Deals

Altamont Capital Partners has made an investment in The Robert Allen Group, a New York-based maker of decorative fabrics. Specifics of the transaction were not publicized. Stifel Nicolaus Weisel served as Robert Allen’s financial adviser on the transaction.

An American Securities portfolio company, Nashville-based SpecialtyCare, has completed its acquisition of Advanced Perfusion Care Inc., a provider of cardiovascular perfusion and autotransfusion services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. SpecialtyCare provides clinical services to hospitals. Advanced Perfusion Care is based in Pinehurst, N.C.

Australian firm Archer Capital will pay $246 million to buy hospital operator Healthe Care from CHAMP Ventures, Reuters reported. Archer outbid rival Pacific Equity Partners for Healthe Care, which owns 12 private hospitals in Australia.

AXA Private Equity and Italian investment fund F2i have agreed to buy the Italian gas grid of GDF Suez Energia Italia, owner of Europe’s largest gas distribution network, for €772 million ($1.1 billion), in the latest in a spate of asset sales by the world’s biggest utility. The transaction is expected to be completed in the last quarter of this year.

Florida lender BankUnited, which is owned by private equity investors including Blackstone Group, Carlyle Group and Centerbridge Partners, said it would buy Herald National Bank for about $72 million in cash and stock to move into the New York market, Reuters reported. BankUnited will pay about $22.9 million in cash and issue about 1.7 million shares to purchase Herald National, Reuters wrote.

Baring Private Equity Asia announced that it had acquired the tertiary education business of Singapore’s PSBAcademy, Reuters reported. The sale price was not disclosed. Baring has poured more than $400 million into education investments recently.

New York-based Barron Partners, a cleantech-focused private equity firm, acquired solar installer and energy project developer Choice Solar of Nashville, Tenn. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

BHMS Investments has made a controlling equity investment in the Hilb Group, an insurance broker that provides property and casualty, life and health and employee benefits products and services. New York-based BHMS is a private investment firm that focuses on the lower mid-market.

Birch Communications, which provides managed telecom services to small and medium sized businesses, has raised $77.5 million in debt financing. The debt financing came from Bank of America, Silicon Valley Bank and Kayne Anderson Mezzanine Partners. Lazard Freres & Co. acted as financial adviser and placement agent. Birch is based in Atlanta.

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board paid $482 million for a 50 percent stake in a shopping mall near Melbourne, Reuters reported. The Canada Pension Plan will partner with Australia’s Colonial First State Retail Property Trust, which owns the remaining 50 percent stake, to manage the center. This is the third such deal for CPPIB in recent weeks. In mid-May, the board said that it paid $386 million for a 50 percent stake in a German shopping and leisure center. At the same time, it bought 36.9 percent of Mayflower partnership, which owns a portfolio of 13 regional malls located in the United States.

The Carlyle Group is closing in on a 25 percent stake in Indonesian consumer firm GarudaFood, Reuters said. The $200 million stake will mark the firms first direct investment in Indonesia. GarudaFood sells instant food, peanuts and other snacks globally. The proposed deal values the company at about $800 million, Reuters said.

The Carlyle Group, General Electric and Siemens AG are among the bidders for South African equipment repair firm Savcio Holdings, Reuters reported. The deal could be valued as high as $500 million, Reuters estimated. Buyout firms Actis and Ethos Private Equity are looking to sell their combined controlling stake in Johannesburg-based Savcio.

The Carlyle Group

and Japanese brewer Suntory are leading a race to buy a 30 percent stake in Indonesian consumer firm GarudaFood, Reuters reported, adding that the stake is worth more than $200 million. If Carlyle wins the bid it would be the firm’s first direct investment in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, Reuters wrote. The sale had attracted interest from private equity firms 3i Group plc and Unitas Capital, but only Carlyle and Suntory made it to the final bidding.

A consortium including private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice, Axa Private Equity and Canada’s Caisse des Depots du Quebec will acquire French engineering group Spie in a deal valuing it at €2.1 billion ($3 billion), Reuters reported. The group is buying the electrical and mechanical engineering firm from French firm PAI Partners.

The Comvest Group, via its Comvest Capital II debt fund, said that is has provided a $20 million in a subordinated term loan to Multi-bank Securities Inc. Multi-bank is an institutional fixed-income securities broker-dealer.

Indian real estate company DB Realty is looking to fund projects with private equity capital, Reuters reported. The company has said it has “enough headroom” to raise debt for specific projects when required, Reuters wrote. No specifics were given about how much the firm plans to raise.

EQT Expansion Capital II has put €40 million ($57.4 million) into a management buyout of Nordic data center builder Coromatic Group. The financing, in a combination of equity and loans, enables the company’s management to take over the majority of Coromatic from private equity fund Litorina Kapital III. EQT Expansion II is a €474 million fund focused on investments in privately owned mid-market companies.

