Western Europe

Charterhouse to reap £500m on Saga refinancing

Charterhouse is set to return £500 million to shareholders with a refinancing carried out by Merrill Lynch less than two years after acquiring the over-50s insurance and leisure group.

Putting for dough

With the recent opening of one of the world’s most expensive golf courses across the river from Manhattan, private equity and real estate investors are actively targeting golf properties in the UK and beyond. By Paul Fruchbom.

Iceland’s FL Group acquires stake in £351m House of Fraser buyout

FL Group, an Iceland investment group, has purchased a 14% stake in UK department store chain House of Fraser, bought by a consortium led by Iceland’s Baugur Group for £351m.

Focus on…African real estate?

Is sub-Saharan African real estate ripe for the plucking? In a recent conversation with Judy Kuan, David Morley of Actis shared why the emerging markets specialist is prudently bullish on the region’s potential.

LBO France bags Vinci’s cargo business

LBO France, a French private equity firm, has acquired the airport ground and cargo handling business of Vinci, a construction group, for €315m.

Permira to sell 50% of stake in Hogg Robinson float

Permira, Europe’s largest buyout firm, is planning to float portfolio company Hogg Robinson later this month with an expected market cap of £400m to £450m.

Veronis Suhler Stevenson to buy rest of Hemscott

Hemscott, a UK financial information provider, is to be delisted from AIM and merged with US rival I-deal if a bid by US private equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson to take the business private is successful.

Bunker Hill buys California Family Fitness

Private equity firm Bunker Hill Capital, the owner of the Papa Gino’s pizza restaurant brand, has announced a ‘significant investment’ in the operator of the California Family Fitness club chain.

Brazilian fund sees 7x chemicals exit

BPE Investimentos has realised a substantial return after a nearly decade-long hold of a Brazilian sucro-chemical company.

KBC and SR One lead €40m Ablynx financing

KBC Private Equity, a Belgian private equity firm, has made its second investment in a Belgian biotechnology firm this week by leading a €40m Series financing for Ablynx, which develops protein products for serious diseases including Alzheimer’s.