Australian private equity firm Archer Capital has acquired a local biscuit maker for an undisclosed amount.
The two New York-based firms have made a majority investment in Bravo Development, which operates 50 Italian restaurants across the country.
BC Partners, a London-based private equity firm, and AXA Private Equity, the private equity arm of the French insurance group, have teamed up to acquire Médica, a French nursing home business.
Alternative Hotel Group’s third offer for De Vere, valuing the company at about €767m, has seen off Permira’s interest in the UK hotel and leisure chain.
The private equity industry is once more turning to UK-based consumer businesses to put its money to work with bids rumoured for Morrisons, a besieged national grocer, and Matalan, a troubled discount retailer.
The Blackstone Group, the US alternatives manager, has put its latest mega buyout fund to work with $11bn invested in three US deals in a day, quashing critics’ concerns that it would struggle to invest such a large pool of capital.
Southern Cross Healthcare Group, a Blackstone portfolio company, has relaunched its plans to float on the London Stock Exchange following postponement late last month.
Sequoia Capital India has injected an additional $10 million into a software testing company following its first investment of two years ago.
Travel and real-estate company Cendant announced plans to sell its travel distribution services subsidiary Travelport—which includes its Orbitz and CheapTickets businesses—to The Blackstone Group for about $4.3bn in cash.
Sponsor-backed M&A in Europe was slightly down on first half figures for 2005 although the average deal size rose.