EQT Infrastructure has acquired a majority stake in Rotterdam-based Argos Terminals, the storage and terminal business of oil company Argos Group. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, though the company said Argos Group would retain a minority stake. The deal is expected to close in July.

Ferrer Freeman & Co. portfolio company Ernest Health has refinanced a $204 million credit facility led by CIT Group Inc., the lender announced. Ernest Health is a provider of post-acute care services. CIT Healthcare served as sole bookrunner, joint lead arranger and administrative agent on the $150 million first lien debt, and as sole bookrunner and lead arranger on the $54 million second lien debt, the firm said in a written statement. Other terms of the deal were not disclosed.

FTV Capital has invested $30 million into independent fund administration company Apex Fund Services, inking a minority stake in the company. Apex will use the money to expand its client services, which include supporting middle and back office fund administration, risk reporting and corporate secretarial and fund formation administration, as well as specialist startup services to asset managers, the company said. FTV Capital has offices in San Francisco and New York.

The Gores Group has invested in Big Strike, a Gardena, Calif.-based maker of casual and career junior lifestyle apparel for women. Financial terms were not announced. Paula Schneider was also appointed CEO of Big Strike, according to a statement. The Sage Group provided financial advice to Big Strike.

The Gores Group is in talks to buy more than half of the remaining stores of bankrupt bookseller Borders Group Inc., Reuters reported, citing a story in the Wall Street Journal. Borders, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February, would be able to continue operating as a going concern, Reuters wrote. Since filing for bankruptcy, Borders has closed about 225 of its 500 stores.

High Road Capital Partners

portfolio company Dowden Health Media has acquired Priority Integrated Marketing. Terms of the deal were not released. Priority Integrated Marketing is based in Minneapolis, and is focused on the health care and financial services sectors. Dowden is based in Montvale, N.J.

Lower mid-market buyout shop Huntington Capital—investing out of its Huntington Capital Fund II fund—has backed Vertical Management Systems Inc. and its subsidiary Retirement Revolution. Terms of the deal were not released. Pasadena, Calif.-based Vertical Management designs, constructs and hosts accounting and process and control software tools for the enterprise. Huntington is based in San Diego.

Indian consumer goods maker Jyothy Laboratories is close to raising about $150-$200 million from private equity funds, Reuters reported. The company is talking with a handful of buyout shops, including The Carlyle Group, Actis, TPG Capital and Apax Partners, Reuters reported, adding that a deal is likely to be announced in six to eight weeks.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. will acquire Academy Sports + Outdoors, a sports, outdoor and lifestyle retailer, the company announced Tuesday. As part of the deal, the company’s owners, the Gochman family, will retain a minority stake. Financial terms were not disclosed. Academy Sports + Outdoors is based in Katy, Texas, and owns 131 locations across 11 states in the southeastern United States.After regulatory hurdles and delays nearly squashed the $4.3 billion deal for Korea Exchange Bank, South Korea’s Hana Financial Group and buyout shop Lone Star have reportedly managed to extend the deal for six months, Reuters reported, citing the Seoul Economic Daily. The paper wrote that Hana would acquire a less than 10 percent stake in KEB as a means to ensure its commitment to the deal. Lone Star bought KEB in 2003 for $1.2 billion.

KPS Capital Partners portfolio company Attends Healthcare Inc. has completed its second recap in the past 14 months, the firm announced. The $133 million recap was funded by a combination of upsizing the company’s term loan, cash on hand and asset based revolving credit facility, KPS said in a written statement. The money was used to refinance outstanding debt and fund a $35 million distribution to stockholders.

Leonard Green & Partners LP and CVC Capital Partners may make a move for wholesale merchant BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc., Reuters reported, citing the New York Post. The deal could be valued at roughly $2.8 billion, the Post reported, adding that rival suitors Apollo Global Management and Bain Capital had pulled out of the race.

Live Nation Entertainment is in talks with Liberty Media, the company’s largest shareholder, to take the company private, Reuters reported, citing a story in the New York Post. Buyout firm Thomas H. Lee Partners could reportedly provide funding for the deal. Live Nation, a concert promoter and ticketing company, has a market value of roughly $1.87 billion.

Mandarin Capital Partners is pouring €40 million ($57.9 million) into Italian textile group Miroglio, Reuters reported. The deal comes as part of a more than $700 million fashion sector investment by the Chinese-European private equity firm, Reuters wrote.

London-based Millhouse Inc. has acquired Australia-based Alliance Capital Group, a provider of residential mortgages, construction finance, car finance and business asset finance. Terms of the deal were not released. Millhouse focuses on acquisitions in the funds management, investment management and asset management sectors.

