Buyouts
Deal focus: Allegro to revamp Pizza Hut’s recipe
Allegro Funds plans new store expansion for Pizza Hut Australia, but first the GP and its management team partners will make operational improvements to the existing business
Wanda-lust: Chinese investment in the US movie industry
Jianlin Wang, chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, has set his sights on buying one of Hollywood's six major studios. The rationale is sound but a strategy of incremental acquisitions might work better
Deal focus: IDG, CEL play movie industry long game
In acquiring a controlling stake in Shanghai Film Art Academy, the IDG-Everbright M&A Investment Fund is looking to support the next generation of Chinese filmmakers
Carlyle launches tender offer for Money Square Japan
The Carlyle Group has launched a tender offer for Money Square Japan, a Tokyo-listed provider of foreign exchange margin trading services.
Allegro acquires Pizza Hut Australia
Allegro Funds has acquired Pizza Hut Australia from US owner Yum Brands alongside a local management team comprising former McDonald’s executives.
IDG-Everbright fund buys Shanghai Film Art Academy
China Everbright (CEL) and IDG Capital Partners have acquired a controlling stake in the Shanghai Film Art Academy for an undisclosed sum.
KKR's acquisition of Korea-based Kim's Club falls through
South Korean retail conglomerate E-Land Group has dropped plans to sell its luxury grocery chain Kim’s Club to KKR after agreeing a separate strategic divestment.
Blackstone ups stake in India's Mphasis to 60%
The Blackstone Group has completed its purchase of Indian IT services provider Mphasis from Hewlett Packard, raising its stake in the company to 60% for a total payment of about $825 million.
Deal focus: Mr Vitamins gets deal-by-deal treatment
Executives from Ironbridge Capital and Catalyst Investment Managers team up with retail veteran Brett Blundy to take Australia's Mr Vitamins into its next stage of growth
NewQuest buys BPO asset from Ayala, Actis
Direct secondaries specialist NewQuest Capital Partners has acquired business process outsourcing (BPO) company Integreon from Philippines conglomerate Ayala Corporation and Actis Capital.
Deal focus: Goldman, EastBridge cook up expansion plan
After attempts to grow cross-border struggled, the founder of Korean cookware manufacturer Happycall opted to bring in EastBridge Partners and Goldman Sachs' capital and expertise
Quadrant buys Australian occupational health specialist
Quadrant Private Equity has acquired a majority stake in Injury Treatment, an Australia-based provider of injury prevention and rehabilitation services to employers and insurers, for an undisclosed sum.
I Squared's toll road platform buys IL&FS asset for $21m
Cube Highways and Infrastructure, the India toll road and transportation investment platform of I Squared Capital, has bought a toll road asset from IL&FS Transportation Networks for INR1.4 billion ($20.9 million).
IDG-backed group submits revised bid for China's KongZhong
IDG Capital Partners and the chairman of KongZhong Corporation have submitted a revised take-private bid for the US-listed Chinese online game developer worth approximately $338 million.
Size matters: Korea's heavily contested buyouts
Korea has delivered some of Asia's biggest private equity buyout opportunities, but the scarcity of these deals means processes are highly competitive and assets are richly priced
Cross-border consumer: The Korean wave
Driven by the popularity of music, TV dramas and beauty products, Korea’s cultural cachet has never been stronger. PE and strategic investors want to monetize the phenomenon, for as long as it lasts
Platinum buys Chinese manufacturing business
US-based Platinum Private Equity has agreed to acquire two Chinese manufacturing units from Singapore’s Broadway Industrial Group for S$150 million ($111 million).
Australia's Quadrant buys Goodlife Health Clubs for $198m
Quadrant Private Equity, which recently closed its eighth Australia mid-market fund at $980 million ($754 million), has agreed to buy Ardent Leisure’s Goodlife Health Clubs business for A$260 million.
Goldman, EastBridge buy majority stake in Korea’s Happycall
Goldman Sachs and South Korean mid-market focused PE firm EastBridge Partners have agreed to buy a majority stake in Korean cookware and kitchen appliances maker Happycall.
Bridgeport takes full ownership of fellow Australia GP Hawkesbridge
Bridgeport Capital has taken full ownership of Hawkesbridge Private Equity and will integrate the latter’s portfolio into its own. This follows a management buyout of Hawkesbridge’s property unit at the end of last year.
Temasek in $1.8b exit from India's Bharti, Thailand's Intouch
Singapore's Temasek Holdings has exited its stakes in Bharti Airtel and Intouch, telecommunications service providers based in India and Thailand respectively, to Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) for a total of S$2.5 billion ($1.8 billion).
PE-backed consortium withdraws take-private bid for China’s Momo
An investor consortium that includes several private equity firms has withdrawn their take-private offer for Chinese mobile dating app Momo.
Aspirant Group to acquire Japan's Sagami
Japanese private equity firm Aspirant Group has committed to a JPY1.2 billion ($12.3 million) investment to take a 54% stake in Tokyo-listed kimono retailer Sagami.
Chinese consortium further scales back Opera deal to $575m
A PE-backed Chinese consortium has agreed to scale back its ongoing acquisition of the web browser business of Norway’s Opera Software to a value of $575 million. It follows a renegotiation earlier this year that agreed a $600 million deal as an alternative...