolio companies.
FCF II has an investment strategy similar to its predecessor fund FCF I.
Forbion aims to invest the majority of the fund in Europe and the remainder in North America and Israel.
The investment focus is on private companies developing novel drugs, medical devices and diagnostics for
An affiliate of The Wicks Group, a New York-based private equity firm, has acquired Antenna Audio from Discovery Communications.
Antenna specialises in the production and delivery of educational content for use in multimedia and mobile tours for museums, exhibitions, historic sites and visitor attractions throughout the world.
Antenna operates in over 20 countries and in multiple languages at more than 350 museums and cultural sites. Last year, Antenna provided over 20 million audio and multimedia tours.
The Wicks Group will seek to leverage Antenna’s expertise and market position to expand into adjacent and untapped markets with an expanded suite of
Lombard Investments has sold a major portion of its stake in Somboon Advance Technology, a Thailand-based original equipment manufacturing supplier of auto parts.
Lombard invested in Somboon through its Thailand Equity Fund and realised a 3x return.
During Lombard’s holding period, Somboon grew its car and light truck parts business, expanded its production capabilities, and in response to the global economic crisis diversified into agricultural equipment parts.
The company’s primary products are axle shafts, brake components and springs. Its sales for the first six months of 2010 were approximately USD100mn.
Lombard is a private equity investment manager with offices in
Private equity firms Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and CVC Capital Partners have signed a definitive agreement for CD&R to acquire a 42.5 per cent ownership interest in Univar, a distributor of commodity and specialty chemicals.
The transaction values the company at approximately USD4.2bn.
Funds advised by CVC will retain a 42.5 per cent stake in the business. The remaining equity will be held by Univar management and other existing investors.
Univar operates a network of 179 distribution facilities and distributes more than 11,000 products and 110,000 SKUs to over 80,000 customers in more than 100 countries.
"Univar’s business profile fits
Special Reports
Featured
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