Molson Coors Brewing Co. and Mexico’s Grupo Modelo may make a joint bid for Australian brewer Foster’s Group, according to a report from Reuters. Bank of America and Deutsche Bank are reportedly helping Molson and Modelo devise financing for a possible offer. Foster’s has been the subject of buyout speculation since it revealed plans last year to spin off its struggling wine business.

Monroe Capital announced that it has provided a $28.45 million credit facility to Evergreen Maintenance Center. Monroe Capital’s debt facility was used to finance the acquisition of Evergreen by Relativity Capital and provide ongoing working capital, the firm said. Monroe Capital also made an equity co-investment in the transaction.

Monroe Capital is providing a $23 million facility for the O’Gara Group, a Cincinnati-based seller of security, safety and defense products and services. The money will help O’Gara refinance its existing debt and provide working capital. Monroe Capital provides senior and junior debt and equity co-investments to mid-market companies in the United States and Canada.

Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia has put $50 million into publicly traded Chinese agricultural nutrient company Yongye International. The cash infusion will be used for capacity expansion, repayment of commercial bank debt, working capital and general corporate purposes. Homer Sun, managing director of MSPE Asia, will join the company’s board as a result of the funding.

India’s National Collateral Management Services Ltd will raise 1.01 billion rupees ($22.4 million) by selling shares to six private equity investors, including India Agri Business Fund and International Finance Corp., Reuters reported. The money will be used to set up new warehouses and fund growth, the company said.

New Mountain Capital has completed its majority investment in SymphonyIRI Group Inc., the company announced. Terms of the investment were not released. SymphonyIRI Group, formerly named Information Resources, provides software for market measurement and software and services designed to provide growth opportunities in marketing, sales, shopper marketing and category management. Jefferies & Co. and BofA Merrill Lynch acted as financial advisers to SymphonyIRI.

Nokia says it’s in talks with “multiple parties” about its stake in Nokia Siemens Networks, Reuters reported. Previous reports have said that buyout shops Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and TPG Capital decided not to bid on Nokia Siemens Network after they failed to agree on a price for the majority stake. Nokia didn’t name any other potential suitors for the telecom equipment business.

Omninet Capital announced that it has acquired the Sahara Rainbow Center, a retail center in Las Vegas. Terms of the deal were not released. Omninet is focused on investments in real estate, mid-market private equity and late stage venture capital.

ONCAP Management Partners, the mid-market private equity platform of Onex Corp., has acquired Hopkins Manufacturing Corp. Financial terms weren’t announced. The seller was Friend Skoler & Co., a buyout firm based in Saddle Brook, N.J. Hopkins Manufacturing makes branded automotive aftermarket products. Bram Hall, Will Cooper, Matt Salisbury and Ches Riley of BlackArch Partners advised on the sale of the company.

Permira and France’s Axa have gotten the go-ahead from European regulators to buy travel Web site Opodo and merge it with other units to create one of Europe’s largest online travel agencies, Reuters reported.

Permira has bought a 61 percent stake in drip irrigation company Netafim Ltd, Reuters reported. The firm bought the stake from Kibbutz Yiftah, Kibbutz Magal, Tene Investments and Markstone Capital. The deal valued Netafim at $900 million, Reuters said, citing a report in the Globes news Web site.

Pioneer Point Partners, a London-based lower mid-market buyout firm focused on opportunities in Europe, has announced two new investments and three new hires. The company’s new investments include Masotina Spa, a northern Italian waste and paper recycling company, and Peak Gen Power, which builds, owns, and operates peaking power plants in the United Kingdom. Terms of the transactions have not been disclosed. Pioneer, founded in late 2008, has meanwhile brought aboard Jens Düing, who joined Pioneer last year from Fidelity Equity Partners; Edoardo Luciani, who the company earlier this year from L.E.K.; and Cyril Gautier, who joined Pioneer this year from Société Générale.

Swedish private equity investment firm Polygon will buy the German damage control unit Vatro from Danish group ISS, Reuters reported. Terms were not given. ISS is owned by Swedish buyout shop EQT and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. Vatro’s services include flood and fire control mainly for corporate clients, Reuters wrote.

Providence Equity Partners portfolio company Edline has acquired online education company TH(i)NQ Ed. Both Edline and TH(i)NQ Ed develop online products designed for K-12 education. Terms of the deal were not released. MHT Partners served as Edline’s exclusive financial adviser in the transaction.

