Australia
Q&A: Archer Capital's Peter Wiggs
At a time when Australian GPs are seeing changes in everything from LP bases to exit options, Peter Wiggs, managing director of Archer Capital, says that a consistent investment strategy can pay dividends
Australian fundraisers feel the strain
Are changes in superannuation laws the cause or the scapegoat? Either way, Australia’s fundraising landscape is undergoing substantial change. Local GPs must choose between going offshore or going out of business
An Australian-Asian story
Australia is the exception in Asian private equity: a market in which buyouts are routine, leveraged finance is readily available and entry and exit activity is relatively transparent. It is, one is tempted to say, Japan without the intrigue and inscrutability....
Billabong rejects improved $904m offer from TPG
TPG Capital has increased its takeover bid for Billabong International by 10% to A$841 million ($904 million) but the Australian surfwear company is still not interested. It said that the increased price of A$3.30 per share, up from A$3 per share, doesn’t...
Billabong still in talks with TPG over buyout offer
Talks are ongoing between TPG Capital and Billabong over the private equity firm’s A$765 million ($820 million) takeover bid for the Australian surfwear manufacturer. TPG made a revised offer last week but it was still at the same indicative price of...
Providence-backed WTC bolts on USM Events
World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), the Australian athletic events organizer owned by Providence Equity Partners, has acquired event management company USM Events.
Western Australia moves forward on sovereign fund plans
The Western Australia government appears to have accelerated plans to set up a sovereign wealth fund to accrue a portion of the profits being generated by the region’s natural resources. Premier Colin Barnett mooted the prospect of a future fund that...
Quadrant, APN announce outdoor advertising JV
Quadrant Private Equity has agreed to form an outdoor advertising joint venture with APN News & Media worth A$272 million ($289 million). APN had decided further investment was required to support expansion and entered into exclusive negotiations with...
Catalyst backs Australian offshore oil services provider
Catalyst Investment Managers has acquired a minority stake in Bhagwan Marine, a logistics provider to the offshore oil and gas industry in Australia. The size of the transaction was not disclosed.
CVC cuts price for Nine's magazine division – report
CVC Asia Pacific is reportedly willing to listen to offers of as little as A$300 million ($323 million) – or 3x earnings – for Nine Entertainment’s magazine division after receiving little interest from prospective buyers. The sale of ACP Magazines would...
TPG submits Billabong takeover bid despite initial rebuff
TPG Capital has made its A$765 million ($825 million) bid for Billabong regardless of the Australian surfwear company’s attempt to head off a takeover by announcing both the partial sale of one of its most profitable brands and plans to close 150 stores....
CVC-backed Cellnet on hunt for tech bolt-ons - report
Private equity firm CVC has reportedly begun searching for tech start-ups to bolt on to its Australian mobile accessories distributor, Cellnet.
APN in exclusive negotiations with Quadrant Private Equity
APN News & Media has entered into exclusive negotiations with Quadrant Private Equity concerning its outdoor advertising business. It comes after a strategic review concluded that the asset shouldn’t be sold but that further investment was required to...
Billabong suspends trading amid reports of TPG bid
Australian surf-wear manufacturer Billabong International has suspended trading amid reports that TPG Capital has tabled a buyout offer for the company. The move comes as Billabong looks for ways to manage a A$600 million debt pile, with net profit expected...
Carlyle's Applus+ buys Australian inspection firm JDA
The Carlyle Group has acquired John Davidson and Associates (JDA), an Australian extraction industry services provider, through its portfolio company Applus+. The size of the transaction wasn’t disclosed but JDA had revenues of around EUR25 million ($32.9...
CPPIB in $1.8m mall deal with Australia's Westfield
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has bought a 45% stake in a portfolio of 12 US malls from Australian shopping mall owner Westfield Group for around $1.85 billion. It is CPPIB’s biggest real estate investment to date.
AVCAL announces new chairman
The Australian Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (AVCAL) has appointed David Brown as chairman, effective after the association's council meeting on Thursday.
Catalyst identifies proxy for resources boom
With investment in Australian natural resources soaring, miners are being dispatched to work on resources in locations so remote that just a few years ago extraction wasn’t deemed economically viable. Morris Corporation provides somewhere for them to...
CVC-backed Nine in talks to sell magazine business – reports
CVC Capital Partners-owned Nine Entertainment has held talks with Seven West Media over the potential sale of its ACP magazines division. The funds raised would help pay down some of the beleaguered company’s A$2.7 billion ($2.8 billion) in senior debt...
Catalyst buys Australian resources industry service provider
Australian private equity firm Catalyst Investment Managers has purchased a 49% stake in Morris Corporation, a provider of facilities management and accommodation services to the mining and oil and gas industries. The value of the transaction was not...
Australian private equity continues to outperform stocks
Australian private equity continues to outperform the country’s stock markets, according to a research demonstrated by the Australian Venture Capital Association (AVCAL).
PE financing: Lagging leverage
Spooked by wider economic issues, European banks are pulling back from the leveraged buyout market. This presents a further challenge to private equity firms already adjusting to tighter financing conditions
CalSTRS commits $500m to IFM's infrastructure fund
California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) has committed $500 million to Australia-based fund-of-funds Industry Funds Management (IFM). The capital will be placed in the firm’s Global Infrastructure Fund, which principally targets assets in...
PEP conducts due diligence on Spotless
Australia’s Spotless Group has done an about-turn and allowed Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) to conduct due diligence into the cleaning services company. This comes despite the firm previously saying it would only open its books to PEP if it increased...