Australasia
An Australian-Asian story
Australia is the exception in Asian private equity: a market in which buyouts are routine, leveraged finance is readily available and entry and exit activity is relatively transparent. It is, one is tempted to say, Japan without the intrigue and inscrutability.
Billabong rejects improved $904m offer from TPG
TPG Capital has increased its takeover bid for Billabong International by 10% to A$841 million ($904 million) but the Australian surfwear company is still not interested. It said that the increased price of A$3.30 per share, up from A$3 per share, doesn’t...
Billabong still in talks with TPG over buyout offer
Talks are ongoing between TPG Capital and Billabong over the private equity firm’s A$765 million ($820 million) takeover bid for the Australian surfwear manufacturer. TPG made a revised offer last week but it was still at the same indicative price of...
Providence-backed WTC bolts on USM Events
World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), the Australian athletic events organizer owned by Providence Equity Partners, has acquired event management company USM Events.
Western Australia moves forward on sovereign fund plans
The Western Australia government appears to have accelerated plans to set up a sovereign wealth fund to accrue a portion of the profits being generated by the region’s natural resources. Premier Colin Barnett mooted the prospect of a future fund that...
MyFarm launches listed dairy fund
New Zealand dairy farm investor MyFarm Asset Management has launched a specialist investment fund which aims to raise NZ$75 million ($62 million), partly through an IPO on alternative securities exchange Unlisted.
Quadrant, APN announce outdoor advertising JV
Quadrant Private Equity has agreed to form an outdoor advertising joint venture with APN News & Media worth A$272 million ($289 million). APN had decided further investment was required to support expansion and entered into exclusive negotiations with...
Catalyst backs Australian offshore oil services provider
Catalyst Investment Managers has acquired a minority stake in Bhagwan Marine, a logistics provider to the offshore oil and gas industry in Australia. The size of the transaction was not disclosed.
CVC cuts price for Nine’s magazine division – report
CVC Asia Pacific is reportedly willing to listen to offers of as little as A$300 million ($323 million) – or 3x earnings – for Nine Entertainment’s magazine division after receiving little interest from prospective buyers. The sale of ACP Magazines...
TPG submits Billabong takeover bid despite initial rebuff
TPG Capital has made its A$765 million ($825 million) bid for Billabong regardless of the Australian surfwear company’s attempt to head off a takeover by announcing both the partial sale of one of its most profitable brands and plans to close 150 stores....
CVC-backed Cellnet on hunt for tech bolt-ons - report
Private equity firm CVC has reportedly begun searching for tech start-ups to bolt on to its Australian mobile accessories distributor, Cellnet.
APN in exclusive negotiations with Quadrant Private Equity
APN News & Media has entered into exclusive negotiations with Quadrant Private Equity concerning its outdoor advertising business. It comes after a strategic review concluded that the asset shouldn’t be sold but that further investment was required...
CPPIB hires Goldman’s Mark Machin as Asia president
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has appointed former Goldman Sachs executive Mark Machin as Asia president. He will be based in Hong Kong and take responsibility for the pension fund’s investment strategy and programs throughout Asia Pacific.
Billabong suspends trading amid reports of TPG bid
Australian surf-wear manufacturer Billabong International has suspended trading amid reports that TPG Capital has tabled a buyout offer for the company. The move comes as Billabong looks for ways to manage a A$600 million debt pile, with net profit expected...
Carlyle’s Applus+ buys Australian inspection firm JDA
The Carlyle Group has acquired John Davidson and Associates (JDA), an Australian extraction industry services provider, through its portfolio company Applus+. The size of the transaction wasn’t disclosed but JDA had revenues of around EUR25 million...
CPPIB in $1.8m mall deal with Australia’s Westfield
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has bought a 45% stake in a portfolio of 12 US malls from Australian shopping mall owner Westfield Group for around $1.85 billion. It is CPPIB’s biggest real estate investment to date.
AVCAL announces new chairman
The Australian Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (AVCAL) has appointed David Brown as chairman, effective after the association's council meeting on Thursday.
Catalyst identifies proxy for resources boom
With investment in Australian natural resources soaring, miners are being dispatched to work on resources in locations so remote that just a few years ago extraction wasn’t deemed economically viable. Morris Corporation provides somewhere for them to...
CVC-backed Nine in talks to sell magazine business – reports
CVC Capital Partners-owned Nine Entertainment has held talks with Seven West Media over the potential sale of its ACP magazines division. The funds raised would help pay down some of the beleaguered company’s A$2.7 billion ($2.8 billion) in senior debt...
Catalyst buys Australian resources industry service provider
Australian private equity firm Catalyst Investment Managers has purchased a 49% stake in Morris Corporation, a provider of facilities management and accommodation services to the mining and oil and gas industries. The value of the transaction was not...
Touchmedia secures new round of VC financing
Chinese marketing platform Touchmedia has completed its latest round of financing, led by affiliates of the company's CEO along with new and existing VC backers. Qiming Venture Partners, TLC Capital and Mustang Ventures are among the existing investors...
Australian private equity continues to outperform stocks
Australian private equity continues to outperform the country’s stock markets, according to a research demonstrated by the Australian Venture Capital Association (AVCAL).
PE financing: Lagging leverage
Spooked by wider economic issues, European banks are pulling back from the leveraged buyout market. This presents a further challenge to private equity firms already adjusting to tighter financing conditions
Wolseley exits Freshmax to Maui Capital
From cattle ranchers to fruit and vegetable farmers, PE interest in Australasia’s agricultural space is wide-ranging. In each case, investors are seeking to leverage the perception, particularly in Asia, that produce from Australia and New Zealand is...