Deals

Affinity Equity Partners is in exclusive talks to buy Australian meat producer Primo Smallgoods, Reuters reported. The deal could value the company at as much as $1 billion. Affinity submitted a final bid for the firm in July, backed by financing of about A$580 million from 11 banks. Blackstone Group had previously expressed interest in a stake but did not enter a final bid, Reuters wrote.

French buyout shop Astorg Partners is in exclusive talks to buy the microconnections division of French electrical connectors maker FCI from Bain Capital. The $1 billion deal is backed by €355 million ($498.3 million) of debt, Reuters reported. Goldman Sachs, Nomura and Royal Bank of Canada have been instructed as bookrunners and mandated lead arrangers, Reuters wrote.

Audax Group has completed its acquisition of Versailles, Ind.-based Elgin Fastener Group. Elgin makes short-run, high-quality specialty fasteners for a range of niche industrial markets. Terms of the deal were not released. Audax manages more than $4.8 billion and is based in Boston and New York.

Babson Capital said Thursday it has provided $12.15 million of mezzanine debt and $1 million equity for Linden Capital’s investment in Strata Pathology Services. Strata, of Lexington, Mass., offers anatomic pathology services in the dermatology, urology, podiatry, oral pathology, gastroenterology and gynecology segments.

Baird Capital Partners will acquire Utah-based HRI from listed home improvement retailer the Home Depot, in a deal where terms were not disclosed. Financing for the transaction is being provided by BMO Harris Bank NA, BBVA, and Caltius. BCP is joined in the investment by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, and DLA Piper served as counsel to BCP. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Bayside Capital, an affiliate of buyout shop H.I.G. Capital, said it will acquire the assets of Atlanta-based Alexander Gallo Holdings. Alexander Gallo is the parent company to court reporting and litigation services companies Esquire Solutions and Sanction Solutions. As part of this process, Alexander Gallo Holdings filed a voluntary Chapter 11 restructuring plan with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. H.I.G. Capital will invest up to $20 million in the company to support operations during the bankruptcy process.

Bendigo Partners has invested in Akatsuki Financial Group. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. Akatsuki, of Japan, is a mid-sized financial services firm, specializing in retail brokerage and asset management. Bendigo, of New York, invests in technology-driven financial services.

Berry Plastics Corp., a company backed by Apollo Management and Graham Partners, has completed its acquisition of Rexam’s specialty and beverage closures business. Terms of the deal were not released. Rexam SBC is a maker of injection and compression molded plastic specialty and beverage closures, jars and other plastic packaging products. Berry Plastics is based in Evansville, Ind.

Bregal Capital is in exclusive talks to acquire Irish financial services company IFG Group in a deal that could be valued at €231 million ($333.4 million), Reuters reported. IFG Group has agreed to work exclusively with Bregal for up to six weeks.Boca Raton, Fla.-based Brockway Moran & Partners has invested an undisclosed amount in The Country Vintner, a distributor and importer of wines and spirits. The Country Vintner is based in Ashland, Va. Terms of the investment were not released.

Brockway Moran & Partners

portfolio company DayMen Group has agreed to buy JOBY. Financial terms were not announced. San Francisco-based JOBY makes photo, mobile and lighting products.

The Carlyle Group has invested an undisclosed amount in Houston-based wealth adviser and asset manager Avalon Advisors. The buyout shop snagged a minority stake in Avalon. Terms were not released. Equity for the investment comes from Carlyle Global Financial Services Partners, a $1.1 billion fund that invests in a range of financial services companies. Existing investor Platform Partners also participated in the financing.

Cross Keys Capital said it advised on the sale of Glassworks and Arcadia Residential to Bounds Equity Partners. Cross Keys Capital acted as financial adviser to the owners of Chicago-based Glassworks and Arcadia Residential, the firm said. Arcadia specializes in manufacturing custom windows and glass walls, among other products. Glassworks designs and manufactures glass for residential and commercial markets.

Diesel engine maker Cummins Inc. said it agreed to sell a part of its light duty filtration operations to Industrial Opportunity Partners, Reuters reported. Terms of the deal were not released. The sale is part of Cummins’s plan to streamline its business segments.

First Atlantic Capital portfolio company Resource Label Group has bought Pamco Printed Tape & Label Co. NXT Capital said it provided $53.5 million in debt financing to fund the acquisition and served as the sole lead arranger, sole bookrunner and administrative agent. Resource Label Group manufactures pressure-sensitive label for the packaging industry.

GE Capital Healthcare Financial Services has closed $115 million in credit facilities for Evolution1, a company backed by buyout shop Genstar Capital. The financing was used to recapitalize Genstar’s acquisition of Evolution Benefits and support the company’s acquisition of Lighthouse1. GE Capital Markets served as sole lead arranger and joint bookrunner, the company announced.

GlaxoSmithKline

is in second round talks with a group of private equity funds and strategic buyers interested in buying its non-core over-the-counter products, Reuters reported, citing the Financial Times. The sale could fetch as much as £1.5 billion ($2.4 billion). Bain Capital, The Blackstone Group and German pharmaceutical group Boehringer Ingelheim are reported to be in the bidding process.

