Australia
NZ Super, Infratil agree buy RetireAustralia for $521m
New Zealand Superannuation Fund (NZ Super) and infrastructure investor Infratil have bought retirement village operator RetireAustralia for A$640.2 million ($521 million) from J.P. Morgan Special Opportunities Group and Morgan Stanley Real Estate.
PEP exits Australian cinema chain Hoyts to Chinese buyer
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) has exited Australian cinema operator Hoyts Group to an investment vehicle set up by Xishuang Sun, chairman of Chinese property developer Dalian Yifang.
PE investors sell Pacnet to Australia's Telstra for $697m
Clearwater Capital Partners, Spinnaker Capital Group and Ashmore Investment Management have agreed to exit undersea cable provider Pacnet to Australia’s Telstra Corp. for approximately $697 million, including $400 million in debt.
Apollo agrees partnership with Australia's Leighton Holdings
Apollo Global Management has agreed to buy half of Leighton Holdings’ maintenance services business, generating cash proceeds of around A$700 million ($573 million) for the Australian construction company.
2014 in review: A year of record-setting
Strong capital markets facilitate bumper exit activity; pan-regionals, venture capital dominate fundraising; China’s leads revival in growth capital investment, with Korea still buyout central
Five trends for 2015
After a mixed 2013, Asian private equity has enjoyed an impressive 2014. But what do the next 12 months have in store? Here are some ideas…
L Capital-owned Jones the Grocer enters administration in Australia
The Australian operation of Jones the Grocer, a gourmet food retailer majority-owned by L Capital Asia, has gone into administration but is expected to stay open while undergoing a restructuring.
NAB sells additional $1.9b in UK property loans to Cerberus
National Australia Bank (NAB) is selling another GBP1.2 billion ($1.9 billion) parcel of distressed UK real estate loans to New York private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management.
Australia's Bradken opens books to PE suitors
Australian mining industry supplier Bradken has agreed to open its books to Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and Bain Capital following the private equity firms’ offer to buy the company.
AVCJ Awards: Fundraising of the Year - Mid Cap: Quadrant Private Equity
Quadrant Private Equity raised its seventh fund in record time, resisting pressure from LPs to enlarge the corpus. The Australian GP remains resolutely middle market
KKR backs desert-farming solution
Tough climatic challenges are in store for South Australia, already the nation's driest state. Agriculture, which is worth more than $5 billion each year to the state, will increasingly be affected by rising temperatures and reduced rainfall.
The trust factor: Repeat buying in Asian PE
Navis Capital Partners completed a management buyout of Dome Coffees Australia in 2003. The business grew and Navis prospered, securing a 3.5x return on exiting the asset via another management buyout five years later. Fast forward to September 2014 and...
Australia's Crescent Capital closes Fund V at $565m
Crescent Capital Partners has reached a final close on its fifth Australia and New Zealand-focused fund at the hard cap of A$675 million ($565 million) after only 10 weeks in the market.
Quadrant-backed Estia drops on Australia trading debut
Estia Health, an Australian aged care provider backed by Quadrant Private Equity, saw its stock open at a 13% discount to the IPO price on the first day of trading in Sydney.
PEP, Bain offer $731m for Australia's Bradken
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and Bain Capital have made an offer for mining industry supplier Bradken that values the Australia-listed company at approximately A$872 million ($731 million).
KKR backs Australian agribusiness specialist
KKR has committed at least $100 million to Sundrop Farms Holdings, an Australian agribusiness company that has developed technology for growing crops in arid climates.
L Capital buys Australian swimwear brand Seafolly
L Capital Asia, a private equity firm sponsored by French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, has acquired a controlling stake in Australian swimwear brand Seafolly.
CHAMP PE-owned oOh! Media targets $141m Australia IPO
Australian outdoor advertising company oOh! Media, which is owned by CHAMP Private Equity, plans to raise A$166 million ($141 million) through an IPO.
Revived vacuum retailer Godfreys set for Australia IPO
Australian vacuum and cleaning products retailer Godfreys Group, which was acquired by Unitas Capital and Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and then taken over by creditors after running into trouble, is preparing to go public following a turnaround.
Blackstone invests $150m in Australia retirement village developer
The Blackstone Group has invested $150 million in Australian retirement village developer National Lifestyle Villages (NLV).
Australia's Archer Capital cuts size of fund
Australian GP Archer Capital has cut the size of its fifth fund – which reached a final close of A$1.5 billion ($1.2 billion) in late 2011 – by returning A$300 million in commitments to LPs.
Hopu to buy 15% stake in Australia's Paladin Energy
Hopu Investments has agreed to acquire up to 15% of Paladin Energy as part of a A$205 million ($178 million) capital raising effort by the Australian uranium miner.
Affinity to exit Australia's Primo as JBS agrees $1.25b acquisition
Affinity Equity Partners will exit Australian deli meats producer Primo Group after Brazilian food processing giant JBS agreed to buy the business for A$1.45 billion ($1.25 billion).
Australia's Aconex targets $120m IPO, PE to exit
US-based PE investor Francisco Partners will fully exit Australia’s Aconex as the cloud-based project management platform for the construction industry raises A$140 million ($120 million) through an IPO.