Poland
Posted Wed, 24/02/2010 - 19:54
Anglo American plc has announced the sale of Polish concrete products manufacturer, Libet, to Innova Capital. The acquisition was made through Innova's fourth fund, Innova/4, and gives the firm 100% ownership.
Posted Fri, 19/02/2010 - 21:45
Mail.ru co-owners Digital Sky Technologies (DST) and Naspers appear to be engaged in talks that could result in a merger of the two companies' social networking holdings in Poland. Russian-based DST owns a 75% stake in Nasza-Klasa.pl while the South African-based Naspers owns the Gadu Gadu instant messaging service.
Posted Thu, 18/02/2010 - 19:38
Berlin-based bmp Media Investors has reached an agreement allowing it to fully exit Nokaut.pl, the e-commerce platform which has been part of the bmp portfolio since early 2006. The firm will sell its 34.26% stake to TFI Investors' LBO fund for a price of PLN 5.4 million. The deal is contingent upon the conditions of precedent, including due diligence and the approval of shareholders from both companies. Completion is expected by the end of February.
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 Mon, 01/02/2010 - 13:30
Austrian asset and investment management firm CRG Capital has reached a deal with Wosana S.A. majority owner, Mr. Pawel Lyson, enabling it to fully exit from the Polish beverage producer after three years of involvement. The firm agreed to sell the 41.8% stake to Lyson in early December despite looking at bids from several other unidentified investors.
Posted Tue, 26/01/2010 - 14:01
In keeping with its vision for a consolidated tourism industry in Central Europe, Warsaw-based Enterprise Investors has inked a deal to acquire Poland's Orbis Travel. Once the acquisition is complete, Enterprise will own just over 95% of Orbis and plans to continue operating under the well-known and trusted Orbis brand name.
Posted Thu, 07/01/2010 - 15:07
Making good on a planned IPO announcement from parent company MCI Management last fall, ABC Data has begun in earnest the process which will see it listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE). The Polish IT company has tendered an issue prospectus to their government's Financial Supervisory Commission and hope to be ready for listing by mid-2010. MCI Management, which will retain control of ABC Data after the IPO, estimates the offering could be worth between PLN 50-100 million, utilizing both institutional and individual investors.
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 Tue, 10/11/2009 - 13:49
Boston-based private equity firm Advent International has made a public bid for WSiP S.A. The bid, for Poland's leading textbook publisher, offers PLN 16.35 per share which represents a 1.5% premium over the closing price for Nov. 5th. If accepted, the bid could amount to a total sale price of up to PLN 405 million. Advent has indicated it plans to de-list WSiP if it can obtain at least 80% of the formerly state-owned company. ING Securities is managing the offer and investors will have the opportunity to get in on the deal beginning in late November.
Posted Thu, 05/11/2009 - 12:37
Enterprise Investors' Enterprise Venture Fund I has become the majority shareholder of Polski Bank Komórek Macierzystych (PBKM), acquiring 50.1% of the company's shares for PLN 18.1 million. The deal was offered as expansion financing to the Polish stem cell bank and marks the fund's fifth investment this year. PBKM plans to use the funding for expansion and acquisition in Central and Eastern Europe as well as the continued development of stem cell technologies and procedures.
Posted Tue, 27/10/2009 - 12:48
International investor EQT Partners has made the first move from its year-old Warsaw office in making an offer to acquire HTL-Strefa. EQT is offering PLN 13.71 per share based on the company's average share price over the last half-year. HTL-Strefa has been valued at just over PLN 885 million and EQT is interested in purchasing 100% of the shares. Three of the largest shareholders, who own a combined 77.76% of the company, have already agreed to the deal. The offer is good through the 26th of November.
Posted Tue, 27/10/2009 - 11:58
Nova Polonia Natexis II, a fund managed by Polish private equity firm Krokus PE, has announced its fifth investment after acquiring a 44% share in POLMED. The Krokus investment in the Polish medical services company was made via a capital increase to help finance future growth and expansion.
Posted Wed, 21/10/2009 - 23:32
Two of Poland's leading on-line retailers joined forces at the end of
September as bmp Media Investors sold its stake in SklepyFirmowe.pl to Nokaut.pl. The transaction gives Nokaut.pl 70% of the company while the remaining 30% will remain with current board members. The two companies have worked together since 2006 and have both received investment capital from bmp Media Investors.
Posted Thu, 15/10/2009 - 21:46
Alpha Medical Ventures, a portfolio company of European private equity firm Penta Investments, has acquired a 90% stake in Polish lab chain DD Lab. The investment is Alpha Medical's first opportunity in Poland and part of the company's strategy to become a market leader in the Central European nation of 38 million people. DD Lab's 10 facilities and annual revenue of €4 million make it the sixth-largest such business in Poland, boosting Alpha's total European market share as they plan to enter the Czech Republic in the near future.
Posted Tue, 22/09/2009 - 23:41
Polish steel producer Zlomrex has divested itself from troubled Croatian subsidiary Zeljezara Split, selling its 95.86% stake to British firm Carlson Private Equity Limited. The deal was signed by both parties earlier in the month transferring more than 220,000 shares of stock to Carlson.
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 Tue, 18/08/2009 - 15:57
A new project from Warsaw based Resource Partners GP has passed concept review with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and awaits final approval in September. The project calls for the establishment of the Resource Eastern European Equity Partners I Fund with the EBRD making an initial contribution of € 25 million at first close. The EBRD will have the option to increase its investment at the time of subsequent closings.
Posted Fri, 14/08/2009 - 17:43
Following a June announcement that MIH Allegro B.V. was in negotiations to acquire internet portal Bankier.pl from MCI Management, the deal was completed on August 6, 2009. Allegro has followed through on its plans and has purchased 6,013,052 shares of Bankier.pl, equaling a controlling stake of just over 83%. The shares were acquired via a call for subscription and added to Allegro's securities account on August 5th. The majority share now makes Bankier.pl a subsidiary company of MIH Allegro.
Posted Thu, 23/07/2009 - 13:35
eVenture Capital markets has chosen to make a big splash with its first Russian/Ukrainian internet investment by acquiring a stake in Mapia.ua, a Ukrainian startup offering online mapping and searching services.
Posted Fri, 17/07/2009 - 15:19
U.S. based Advent International is poised to complete a takeover of Central and Eastern European drug maker Ozone. The companies are now in the final talks that would give Advent, also the owner of LaborMed, full ownership of Ozone's product lines. The buyout offer had been accepted by Ozone earlier this month, giving control of the company's portfolio to LaborMed.