Czech Republic
Posted Wed, 03/03/2010 - 22:31
Penta Investments, the CE investment group based in Prague, has reached an agreement to acquire the PR Market chain in the Czech Republic. Penta will acquire 100% of PR Market, which operates under the Koruna brand name, with completion of the deal expected to come within the next two months. The acquisition is expected to help strengthen Zabka, the convenience store chain also owned by Penta. Neither party has commented on the value of the acquisition as they wait for regulatory approval from the Czech Antimonopoly Office.
Posted Fri, 19/02/2010 - 18:57
JET Investment won a public tender to acquire bankrupt Kordarna. With creditors and the courts willing to allow reorganization, JET should be able to restructure Kordarna and procure the financing needed to operate. JET is hopeful that free of past debt, a new Kordarna will be able to maintain production while achieving a measure of growth and development.
Posted Mon, 15/02/2010 - 13:08
Upon acquiring Czech opthalmology company Lexum Group last year, ARX Equity Partners pledged to work with Lexum founder Marc Filipec to expand the company within Central and Eastern Europe. Holding to that pledge Lexum recently announced the acquisition of Intermedica, a leading player in Poland's opthalmology clinic market, for an undisclosed price.
Posted Sat, 30/01/2010 - 18:48
Penta Investments may be considering an IPO in the near future for portfolio company Fortuna, Central Europe's largest betting chain operation. Penta, which owns 100% of Fortuna, considers an IPO to be one of the options available to further develop Fortuna and strengthen its position in the region. The company believes it could raise as much as €100 million on the Warsaw and Prague stock exchanges.
Posted Thu, 28/01/2010 - 20:04
American-based Piper Aircraft recently announced plans to enter the market for light sport aircraft after reaching a deal with Slavia Capital to purchase Czech Sport Aircraft. The deal allows Piper it to produce the popular SportCruiser model for distribution worldwide. Though neither party has officially commented on the deal, estimates place the purchase price near USD 30 million.
Posted Mon, 11/01/2010 - 01:23
Benson Oak Capital recently announced a deal to exit Plastkov through the sale of its automotive holdings to Megatech. The sale, whose price is not known, includes three portfolio companies in the automotive injection molding business: Plastkov MR a.s., Plastkov Automotive s.r.o., and BTV Plast s.r.o.
Posted Sun, 20/12/2009 - 22:31
London's AnaCap Financial Partners has agreed to acquire Banco Popolare Ceská Republika a.s. The Czech bank is a subsidiary of Verona-based Banco Popolare. AnaCap finds the transaction attractive due to the potential growth and expansion of financial service in the country. Household debt in the Czech Republic is very low as is the amount of consumer credit being utilized. Upon completion of the deal AnaCap plans an expansion of the banks services and asset management improvements.
Posted Thu, 03/12/2009 - 17:46
Late last week Polish investment firm Enterprise Investors raised the possibility that AVG, the Czech security software firm in which EI is the largest shareholder, could be listed on the Warsaw bourse next year. Citing AVG's importance to the CEE region, EI's Dariusz Pronczuk indicated the firm's desire to have the company listed on a local stock exchange. Should the plans come to fruition, AVG could possibly be the largest IT Company on the Warsaw Stock Exchange while also being listed on either the New York or London Stock Exchange.
Posted Wed, 02/12/2009 - 12:44
Polish auto parking operator COOL AR has been acquired by Royalton Partners in a move that significantly increases the private equity firm's holdings in the CEE parking zone industry. Royalton purchased 93% of COOL AR shares for an unknown amount, via ACTIV Parking Holdings which it acquired this past January. The move doubles the number of parking spaces ACTIV now controls in Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.
Posted Thu, 19/11/2009 - 11:53
PPF Group has announced a new acquisition to add to its health care business portfolio. The investment group's PPF Healthcare a.s. has agreed to acquire Czech hospital and clinic owner Euroclinicum for an undisclosed amount. Once approval is given from the Czech government the deal is expected to be completed, bringing Euroclinicum’s two hospitals and five policlinics into the PPF family. Also included in the deal are Euroclinicum's business management and service operations.
