The real estate investment arm of The Blackstone Group has purchased 125 Old Broad Street in London, United Kingdom, for 320 million pounds (US$543 million). The seller in the transaction was Brookfield Property Partners, the spun-out real estate platform of Canadian alternative asset manager Brookfield Asset Management. Brookfield bought a 50 percent share of the 330,000 square foot commercial building in 2012, and in the following year took ownership of the remaining stake.
3 min read · 31 July 2014
Yogurty's Franchising Inc, a group of Canadian self-serve frozen yogurt stores backed by Serruya Private Equity, has expanded its locations in Western Canada. Taking over Twisted Yogurt restaurants, the company has opened new stores in Alberta. Yogurty's currently has 75 locations opened or in development across Ontario, Mexico and Costa Rica. Based in Markham, Ontario, Serruya Private Equity is a family-managed firm that oversees the retail investment activity of the Serruya family. In 2013, the firm acquired Kahala Corp with Delavaco Group.
3 min read · 31 July 2014
Canadian media and cable company Shaw Communications Inc said it would buy data center services provider ViaWest Inc from U.S. private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners and others in a deal valued at US$1.2 billion on an enterprise basis, Reuters reported. Shaw said the deal would accelerate the development of its Canadian data center platform. Oak Hill acquired the Greenwood Village, Colorado-based ViaWest in partnership with the company's management team in 2010.
2 min read · 31 July 2014
BlackBerry Ltd is buying a privately held German company that specializes in voice and data encryption in a bid to burnish its credentials with highly security-conscious clients such as government agencies, Reuters reported. The Waterloo, Ontario-based smartphone maker did not disclose the terms of its deal to acquire Secusmart GmbH, a specialist in encryption and anti-eavesdropping services. Secusmart has in past received investments from European venture capital firms.
3 min read · 30 July 2014
Searchlight Capital Partners, a private equity firm with offices in Toronto, New York and London, has with its partners acquired M&M Meat Shops Ltd for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 1980, the Kitchener, Ontario-based M&M is a retailer of specialty frozen food in Canada, with approximately 400 locations across the country. Concurrent with the transaction, the company announced the appointment of a new CEO, Andy O'Brien, and CFO, Sam Florio. O'Brien, who has more than 25 years of experience in the food industry, was previously the CEO of Ottawa's The WORKS Gourmet Burger Bistro Inc, which in 2010 was bought by private equity-backed Fresh Brands Inc.
3 min read · 30 July 2014
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co will likely hold a first close on its second infrastructure fund in the fall, sources told Buyouts.
2 min read · 30 July 2014
ONCAP, the mid-market arm of Canadian private equity firm Onex Corp, is selling Mister Car Wash after more than seven years, peHUB reported based on banking sources and a recent FTC filing. U.S. private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners is buying the Tucson, Arizona-based car wash company for between US$400 million to US$500 million. ONCAP acquired the business in April 2007.
2 min read · 30 July 2014
Mohawk Medical Growth Partners, a Canadian private equity firm specializing in healthcare real estate, has raised $2.59 million in a private placement. The transaction, which was facilitated by investment banking firm Cranson Capital Securities, will support Mohawk's acquisition of a Vaughan, Ontario-based medical facility called the Columbus Medical Arts Building. Since its establishment in late 2012, Mohawk has acquired four medical buildings, including Columbus.
3 min read · 29 July 2014
Unipex Group, a portfolio company of European private equity firm IK Investment Partners, has bought Ferguson Chemical Innovation, a chemical manufacturer and supplier based in Brampton, Ontario. The acquisition's value was not disclosed. Unipex Solutions Canada Inc undertook the deal, which strengthens its industrial portfolio and gains access to new markets and customers in North America, the company said. Based in Québec City, Unipex specializes in active ingredients, specialty chemicals and other chemical products for cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, nutrition and other sectors. It was acquired by IK Investment Partners in 2012.
3 min read · 29 July 2014
Ivanhoé Cambridge, the real estate investment arm of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, and real estate funds managed by U.S. private equity firm Blackstone Group have bought additional shares in French property business Gecina S.A. Ivanhoé and Blackstone bought 6.9 percent of Gecina's share capital and voting rights from Spain's Metrovacesa S.A. As a result, Ivanhoé and Blackstone currently hold 29.9 percent of Gecina's shares and voting rights. Reuters earlier estimated the value of Metrovacesa's sale of its entire position in the company at US$2.11 billion.
3 min read · 29 July 2014
