Trade sale
Secondary buyouts: Peer to peer
Maligned by some investors, sponsor-to-sponsor deals are gradually becoming more prevalent in Asia as the private equity industry matures. What is the early verdict?
Fosun, Sanyuan to buy margarine maker from European GP
Chinese conglomerate Fosun Group has teamed up with Beijing Sanyuan Foods to buy French margarine maker St Hubert from Montagu Private Equity for EUR625 million ($734 million).
Australia's Westpac in talks to sell Hastings fund business
Australia’s Westpac Banking Corp. has entered exclusive negotiations to sell Hastings Fund Management to Australia-listed property developer Charter Hall Group.
Japan's Marubeni buys beef supplier from US GP
Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corp. has acquired Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, a US-based supplier of beef and pork products, from Sun Capital Partners.
Bain to make partial exit from Japanese mushroom producer
Bain Capital Private Equity has agreed to sell a 49% in Yukiguni Maitake, a Japanese mushroom producer, to domestic food company Shinmei. The size of the transaction was not disclosed.
J-Star exits Japanese document scanning business to Orix
Mid-market private equity firm J-Star has exited its entire holding in Japanese document scanning company Primagest to local financial services conglomerate Orix Corporation.
Baring Asia completes Joyful Honda exit, secures 45% IRR
Baring Private Equity Asia has completed its exit from Japanese home improvement center operator Joyful Honda – the first joint investment by the firm’s private equity and real estate funds – generating a gross IRR of around 45%.
Quadrant to exit Australia's Zip Industries via trade sale
Quadrant Private Equity has sold Zip Industries, an Australia-based manufacturer of drinking water appliances, to global water treatment specialist Culligan International for an undisclosed sum.
VIG pays $127m for majority stake in Korean skincare player
VIG Partners has agreed to buy a 73% stake in Press & Converting, a Korea-based manufacturer of facial masks primarily used for skincare, in a deal worth KRW146 billion ($127 million).
Q&A: BDA's Paul DiGiacomo
Paul DiGiacomo, a managing director with Asia-focused advisory firm BDA Partners, discusses the latest trends in M&A, from increasingly sophisticated Chinese buyers to more willing multinational sellers
Singapore's GIC buys 30% stake in Mergermarket
Singapore’s GIC Private has acquired an approximately 30% stake in Mergermarket Group – AVCJ’s parent company – from BC Partners. The size of the transaction was not disclosed.
Rocket, Kinnevik exit as Alibaba pumps $1b into Lazada
Alibaba Group will invest about $1 billion to take its stake in Southeast Asia-based e-commerce platform Lazada from 51% to 83%, enabling investors including Rocket Internet and AB Kinnevik to make a full exit.
Zombie start-ups: On the same side
Zombie companies present a special challenge for VC investors, whose exit goals may not match the aims of the founders. Successful GPs will try to ensure a positive experience for all parties
Shaw Kwei completes exit from China's YongLe with 4.8x return
Shaw Kwei & Partners has completed its exit from Chinese PVC adhesive tape manufacturer YongLe Tape – securing a gross multiple of 4.8x – as Avery Dennison purchased the asset for a total consideration of $300 million.
Nippon Mirai to sell Takasago stake back to NEC
Japanese GP Nippon Mirai Capital has agreed to sell its entire 51% stake in Takasago Machinery, an electronic equipment manufacturer, to its previous owner NEC Corporation for an undisclosed sum.
Warburg Pincus to invest $360m in Tata Technologies
Warburg Pincus has agreed to invest $360 million in Tata Technologies, the engineering outsourcing and product development IT services arm of Indian conglomerate Tata Group.
Q&A: Unison Capital's Tatsuo Kawasaki
Tatsuo Kawasaki, co-founder and partner at Unison Capital, discusses why deal flow is growing in Japan’s middle market – not only in terms of volume, but also in seller type and sector scope
GPs sell French crystal maker to Chinese investment group
Chinese investment group Fortune Fountain Capital has agreed to buy a controlling stake in French luxury crystal maker Baccarat from Starwood Capital and L Catterton Partners, in a deal worth EUR164 million ($184 million).
Deal focus: Quadrant cashes in on Icon's growth potential
Quadrant Private Equity agrees a $746 million exit from Icon Group, with new owners QIC, Goldman Sachs and Pagoda Investment keen to continue the cancer specialist's expansion in Asia
Taiwan regulator nixes Carlyle's EBC exit
The Carlyle Group appears to have hit a wall in its latest attempt to exit Taiwan TV station Eastern Broadcasting (EBC) as the National Communication Commission (NBC) blocked a sale to Taiwan Optical Platform, a local telecom services provider.
Fairfax to part exit India's ICICI Lombard
Fairfax Financial Holdings will sell a 12.2% stake in ICICI Lombard General Insurance to a group of PE investors including Warburg Pincus, Tamarind Capital, and IIFL Asset Management.
Bain to make full exit from Domino's Pizza Japan
Bain Capital Private Equity is set to exit Domino’s Pizza Japan, having exercised a put option requiring Domino’s Pizza Enterprises (DPE) - which acquired a majority interest in the business in 2013 – to buy its 25% stake.
Navis to sell Australia's Retail Apparel to The Foschini Group
Navis Capital Partners has agreed to sell its controlling stake in Australia’s Retail Apparel Group (RAG) to The Foschini Group of South Africa in a deal worth A$302.5 million ($225 million).
VC investors to exit India's ItzCash to strategic
US-based software developer Ebix has agreed to buy a majority stake in Indian financial technology firm ItzCash, providing an exit for its VC backers including Lightspeed Venture, Matrix Partners and Intel Capital.