Sectors
Australia’s Gresham PE in $180m Witchery Group exit
Gresham Private Equity has agreed to sell fashion retailer Witchery Group to Country Road for A$172 million ($180.2 million). The deal will see Witchery CEO Ian Nairn replace Howard Goldberg as head of Country Road, which is majority-owned by South Africa’s...
NTT Investment Partners backs Philippines’ Migo
NTT Investment Partners, the corporate venture capital arm of Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp, has committed $2 million to Migo Entertainment, a Philippines-based digital content distributor.
Oman India fund commits $13m to explosives maker
Oman India Joint Investment Fund (OIJIF), a PE vehicle owned by Oman’s sovereign wealth fund and India’s State Bank of India, has invested INR720 million ($13 million) in explosives manufacturer Solar Industries. The fund will pick up 4.28% of the...
Polaris invests in Japan's Myland Real Estate
Polaris Capital Group has acquired a 30% voting stake in Myland Real Estate through its second country-focused fund. The investment is part of the Japanese property broker's wider strategy to expand its business in preparation for an IPO in the next couple...
General Atlantic nears Snapdeal investment – report
General Atlantic is reportedly closing in an investment in online retailer Snapdeal, which would represent its first foray into Indian e-commerce. The private equity firm will participate in a round of funding worth $80-100 million.
TPG in rare China leveraged buyout
TPG Capital's full acquisition of packaging firm HCP Holdings, worth approximately $500 million, has a strong claim to be the largest ever leveraged buyout of a Chinese company. This is notoriously difficult territory for dealmakers and PE statisticians...
CVC, SCPE generate quick return on Infastech
A swift trade sale exit was always likely for Asia-based fastener manufacturer Infastech. Not long after CVC Capital Partners and Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) acquired the asset in 2010, strategic investors started showing an interest.
China biotech: Elusive innovation?
PE and VC investors want to leverage China’s rapidly growing biotech industry, but few firms have a proven ability to commercialize their innovations in drug development. Change will come, gradually.
Warburg Pincus backs Chinese children’s goods retailer
Warburg Pincus has invested $55 million in Chinese maternity and children’s goods retailer Kidswant. The capital will be used to increase store numbers and boost the company’s growth plans.
Macquarie raises $625m for Philippines’ first infra fund
Macquarie Group has announced a first and final close on $625 million for its Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure (PINAI). It is the first-ever Philippines-dedicated infrastructure fund.
Korea’s Woongjin, KTB Private Equity in $1b Coway deal
KTB Private Equity, an affiliate of South Korean financial services company KTB Investment & Securities, will team up with Woongjin Holdings to buy a 31% stake in water purifier manufacturer Coway for KRW1.2 trillion ($1 billion). The target company is...
Warburg’s Future Capital offer faces delays
Warburg Pincus’ offer to buy a 26% stake in India's Future Capital Holdings (FCH), the financial services unit of the Future Group, has been delayed despite reports that the $100-125 million deal was finalized last month.
SCPE backs Sri Lanka’s Abans with $40m - report
Standard Chartered Private Equity has reportedly invested $40 million in Sri Lankan family-owned business Abans.
KBank to launch Thailand's first infrastructure fund
Kasikornbank, the financial adviser to Solar Power, a subsidiary of Thailand's biggest solar-farm developer SPCG, is in the process of raising the country's first infrastructure fund. It is targeting THB5 billion ($158 million).
Sequoia invests in India healthcare services start-up
Sequoia Capital India has invested INR250 million ($4.6 million) into Bangalore-based Practo Technologies, a cloud-based clinic management platform. The Series A round will support the company's global expansion plans.
Blue Sky pumps $2m into Australian skincare firm
Blue Sky Alternative Investments has invested $2 million in Milk & Co, the Australian skincare company founded by Olympic swimmer Michael Klim.
WI Harper leads Series B round for AdMaster
W.I. Harper has led a Series B round of funding for AdMaster, a China-based digital marketing service provider. GSR Ventures, which invested in the company’s Series A round in late 2010, also participated.
Navis exits Indonesia education business to Pearson
Navis Capital Partners has exited the Indonesian arm of English-language education business Wall Street Institute (WSI) to Pearson. The global publishing and education company is paying $16.3 million for the asset, which represents a 10x return for Navis.
Korea’s Woori sale fails yet again as no bidders materialize
The South Korean government’s latest attempt to exit its controlling stake in Woori Finance Holdings has failed after no one submitted a preliminary bid. The country’s financial regulator subsequently said “it would be difficult to mount another...
Southern Capital revises Adventa MBO offer
Southern Capital Group and a director of Adventa have submitted a revised takeover bid for the Malaysian medical products manufacturer. The offer still stands at MYR320.85 ($100 million), or MYR2.10 per share, but now excludes Adventa’s interests in...
Hony, GCS named preferred bidders for Dexia unit – report
Hony Capital has teamed up with GCS Capital, a PE firm founded by former investment banker Guocang Huan, to buy the asset management arm Dexia in a deal worth EUR500 million ($615 million). The Franco-Belgian financial group is one of the biggest victims...
SAFE commits $500m to Blackstone property fund – report
China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) has reportedly committed $500 million to The Blackstone Group’s latest real estate private equity fund. Blackstone Real Estate Partners VII has proved popular with investors and Stephen Schwarzman,...
Infinity Group sells IP to Anxin-China
Infinity Group, the Israel-based private equity firm created by China Development Bank and Israeli conglomerate IDB Group, has sold intellectual property developed by two of its portfolio companies to Anxin-China Holdings.
Billabong opens its books to TPG, says buyout offer too low
Billabong International's board has agreed to let TPG Capital conduct due diligence on the company, although it maintains that the private equity firm’s A$694 million ($712 million) buyout offer is too low in the context of a control transaction. TPG’s...