Sectors
Lafarge in talks with PE to sell part of India business
Lafarge is in talks with private equity and financial firms to sell 20-25% of its India unit for about $300 million. The divestment is part of a wider effort from the French cement maker to divest non-core assets and reduce debt levels to below EUR10...
China’s Weichai could raise Kion stake to one third
Weichai Power, a Chinese automotive and equipment manufacturer owned by Shandong Heavy Industry, has obtained the option in increase its stake in German forklift truck maker Kion to one third. The company owns 25% of the business and already has an option...
Summit invests $26m in Southeast Asia online retailer
Summit Partners has invested EUR20 million ($26.4 million) in the German holding company of Southeast Asian online retailer Lazada. The capital will be used to expand the company’s product offering.
Blackstone appoints new senior managing director for India real estate
The Blackstone Group has promoted India-based Tuhin Parikh to senior managing director in its real estate division. He was previously a managing director.
Carlyle relists Chimney, completes partial exit
The Carlyle Group has completed a partial exit from Japanese restaurant chain Chimney having relisted the company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange three years after taking it private. It is the private equity firm’s first IPO in Japan this year, having abandoned...
Wilson Sonsini opens Beijing office
Venture capital-focused law firm Wilson Sonsini has opened an office in Beijing, enlarging a Greater China footprint that already takes in Shanghai and Hong Kong. The office is led by Kefei Li, a partner with the firm. He reports to Weiheng Chen, the...
Baird invests in Singapore’s Boston Plastics
Baird Capital Partners Asia has invested in Singapore plastic injection molding company Boston Plastics. It acquired shares from individual investors and company management, with the latter retaining majority control of the business.
PE-backed Bharti Infratel completes $763m IPO
Bharti Infratel, the Indian telecoms infrastructure subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, has raised around INR4.17 billion ($763 million) in India’s biggest IPO in two years.
Focus Media agrees to $3.7b PE-backed buyout
Chinese advertising company Focus Media has agreed to a $3.7 billion management buyout backed by a consortium of private equity firms. It is by some distance China’s largest-ever buyout transaction and is only surpassed in the broader private equity...
Equity Partners buys majority stake in New Zealand’s AHM
Equity Partners has acquired a stake of around 70% in New Zealand camping and gardening product distributor Amalgamated Hardware Merchants (AHM).
Nine Entertainment targets listing within 18 months
Nine Entertainment is expected to list on the Australian Securities Exchange within 18 months following its A$3.4 billion ($3.5 billion) recapitalization, according to court documents submitted this week. The company reached an agreement with its creditors...
Abraaj exits Thai restaurant chain Hot Pot after IPO
The Abraaj Group has exited restaurant chain Hot Pot after taking the company public on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in September. Hot Pot sold 101.9 million shares at THB2.80 apiece, raising THB285.3 million ($9.3 million), in an offering that was...
Templeton invests in China’s Tongda Group
Franklin Templeton has acquired a 6.3% stake in Tongda Group Holdings, a Chinese manufacturer of high-precision components used in consumer electronics products. The investment was made through Templeton Strategic Emerging Markets Fund IV, which targets...
Japan’s Fuller gets $1.2m seed round
Japanese internet service provider ASAHI Net and m8 Capital, a London-based VC firm, are leading a JPY100 million ($1.2 million) round of seed funding for Japan-based start-up Fuller Inc.
Golden Gate invests in three Singapore e-commerce firms
Golden Gate Ventures, a Southeast Asia-focused early stage technology seed fund, has added three Singapore-based e-commerce businesses to its portfolio: TradeGecko, RedMart and Coda Payments.
Temasek invests $104m in Godrej’s agribusiness unit
Temasek Holdings has paid INR5.72 billion ($104.5 million) for a 19.99% stake in Godrej Agrovet, an agribusiness subsidiary of Godrej Industries. The deal comprises primary and secondary tranches, with the former earmarked to support Godrej Agrovet’s...
Riverside-owned Retail Zoo completes Australia bolt-on
Retail Zoo, an Australia-based restaurant chain backed by The Riverside Company, has completed the bolt-on acquisition of Cibo Espresso, a franchiser of espresso bars in South Australia and Queensland.
IFC to provide $25m to General Atlantic-backed Fourcee
International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private investment arm of the World Bank, will provide a loan of $25 million to Fourcee Infrastructure Equipments, an Indian logistics firm backed by General Atlantic (GA) and India Equity Partners.
IFC exits India's Kanoria Chemicals
International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank's private investment arm, has sold its 10.88% stake in India’s Kanoria Chemicals, exiting at a small profit.
KKR, Providence battle for Australia’s NextGen – report
KKR is said to have joined Providence Equity Partners and TPG Telecom in the bidding for NextGen, the fibre-optics business being sold by Australian contractor Leighton Holdings.
Healthcare-focused Essex Woodlands opens Shanghai office
Essex Woodlands, the Silicon Valley-based healthcare investor, has opened an office in Shanghai as it looks to deepen its exposure to one of China’s fastest-growing sectors. David Yang and Scott Barry, both managing directors with the firm, will run...
Billabong receives $555m buyout offer - UPDATE
Billabong International has received a A$527 million ($555 million) buyout offer from Paul Naude, a director at the firm, with US-based Sycamore Partners participating as a cornerstone equity investor.
TPG-backed Li Ning warns of loss for 2012
Li Ning, the Chinese sportswear retail group backed by Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) and TPG Capital, will record a substantial net loss for the year based on its preliminary review for the 11 months ended November.
Ticketgoose plans second round funding from VCs
One of India's leading online bus tickets firms, Ticketgoose.com, is looking to raise INR250 million ($4.6 million) in a second round of VC funding, CEO Arun Athiappan said.