Buyouts
PE financing to be targeted in Australia takeover law review
Private equity firms that launch takeover bids for companies without clear financing packages are likely to be targeted in the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s (ASIC) review of takeover legislation.
HAPE clinches $12m FastTrack buyout
Harbert Australia Private Equity (HAPE), a unit of America’s Harbert Management Corp (HMC), has acquired a majority stake in recruitment and payroll software provider FastTrack.
Crescent Capital offers $225m for Australia's ClearView Wealth
Crescent Capital Partners has made a A$220 million ($225 million) takeover bid for Australian financial services company ClearView Wealth. Guinness Peat Group, which owns 47.8% of ClearView, said the offer was wholly inadequate and didn’t reflect the...
TPG buys China packaging firm HCP for $600m - report
TPG Capital has reportedly acquired Chinese packaging company HCP Holdings for around $600 million through a leveraged buyout. The news comes after an earlier attempt by Morgan Stanley's Asia private equity arm to purchase 80% of the company for around...
Southern Capital backs Malaysia’s Adventa in $100m MBO
Singapore-based Mulberry Asia Fund II, a private equity fund managed by Southern Capital Group, has acquired medical products manufacturer Adventa alongside its present managing director Low Chin Guan. The deal is valued at MYR320.85 million ($100 million).
OTPP, Unitas target PE-owned Infastech – report
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) and Unitas Capital have reportedly teamed up to bid for Singapore-based industrial fasteners manufacturer Infastech, currently owned by CVC Capital and Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE). The deal could be...
TPG backs $176m ShangPharma MBO
TPG Capital is backing a management buyout (MBO) bid for ShangPharma, a Chinese pharmaceutical and biotech research outsourcing firm listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Michael Hui, ShangPharma’s chairman and CEO, and affiliates of TPG have offered...
Carlyle takes controlling stake in China hotel operator
The Carlyle Group has acquired a controlling stake of 49% in Mandarin Hotel Holdings, which manages a mid-market hotel chain in China under the Crystal Orange Hotel and Orange Hotel brands. The private equity firm sees the investment as a means of tapping...
PEP buys Nestle’s ice cream business
Australian private equity firm Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) has bought the Peters Ice Cream unit of Swiss food giant Nestle.
Advent Private secures GenesisCare exit through KKR buyout
KKR’s recent buyout of Australian healthcare firm GenesisCare secured an exit for mid-market investor Advent Private Capital. The domestic GP described the exit, which comes after a holding period of just three years, as “highly successful.”
Q&A: Pacific Equity Partners' Tim Sims
Tim Sims, co-founder and managing director of Pacific Equity Partners, argues that Australia’s strong fundamentals make it an attractive market for buyouts, while perceptions of an over-reliance on China are misplaced
Strategic glad-handing
I recall conversations with a number of Asian GPs on how to invest in family-owned businesses that account for such large number of potential acquisition targets for private equity funds in the region. The formula seemed pretty straightforward. It begins...
Gresham in talks to sell Witchery to Country Road
Australia-listed fashion and homeware retailer Country Road has confirmed it is in talks with Gresham Private Equity about the potential acquisition of clothing brands Witchery and Mimco.
EB Private Equity abandons David Jones takeover bid
Little-known UK-based investor EB Private Equity has withdrawn its takeover bid for David Jones, Australia’s second-largest department store chain. The group initially submitted an offer of A$1.52 billion ($1.55 billion) in May and later increased it...
Abax wins board approval for Fushi Copperweld MBO
Abax Global Capital has finalized a $363.8 million buyout of US-listed Chinese wire manufacturer Fushi Copperweld in alliance with company management. The transaction has taken about 18 months to close and represents Abax’s second successful take-private...
KKR takes majority stake in Australia’s GenesisCare
KKR has picked up a 63% interest in Australia’s GenesisCare, which provides services to patients with cancer and cardiovascular disease. It represents the latest in a string of healthcare sector deals by private equity firms, with TPG Capital and The...
Morgan Stanley invests $210m in Continuum Wind Energy
Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners has agreed to buy a majority stake in Continuum Wind Energy for INR12 billion ($210 million). The Singapore-based company, which was set up Essar Group executive Vikas Saraf and investment banker Arvind Bansal, runs...
Billabong poised for takeover as share price tumbles
Australian surfwear retailer Billabong International saw its stock slump 36% when it resumed trading on Monday following a heavily discounted $225 million rights issue. The company is now worth less than one third of the value of TPG Capital’s A$841...
MBK named preferred bidder for Korea’s Hi-Mart
MBK Partners has been chosen as the preferred bidder for South Korean electronics retailer Hi-Mart. The company said in a statement to the Korean Stock Exchange that its largest shareholder, Eugene Corp, had made the decision.
Asiasons buys Australian pre-school show from CVC's Nine
Southeast Asian private equity firm Asiasons Group has acquired Australian pre-school television show Hi-5 from Nine Network Australia and Southern Star Entertainment. Nine Network is owned by the debt-laden Nine Entertainment Group, which is backed by...
Australian businesses don’t trust PE – PwC survey
Only 5% of small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Australia that are currently seeking funding would consider private equity as a source of capital, according to a survey published by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
Unitas in timely bet on Korea’s outdoor market
As in most proprietary deals, timing was everything when it came to Unitas’ most recent investment. By fortuitous coincidence, the Asia-focused private equity firm approached Korean outdoor apparel and equipment manufacturer NEPA at the very moment...
PE firms plan AsiaInfo bids – report
Silver Lake, TPG Capital and Primavera Capital are said to be among the PE firms that have expressed an interest in AsiaInfo-Linkage, the US-listed telecoms software manufacturer that is subject to a buyout offer from CITIC Capital.
PE firms consider bid for Australian packaging firm – report
The Blackstone Group, KKR and The Carlyle Group are said to be in talks with banks over a bid for Australian packaging company Pact. The deal could value the firm at as much as $1.4 billion.