Consumer
Google buys stake in VC-backed Taiwan glass supplier
Google has taken a 6.3% stake in Himax Display, a subsidiary of Taiwanese company Himax Technologies, which manufactures liquid crystal silicon (LCOS) chips used in Google Glass and other products. The company also counts KPCB Holdings, Khosla Ventures...
KKR seals debut Indonesia deal
KKR will become the second-largest shareholder in Indonesia’s Tiga Pilar Sejahtera Food (TPSF) after agreeing to buy an approximately 9.5% stake for an undisclosed sum. The investment, which is being made through funds advised by KKR Asset Management,...
Australian regulator declines PE request to delay Billabong deal
The Australian Government Takeover Panel - the country's takeover regulator - has declined a request from Oaktree Capital Management and Centerbridge Partners to delay a A$395 million ($359 million) refinancing deal for surf-wear company Billabong International.
Singapore online grocer RedMart closes Series A round
Online grocery store RedMart has closed its Series A round of funding from Singapore-based Garena, which offers online gaming. The company did not disclose the exact amount raised in this round, only that the total amount of funding raised so far adds...
France approves Fosun ClubMed takeover
The French financial markets authority, Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), has approved the takeover of France-based vacation resort operator Club Méditerranée (Club Med) by Chinese conglomerate Fosun International and Axa Private Equity.
Billabong strikes $331m refinancing deal with Altamont, Blackstone
Australian surf wear company Billabong has a reached an agreement with US private equity firm Altamont Capital Partners and Blackstone Group's credit arm GSO Partners for a A$395 million ($331 million) refinancing package.
IMM taps Korea’s coffee cravings
Statistics alone do not capture the role coffee has come to play in South Korean culture. Starbucks entered the country in 1999 and it is now the firm's sixth-largest market globally by store numbers, with 556 in operation as of March and plans to take...
India’s FlipKart shops a $200m round
Indian e-commerce is in a state flux. While penetration is still relatively low compared to developed nations - just one in 10 Indians has access to the internet - the industry was worth $14 billion last year and growing rapidly. Competition for wallet...
Blue Sky invests $18m in Australian retirement home chain
Blue Sky Private Equity (BSPE) has invested more than A$20 million (US$18.3 million) for around 40% of retirement community operator and developer Oak Tree Group.
L capital Asia invests in Chinese cosmetics firm
L Capital Asia, a private equity firm sponsored by LVMH Group, has invested in Guangdong Marubi Biological Technoloy Stock, becoming the second-largest shareholder in the cosmetics company. The deal is reportedly worth more than $100 million.
CNEI invests $9.7m in leading Chinese prawn player
China New Enterprise Investment (CNEI) has committed $9.7 million to Zhanjiang Newpro Food, a leading integrated operator in China's prawn farming industry.
India’s Flipkart raises $200m from VC backers
Online retailer Flipkart has raised $200 million (INR12 billion) from existing investors Accel Partners, Tiger Global, Iconiq Capital and Naspers, in one of the largest fundraising rounds for an Indian e-commerce player. This fifth round brings the total...
China’s Capital Today invests in Home Original Chicken
Capital Today has committed RMB129 million ($21 million) for a 10% stake in Home Original Chicken, a Chinese fast food chain.
Korea’s IMM Private Equity invests $87m in Hollys F&B
IMM Private Equity has agreed to pay KRW100 billion ($87 million) for a controlling position in Hollys F&B, the parent company of Hollys Coffee, one of South Korea’s largest coffee shop chains.
Actis exits Chinese kitchen equipment maker to US trade buyer
Actis has sold its stakes in Chinese commercial kitchen equipment maker Vesta to Illinois Tool Works (ITW), a US industrial equipment manufacturer. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
India’s ShopClues eyes $50m growth round
Online marketplace ShopClues.com is looking to raise a further $30-50 million from investors, after January’s $10 million round from Helion Venture Partners, Nexus Venture Partners and Japan’s Netprice, which is backed by CyberAgent and Dentsu.
India Value Fund invests $40m in spice firm VKL
India Value Fund Advisors (IVFA) has committed $40 million to Vallabhdas Kanji Limited (VKL), a seasonings and spices producer, based on expectations of growth in the quick service restaurants segment (QSR) and processed foods industry.
CDH commits $97m to China's New Focus Auto
CDH Investments has invested $97.37 million in Hong Kong-listed auto after-sales service provider New Focus Auto (NFA) through a subscription to ordinary shares and convertible bonds. Upon full conversion it will own 63.2% of the company.
Take-private deals for China's 7 Days, Feihe near completion
Chinese budget hotel chain 7 Days Group Holdings is set to be privatized after shareholders voted in favor of a PE-backed management buyout that values the company at around $688 million. A $147 million privatization of Chinese dairy firm Feihe International...
Fosun, AXA sweeten buyout offer for Club Med, win board support
Chinese conglomerate Fosun International and Axa Private Equity have increased their takeover bid for France-based vacation resorts operator Club Méditerranée (Club Med). The new bid, worth EUR557 million ($729 million), has won favor with the company’s...
Reebonz receives $39m from MediaCorp, VCs
Southeast Asia-focused online retailer Reebonz has received a S$50 million ($39 million) round of funding led by Singapore multimedia group MediaCorp. Existing investors Vertex Ventures, GGV Capital, Intel Capital and Matrix Partners China also participated.
Carlyle finds the right formula for Yashili
Glow-in-the-dark pork, dumplings with aluminum, cadmium-tainted rice, and cooking oil made from recycled sewage are just some of the horrors that have found their way onto Chinese dinner tables in recent times. It is no wonder, then, that there is an...
Asia travel search engine Wego gets $17m in Series C funding
Crescent Point has led a Series C round of funding worth $17 million for Wego, an Asia travel search engine. Victoria Capital and existing investor Tiger Global also participated.
Baird backs China children’s education platform
Baird Capital, the private investment arm of Robert W. Baird, has committed an undisclosed sum to Peter Winn, former China president at English First Professional (EF), to explore education sector investments in the country.