The Gores Group will acquire Clark Holdings Inc., a provider of logistical service for print media and other supply chain management clients, for 46 cents per share, a premium on the company’s stock of about 171 percent. EVE Partners advised Clark on the deal.

The Gores Group is paying $85 million to buy the international Mexx business from women’s clothing retailer Liz Claiborne Inc., Reuters reported Friday. Liz Claiborne will retain an 18.75 percent interest in the joint venture with Gores Group, Reuters wrote. Liz Claiborne acquired Mexx in May 2001 for roughly $264 million.

The Gores Group has entered into a “stalking horse” asset purchase agreement to buy body armor maker Point Blank Solutions Inc. Subject to bankruptcy court approval, the Gores Group plans to close the acquisition of Point Blank’s assets by November.

Greenbriar Equity Group said it has bought the Aerospace Hardware division of Anixter International and established Align Aerospace. Chatsworth, Calif.-based Align distributes hardware components, logistics and supply chain solutions to the aerospace and defense industries.

GTCR portfolio company Aligned Asset Managers said it has acquired a majority stake in Townsend Group. Financial terms weren’t announced. Townsend, with offices in Cleveland and San Francisco, is a specialty real estate advisory and investment firm with more than $100 billion of total advised assets.

H.I.G. Europe, the European arm of buyout shop H.I.G. Capital, and its debt affiliate Bayside Capital have acquired UK-based Bezier, a provider of sales marketing services. Specific terms of the deal were not released. Miami-based H.I.G. Capital has more than $8.5 billion of equity capital under management.

H.I.G. Europe, the European arm of mid-market buyout shop H.I.G. Capital, has acquired a majority stake in the Losberger Group. Germany-based Losberger produces, sells and leases temporary spaces such as modular event tents. Terms of the buyout were not released.

Investors agreed to a $16 million settlement of lawsuits stemming from the buyout of clothing retailer J. Crew Group Inc. by two private equity groups, Reuters reported. The settlement is based on an earlier $10 million agreement that collapsed in January, according to Stuart Grant of Grant & Eisenhofer PA, which represents shareholders. The shareholder lawsuits stem from the $3 billion deal by TPG Capital LP and Leonard Green & Partners LP to buy the company, which has more than 300 stores and a catalog operation.

Kennet Partners has invested $25 million into WorldOne, a research agency specializing in health care data collection for market research companies, agencies, and consulting firms. Michael Elias, managing director at Kennet, will join the board as a result of the round. The funding will be used for international expansion and to develop new business lines, WorldOne said.

A Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. portfolio company, Australian media company Seven West Media, may refinance up to A$2 billion ($2.1 billion) of debt, Reuters reported, citing a Basis Point report. The company is going through bank proposals to refinance the debt. KKR owns a 12.6 percent stake in Seven West Media.

KPS Capital Partners, via its newly formed company International Equipment Solutions, has acquired Paladin Brands Holding and Crenlo. The firm is buying the two companies from publicly traded Dover Corp. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Paladin is a provider of engineered attachment tools for operator-driven equipment. Crenlo is a provider of steel cabs and roll-over protective structures and electronics enclosures.

Swiss investment firm LGT Capital Partners will acquire a €369 million ($524 million) private equity portfolio from HSH Nordbank AG. The portfolio consists of commitments from 29 different limited partnerships focused on European small and mid-market buyout funds, LGT Capital said in a statement.

MidOcean Partners, the Kansas firm that owns Bushnell Outdoor Products, a maker of eyewear and outdoor accessories, bought California-based Night Optics USA, which makes night vision and thermal technologies products. Night Optics USA was represented by Mergers & Business Acquisitions Inc.

Partners Group has invested an undisclosed amount in Sorgenia France, a platform of onshore wind projects. The company is also backed by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. Partners Group has more than €20 billion ($27 billion) under management across private equity, private real estate, private infrastructure and private debt.

Baltimore-based Remedi SeniorCare, an institutional pharmacy company, has sealed $60 million of a planned $300 million investment from New York-based Centerbridge Partners. Founding investor Sterling Partners will continue to participate in Remedi’s growth, the company said in a release. It is unclear what ownership stakes Centerbridge and Sterling now hold. Specific terms of the investment were not released.

Los Angeles-based Revolution Capital Group has taken a majority stake in the Capital Exchange, or CapXG, an interactive, Web-based, networking site serving the financial community, the firm said. Terms of the acquisition were not released.

The Riverside Company has acquired Chicago-based marketing company Centiv Services. Terms of the deal were not released. Formed in 2001, Centiv provides a marketing automation platform designed to help businesses develop customized, local marketing campaigns that can be designed, produced and fulfilled with short turnaround times.

Swander Pace Capital portfolio company Insight Pharmaceuticals has acquired the Monistat North American brand portfolio from McNeil-PPC Inc. Financial terms of the deal were not released. In connection with the transaction, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, through its private equity group Teachers’ Private Capital, has joined Swander Pace Capital as an equity investor in Insight. HT Capital Advisors acted as exclusive financial adviser to Insight and Swander Pace Capital.

Warburg Pincus portfolio company RegionalCare Hospital Partners, based in Brentwood, Tenn., is merging with Essent Healthcare, a portfolio company of Vestar Capital Partners and Cressey & Company. Essent is based in Nashville. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.