Posted Wed, 18/11/2009 - 11:42
PPF Group has announced an agreement to sell its 13.8% stake in ArcelorMittal Ostrava (AMO) for CZK 6.8 billion. The PPF stake in the Czech steel producer will go to AMO's parent company, ArcelorMittal Group, increasing ArcelorMittal’s ownership to just over 96%. The acquisition will allow ArcelorMittal to force out minority shareholders despite their opposition, a move supported by PPF. Minority shareholders attempted to thwart the squeeze-out with a criminal complaint in early summer but were unsuccessful. They maintain their position and are ready to go to court if necessary.
Posted Sun, 18/10/2009 - 20:25
Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) continues to make good on its divestiture plans by announcing it has signed an agreement to sell its Central European operations to CVC Capital Partners. CVC will purchase the assets for roughly $2.2 billion with a commitment to make a future $800 million payment if it recovers the initial investment.
Posted Wed, 07/10/2009 - 22:06
In one of the largest private equity deal for CEE this year, Boston's TA Associates has acquired a 25% stake in AVG Technologies, the Czech computer security software developer. The USD 200 million acquisition was made through the purchase of proportional shares from all current shareholders.
Posted Thu, 10/09/2009 - 22:40
Czech private equity firm Arx Equity Partners has completed a second closing for its Arx III fund at €102 million, moving ever closer to the target size of €125 million. The fund's first close, at €83 million, was completed in October of last year. Despite the current difficult fund raising environment, Arx's proven track record with its first two funds has helped to keep veteran investors on board while also attracting new ones.
Posted Wed, 09/09/2009 - 22:30
Darby Overseas Investments recently announced a substantial investment in the Czech Republic's renewable energy developer Energy 21. The investment was made via the Darby Converging Europe Mezzanine Fund as a EUR 15.3 million multi-tranche facility. The deal continues Darby's investment in clean energy around the world, having previously taken on projects in Brazil, South Korea, and India.
Posted Tue, 01/09/2009 - 22:29
In an ongoing effort to rebuild the once-dominant Russian aircraft industry, state-run United Aircraft Corporation (OAK) is poised to acquire Czech manufacturer Aircraft Industries. The Czech company, more widely known as LET Kunovice, was acquired last year by Russian metals producer Ural Mining and Metal Company (UGMK) which purchased 51% of the company's shares. UGMK co-owner Iskander Makhmudov expects his company to exercise a call option on LET's remaining 49%, allowing him to maintain a minority stake once the OAK transaction is completed.
Posted Tue, 01/09/2009 - 18:28
The CEO of Polish private equity firm MCI Management has announced preparations for IPOs of two of its portfolio companies. MCI expects IT company ABC Data to be listed on the Warsaw market by the middle of 2010, while travel services website Invia.cz will be converted to a joint-stock company in the near future. It's not yet clear whether Invia.cz will eventually be listed on the Prague or Warsaw markets.
Posted Thu, 20/08/2009 - 16:09
Polish convenience store giant Žabka has reached a deal to acquire the retail operations of Czech based Palma-Tumys from Slavia Capital. The purchase includes five stores selling food and mixed goods in Prague. Žabka intends to transform and re-brand the stores to match the rest of the company's outlets by the end of the year.
Posted Wed, 12/08/2009 - 00:00
Czech investment firm J&T Group has signed an agreement to purchase the Czech business unit of International Power. The deal includes International Power subsidiary International Power Opatovice (IPO) as well as IPO's shares of Pražská Teplárenská and Energotrans. For the 2008 year IPO generated a pre-tax profit of CZK 2.9 million, including dividends it earned from Pražská Teplárenská. The total value of the sale, which must first gain regulatory approval, has been placed at CZK 22.5 billion.
Posted Tue, 04/08/2009 - 15:44
South African based international trading and distribution company Bidvest, has announced an agreement to acquire 100% interests in Nowaco Czech Republic s.r.o. and Farutex Sp. z.o.o. from CCMP and Bancroft Equity Partners. The acquisitions will be made via a purchase of the issued share capital of both companies at an aggregate value of € 250 million.
