North Asia
IMM to buy Korean fashion e-commerce business
IMM Private Equity has agreed to buy a majority stake in W Concept Korea, an own-brand online clothing retailer owned by ISE Commerce, a multi-strategy Korean e-commerce business.
Portfolio: J-Star and Japan Hospice Holdings
In 2014 J-Star bet on a pair of pioneering companies in Japan’s hospice care market. Now the resulting platform is set to dominate the still-nascent industry with high standards for care and patient dignity
Affinity to buy Burger King Japan
Affinity Equity Partners, which already owns Burger King in South Korea, has assumed control of the fast food chain’s master franchise for Japan.
ADK management offers support to Bain buyout bid
Japan-based advertising agency Asatsu-DK (ADK) has expressed its support for Bain Capital Private Equity’s proposed JPY151 billion ($1.3 billion) buyout, against opposition from its largest shareholder, WPP Group.
PE must 'play to win' in Japan carve-outs - Bain & Co
Japan private equity investment is on course for a record year on the back of increased divestment activity, but GPs must fine-tune their strategies to prevail in a highly competitive auction processes, according to Bain & Company.
KKR sweetens tender offer for Japan's Hitachi Kokusai
KKR has improved its tender offer for Japanese high-tech manufacturer Hitachi Kokusai Electric after the process, which was announced in April, stalled due to share price volatility.
Goldman backs South Korean bakery ingredients maker
Goldman Sachs has invested KRW34 billion ($29.9 million) in Korean specialty food ingredients manufacturer Sun-in.
Japan's Advantage exits telemarketing business
Advantage Partners has agreed to sell Customer Relation Telemarketing (CRTM), a call center business it acquired three years ago, to fellow Japanese private equity firm Integral Corporation.
VCs in $6.5m round for Japan's LaFabric
Globis Capital Partners has joined a group of venture capital firms in a JPY740 million ($6.5 million) funding round for Lifestyle Design, the Japanese operator of men’s custom-made fashion marketplace LaFabric.
Japan education: School run
PE and VC investors are increasingly active across the breadth of Japan’s education sector, armed with an evolving set of targeting criteria and growth strategies intended to exploit sweeping social changes
Japan secondary buyouts: Hand to hand
A series of recent lucrative exits by Japanese GPs have shown that secondary buyouts in the country can deliver
Japan's NSSK closes Fund II at $530m
Japanese private equity firm NSSK has closed its second fund oversubscribed with JPY60 billion ($531 million) in commitments.
Bain launches $1.3b tender offer for Japanese ad agency
Bain Capital Private Equity has launched a tender offer for Japan-based advertising agency Asatsu-DK (ADK) that values the company at JPY151 billion ($1.3 billion).
Korea bans initial coin offerings
South Korea has initiated a ban on fundraising exercises known as initial coin offerings (ICO) which involve the unregulated sale of cryptographic tokens.
Permira to complete exit from Japan's Sushiro with 2.9x return
Permira will realize a gross multiple of 2.9x on its investment in Sushiro Global Holdings – the sushi restaurant chain it took public in Tokyo earlier this year – having agreed to sell its remaining stake to the parent company of Genki Sushi.
Deal focus: Advantage kneads 12x return
Advantage Partners has sold Japanese massage chain Riraku back to one of the company's co-founders at a valuation of $300 million, having successfully executed its expansion strategy
Japan carve-outs: Slow burn story
Toshiba Memory Corporation is set to become Asia'a largest-ever PE buyout, if the deal goes through in its current form. But this doesn't necessarily mean the path to corporate divestments in Japan will become smoother
MBK to buy stake in Korean golf course business
MBK Partners, which completed its acquisition of Japanese golf course operator Accordia Golf earlier this year, has agreed to take a stake in the golf course management business of Korea-listed Golfzon.
VCs invest $3.4m in Japan's Oneteam
Oneteam, a Japanese workplace chat app provider, has received a JPY380 million ($3.4 million) funding round from a group of venture investors, including existing backer Nissay Capital.
MBK hires Deutsche executive to co-lead credit strategy
North Asia-focused buyout player MBK Partners has hired Stephen Le, formerly of Deutsche Bank, to co-head a newly-launched fund that will make credit and special situations investments.
Advantage exits Japan massage chain in $300m sale
Advantage Partners has sold its majority stake in Japanese massage chain operator Riraku at a valuation of approximately $300 million, securing a 12x money multiple.
Bain, Goldman agree $2.7b exit from Carver Korea
Bain Capital Private Equity and Goldman Sachs have agreed to sell their majority stake in Carver Korea, a specialist cosmetics supplier, to Unilever in a deal worth EUR2.27 billion ($2.7 billion).
Korea LPs: Credit junkies
Korean institutional investors favor private debt over other alternatives asset classes because of its long tenor and stable cash flows. Multi-credit strategies are likely to launch as more capital is allocated overseas
Toshiba agrees $18b sale of chip unit to Bain consortium
Japanese conglomerate Toshiba Corporation has reached a final agreement to sell its Nand flash memory unit to a consortium led by Bain Capital for JPY2 trillion ($17.8 billion).