Australasia
Australia's Crescent Capital closes Fund V at $565m
Crescent Capital Partners has reached a final close on its fifth Australia and New Zealand-focused fund at the hard cap of A$675 million ($565 million) after only 10 weeks in the market.
Quadrant-backed Estia drops on Australia trading debut
Estia Health, an Australian aged care provider backed by Quadrant Private Equity, saw its stock open at a 13% discount to the IPO price on the first day of trading in Sydney.
PEP, Bain offer $731m for Australia’s Bradken
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and Bain Capital have made an offer for mining industry supplier Bradken that values the Australia-listed company at approximately A$872 million ($731 million).
KKR backs Australian agribusiness specialist
KKR has committed at least $100 million to Sundrop Farms Holdings, an Australian agribusiness company that has developed technology for growing crops in arid climates.
L Capital buys Australian swimwear brand Seafolly
L Capital Asia, a private equity firm sponsored by French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, has acquired a controlling stake in Australian swimwear brand Seafolly.
CHAMP PE-owned oOh! Media targets $141m Australia IPO
Australian outdoor advertising company oOh! Media, which is owned by CHAMP Private Equity, plans to raise A$166 million ($141 million) through an IPO.
Revived vacuum retailer Godfreys set for Australia IPO
Australian vacuum and cleaning products retailer Godfreys Group, which was acquired by Unitas Capital and Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and then taken over by creditors after running into trouble, is preparing to go public following a turnaround.
Blackstone invests $150m in Australia retirement village developer
The Blackstone Group has invested $150 million in Australian retirement village developer National Lifestyle Villages (NLV).
Fosun, Nanjing Sinolife to acquire New Zealand nutrients maker
Fosun Capital and Nanjing Sinolife United have formed a joint venture to acquire Good Health Products, a New Zealand-based nutritional supplements maker and distributor, for NZ$23.37 million ($18 million).
Australia’s Archer Capital cuts size of fund
Australian GP Archer Capital has cut the size of its fifth fund – which reached a final close of A$1.5 billion ($1.2 billion) in late 2011 – by returning A$300 million in commitments to LPs.
Hopu to buy 15% stake in Australia’s Paladin Energy
Hopu Investments has agreed to acquire up to 15% of Paladin Energy as part of a A$205 million ($178 million) capital raising effort by the Australian uranium miner.
Affinity to exit Australia's Primo as JBS agrees $1.25b acquisition
Affinity Equity Partners will exit Australian deli meats producer Primo Group after Brazilian food processing giant JBS agreed to buy the business for A$1.45 billion ($1.25 billion).
Australia's Aconex targets $120m IPO, PE to exit
US-based PE investor Francisco Partners will fully exit Australia’s Aconex as the cloud-based project management platform for the construction industry raises A$140 million ($120 million) through an IPO.
Australia's Bigcommerce gets $50m growth equity round
SoftBank Capital, Telstra Ventures and American Express have led a Series D round of funding worth $50 million for Bigcommerce, an Australian e-commerce platform with a strong presence in the US. Existing investors General Catalyst and Revolution Growth...
Australia's VC-backed Campaign Monitor in US bolt-on acquisition
Australia's Campaign Monitor, an email marketing software developer backed by Insight Venture Partners and SalesForce, has acquired US survey software developer GetFeedback.
Blackstone agrees $653m carve-out of Orica's chemicals business
The Blackstone Group has agreed to buy the chemicals division of Orica, an Australian supplier of explosives and blasting equipment to the mining industry, for A$750 million ($653 million).
Quadrant set for partial exit via Estia Health’s $726m IPO
Quadrant Private Equity will exit as much as half of its stake in Estia Health as the Australian aged care provider seeks to raise up to A$834 million ($726 million) through an IPO. The private equity firm bought the business in October 2013.
Profile: CHAMP Private Equity's Joseph Skrzynski
Joseph Skrzynski, one of the founding partners of CHAMP Private Equity, began his career before the asset class properly existed in Australia. He has played a pioneering role in its development
Private debt: Enforcement issues
Investors see great potential in Asia’s private debt markets, but some GPs and LPs’ attitudes towards downside protection and enforceability keep them out of emerging markets
Asahi in $175m settlement with PE firms over Independent Liquor
Asahi has received NZ$220 million ($175 million) from Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and Unitas Capital in a settlement that brings to a close their dispute over the sale of New Zealand beverage producer Independent Liquor.
TPG-owned Inghams sells $138m in real estate assets
TPG Capital-owned Australian poultry producer Inghams Enterprises has sold 31 properties to W.P. Carey, a US-based real estate investment trust, for A$157 million ($138 million).
KKR adds to Capstone team in Australia
KKR has bulked up its operations capabilities in Australia with the addition of Matthew Claughton as a director with Capstone. He will be based in Sydney.
Quadrant-backed APN Outdoor sees shares jump 8% on debut
Shares in APN Outdoor - the Australian billboard advertising business backed by Quadrant Private Equity - jumped as much as 8.6% as the company debuted on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).
TPG, PAG consortium finalizes acquisition of Australia's DTZ
TPG Capital and PAG Asia Capital, together with co-investor Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP), have completed their acquisition of DTZ, the property services arm of Australia-listed UGL, for an enterprise valuation of A$1.215 billion ($1.2 billion).