The field of bidders for SAB Miller's European beer brands being sold by Anheuser-Busch InBev has narrowed after U.S. buyout fund Bain Capital walked away, sources told Reuters. Japanese brewer Asahi Group is seen as a front-runner to buy the brands. The other bidders include a consortium led by Swiss investment firm Jacobs Holding, which is backed by Canada's PSP Investments, which manages pension funds of its armed services and famed Mounties, as well as Czech family office R2G.
2 min read · 06 December 2016
GoDaddy Inc (GDDY.N), a U.S.-based website domain name provider, said on Tuesday that it would buy peer Host Europe Group (HEG) for 1.69 billion euros ($1.82 billion), including debt, as it seeks to expand beyond the initial set-up of websites.
2 min read · 06 December 2016
Ontario's municipal workers' pension fund has sold a majority stake in global marine services company V.Group to buyout firm Advent International in the first sale by the Canadian fund's private equity arm in Europe, Reuters reported. As part of the shift to more direct investment, the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) set up a private equity team and now has about $10 billion invested. It started a London operation in 2009 and two years later it bought V.Group, which manages more than 1,000 vessels and employs more than 3,000 people, from Exponent Private Equity for an enterprise value of US$520 million.
2 min read · 05 December 2016
German perfume and cosmetics retailer Douglas has closed its 11 stores in Turkey because its market share is too small and unlikely to grow, a spokeswoman said on Monday.
1 min read · 05 December 2016
Buyout firm Electra Partners has renamed itself Epiris, aiming to forge a new future after being sacked as the portfolio manager for Electra Private Equity (ELTA.L) earlier this year, Reuters reported.
2 min read · 05 December 2016
Dublin-based AWAS has been put up for sale by its private equity owners in an auction that could value the aircraft lessor at US$7 billion, including debt, and draw bids from Chinese lessors and other Asian investors, sources told Reuters. Terra Firma and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired AWAS in 2006 for about US$2.5 billion. Potential buyers include the aviation leasing company backed by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing, the aircraft leasing arm of China's Ping An Insurance Group, and other Asian lessors. Pension funds may also show interest.
3 min read · 05 December 2016
UniCredit (CRDI.MI), Italy's biggest bank by assets, has started exclusive talks with France's Amundi (AMUN.PA) to sell its asset management arm Pioneer Investments as it strives to boost its capital base, Reuters reported.
1 min read · 05 December 2016
Private equity group PAI Partners expects to receive bids for its French lab testing chain Cerba on Dec. 8 in a deal that could be worth as much as 1.8 billion euros ($1.92 billion), sources told Reuters.
1 min read · 02 December 2016
SK Holdings Co (034730.KS) said it submitted a non-binding bid to buy South Korea's second-biggest producer of industrial gases that has been put up for sale by Goldman Sachs (GS.N) and others, in a deal a source said could be valued at around $2 billion.
2 min read · 02 December 2016
China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina) is setting up a fund that will aim to raise $5 billion to help finance its purchase of Swiss seeds group Syngenta (SYNN.S), sources told Thomson Reuters publication Basis Point.
2 min read · 01 December 2016
