Consumer
Cross-border e-commerce: The final frontier
Rocket Internet and Alibaba Group are preparing to go public and have ambitious growth plans. But how suited are their respective models to cross-border e-commerce expansion?
Anchorage fully exits Dick Smith Electronics with 4x return
Anchorage Capital Partners has exited the remainder of its stake in Australian electronics retailer Dick Smith Holdings, generating a more than 4x return on its investment after a two-year holding period.
Alibaba ups IPO price range, could raise $25b
The Alibaba Group IPO will now be worth up to $25 billion after the Chinese e-commerce giant raised the indicative price range for the offering. It is now all but certain to supplant Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) as the largest IPO ever seen.
KKR to buy majority stake in Japanese DJ equipment business
KKR has agreed to buy Japanese electronics manufacturer Pioneer Corporation’s DJ equipment division for around JPY59 billion ($551 million). Pioneer will retain a minority interest in the business.
Baring Asia drops out of Japan electronics deal
Baring Private Equity Asia has abandoned plans to acquire the audio-video operations of Japanese car electronics maker Pioneer Corp - alongside the company's rival Onkyo Corp - three months after reaching a basic agreement.
India's BigBasket raises $32.8m Series B from Helion, Zodius
Helion Venture Partners and Zodius Capital have led a INR2 billion ($32.8 million) Series B round of investment in BigBasket.com - the Indian online retailer owned by Bangalore-based SuperMarket Grocery Supplies.
Fosun, Ardian bring in Jiuding for improved Club Med offer
Fosun International and Ardian Private Equity have reactivated their interest in French-based vacation resorts operator Club Méditerranée (Club Med), forming a new consortium that includes Chinese GP Jiuding Capital and Hong Kong Utour International Travel...
NPS, Macquarie-backed Megabox goes on sale
Megabox, the South Korean movie theatre chain 50% owned by a consortium including the Korean National Pension Service (NPS) and Macquarie Group, is being sold at auction.
SCPE backs Vietnam's Golden Gate, Mekong secures 9x exit
Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) has acquired a significant minority stake in Golden Gate, a Vietnam-based restaurant operator, for $35 million. The investment has allowed existing backer Mekong Capital to make a full exit with a net multiple...
Navis returns for Dome Coffees refill
Having built a strong relationship with the management team at Dome Coffees Australia, Navis Capital Partners was comfortable with the notion of buying the specialty coffee and dining restaurant chain for a second time, 11 years after the first acquisition....
Portfolio: YPX and China casual dining
YPX Cayman was born out of an idea for a tech-style start-up in China's casual dining space. Backed by a string of investors, the firm is making headway with Cloud 9 and preparing to launch new concepts
Japan's Relux raises $3.1m from Recruit Holdings, others
Japanese luxury hotel booking site Relux has raised JPY330 million ($3.1 million) from Recruit Holdings and other undisclosed investors.
Gobi invests in China second-hand car trading site Mychebao
Gobi Partners has invested in a Series A round of funding for Mychebao.com, a Chinese online trading platform for second-hand cars.
PE investors set for partial exits as Alibaba targets $24b IPO
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group is seeking to raise as much as $24 million through a US IPO that could be the largest tech offering in history.
PE-backed China Auto Rental to raise $467m in HK IPO
China Auto Rental, a car hire firm backed by Warburg Pincus, has set terms for a Hong Kong IPO that will raise up to HK$3.62 billion ($467 million).
Rocket, Kinnevik to form emerging market fashion e-commerce giant
German start-up incubator Rocket Internet and Investment AB Kinnevik, Rocket's biggest backer, are to consolidate five emerging market fashion e-commerce brands into a single global company with a combined valuation of EUR2.7 billion ($3.5 billion).
Singapore Red Dot Payment complete Series A round
Wavemaker Pacific and GMO Global Payment Fund have taken part in a Series A round of funding for Singapore's Red Dot Payment, an online payment solutions provider. The financial details were not disclosed.
Carlyle, FountainVest pull out of China Shanda Games take-private
The Carlyle Group and FountainVest Partners have pulled out of the consortium backing a $1.9 billion bid to acquire US-listed Chinese games developer Shanda Games.
KKR completes full exit from China Modern Dairy
KKR has fully exited China Modern Dairy after a six-year holding period. The PE firm only held a small minority stake in the business, having made a substantial exit to China Mengniu Dairy last year.
Navis completes buyouts in Australia, Singapore
Navis Capital Partners has completed two buyouts, acquiring Singapore-based pipe cladding manufacturer Cladtek and Australian casual dining chain operator and franchisor Dôme Coffees Australia.
Polaris pays $86m for Japanese all-you-can-eat chain
Japanese mid-market buyout firm Polaris Capital has bought a 100% stake in all-you-can-eat restaurant chain Edoichi.
Affinity invests $314m in Virgin Australia frequent flyer business
Affinity Equity Partners will pay A$336 million ($314 million) for a 35% interest in Virgin Australia’s frequent flyer program in a move that allows the airline to shore up its balance sheet.
Bain-backed Skylark to raise $1.1b in Tokyo IPO
Skylark, the Japanese restaurant chain backed by Bain Capital, could raise as much $1.1 billion as it re-lists on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSX).
GIC invests $104m in Taiwan music streaming service provider
GIC Private has invested $104 million in KKBOX, a Taiwan-based company that provides music streaming services in Asia.