RAE Systems shareholders have voted to approve its merger with Vector Capital. More than 75 percent of holders of RAE’s outstanding shares voted for the sale to Vector and more than 95 percent of shares voted at the special meeting were tallied for the deal. The sale to Vector was expected to close on or about June 16. Vector Capital is paying $2.25 a share, or $134 million, for RAE, which makes instruments to detect gas and hazardous materials. UBS advised RAE’s special committee. Silicon Valley Bank is providing financing for the deal. Vector was locked in a bidding war with Battery Ventures-SFW Capital Partners for RAE.

The Riverside Company has bought a Nashville, Tenn.-based freight hauling company, Alliance1, to add to an existing platform company called Express Courier, also based in middle Tennessee. Both companies manage time-sensitive deliveries throughout the southeastern United States. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Roark Capital Group is paying about $130 million in cash to buy roast beef sandwich chain Arby’s Restaurant Group Inc., Reuters reported. Current owner Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc. will retain 18.5 percent ownership of Arby’s valued at about $30 million, the company said in a statement. Atlanta-based Roark will assume about $190 million in Arby’s debt.

Roark Capital Group is buying Il Fornaio Corp., the owner of Corner Bakery Cafe and Il Fornaio restaurants and bakeries. Terms of the deal were not released. Based in Dallas, Il Fornaio has 119 restaurants across the U.S. Roark has more than $1.5 billion of equity capital under management.

Polish media mogul Zygmunt Solorz-Zak has put in a final bid for mobile operator Polkomtel, Reuters reported, though the size of the bid was kept under wraps. Polkomtel, which was put up for sale by Vodafone and a handful of Polish state-linked companies, could reportedly fetch as much as $6.6 billion. Buyout firms Apax and Bain Capital are also among those in the running for Polkomtel.

Spectrum Equity Investors has paid $50 million for a minority stake in SeamlessWeb, a site that allows consumers to order restaurant delivery over the Internet. The firm is buying the stake from ARAMARK Corp. The company will use the infusion to help with expansion and possible acquisitions, ARAMARK announced in a press release. Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal adviser to Spectrum.

Symphony Technology Group has wrapped up its $165 million acquisition of Shopzilla. The deal included $150 million in cash, and $15 million in deferred payments. Wells Fargo Capital Finance and Tennenbaum Capital Partners provided debt financing for the deal. Shopzilla’s online shopping brands include Bizrate, Beso and TaDa. Symphony bought Shopzilla from Scripps Networks Interactive. The deal was announced in April.

Tailwind Capital has refinanced VersaPharm‘s $30 million debt. Madison Capital Funding provided a senior credit facility as part of the deal. VersaPharm, of Marietta, Ga., is a generic pharmaceutical company backed by Tailwind.

Teakwood Capital has acquired Clockwork Solutions Inc., a provider of performance prediction and risk management technology designed for industrial companies, military organizations and government agencies. Financial terms of the deal were not released. Teakwood Capital is based in Dallas.

Thomas H. Lee Partners is taking a 24.9 percent stake in publicly traded First BanCorp, the bank holding company for FirstBank Puerto Rico. The firm will pay $180 million, or $3.50 per share, for the stake.

Minnesota firm Tonka Bay Equity Partners completed a dividend recapitalization of its portfolio company, Circuit Check Holdings, which provides testing systems for printed circuit board assemblies. Specifics on the transaction were not publicized, but Tonka Bay and other Circuit Check shareholders get a cut and the rest will be used to fund growth.

Torch Hill Investment Partners and TPG Growth—the middle market and growth capital platform of TPG Capital—have made an equity investment in Artel Inc., a provider of in information technology and managed communications network services, the company announced. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Artel provides secure, high-reliability satellite and terrestrial communications services to government and commercial customers.

TPG Capital and The Carlyle Group are in talks to buy a stake in the tower unit of Indian telecom company Reliance Communications, Bloomberg reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Reliance Communications, controlled by billionaire Anil Ambani, has also received interest from The Blackstone Group and London-based Apax Partners, the news agency reported.

Tuffieh Private Equity Fund will buy an 85 percent stake in Czech logistics firm CS Cargo, Reuters reported. Financial terms of the deal were not released. CS Cargo hired JP Morgan last year to prepare it for a potential IPO.

Japanese private equity firm Unison Capital and South Korea’s CJ Group are jointly bidding for Japanese food-additive maker Hayashibara, Reuters reported. Gun-ei Chemical is also bidding for Hayashibara, with private equity firm Polaris, Reuters said. Final bids are scheduled at the beginning of July.

Warburg Pincus, Trilantic Capital Partners and ZAM Ventures are backing newly formed oil and gas exploration and production company Velvet Energy, the company announced. Terms of the investment were not released. CIBC World Markets Inc. acted as financial adviser to Velvet Energy. Velvet Energy is focused on exploration in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin region.