Deals

Advent International has taken a “significant majority” stake in Morrison Supply Co., a distributor of plumbing and HVAC supplies. Advent operating partner Chip Hornsby will join the company as chief executive officer. Scott Sangalli, Morrison’s former chief executive, will continue as an investor in the company. Terms of the acquisition were not released.

Advent International and Francois-Charles Oberthur Fiduciaire Group completed the acquisition of the Card Systems and Identity divisions of Oberthur. The transaction is valued at €1.15 billion ($1.5 billion). Advent was advised by HSBC on the deal.

A portfolio company of AEA Investors, the lubricants and fuel distributor RelaDyne, has acquired James P. Hill Distributors and its affiliate PetroClean Solutions, based in Farmerville, La. Hill Oil is the third lubricant distributor that RelaDyne has acquired since it began in November 2010. AEA Investors manages funds worth approximately $5 billion.

Akuo Energy, a French producer of electricity from renewable energy, has acquired Broussan and Château, two solar farms in the Gard region of France. These two acquisitions, with a total installed capacity of 5.89 MW, take Akuo Group’s investment in renewable energy infrastructure to the $1 billion mark.

American Securities said it has closed its purchase of Unifrax, which makes ceramic fiber insulation products that are used in industrial, automotive and fire protection applications. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. The deal is the second time American Securities has acquired Unifrax.

Arsenal Capital Partners portfolio company Royal Adhesives & Sealants is to acquire Webcraft Chemicals, which operates under the name Craig Adhesives & Coatings, from Vertis Communications. Financial details of the transaction were undisclosed.

Baird Capital Partners has acquired Digi-Star Holdings Inc., a manufacturer of agriculture scales and weighing equipment. Terms of the deal were not released. The PrivateBank and U.S. Bank provided senior financing for the deal, with Fifth Street Finance Corp. providing mezzanine financing. Digi-Star is based in Fort Atkinson, Wis.

Billionaire investor Nicolas Berggruen has teamed up with The Blackstone Group in his bid for Kaufhof, the department store chain being sold by Metro, Reuters reported. Sources close to Metro said the group was examining the offer from Berggruen, who owns rival German department store group Karstadt, and Blackstone and was in talks with all the bidders, Reuters wrote.

BNP Paribas and Commonwealth Bank of Australia have sold a total of around A$130 million ($133 million) of senior debt in global buyout fund CVC Asia Pacific’s deal for Nine Entertainment TV network, Reuters reported. Hedge funds have bought most of the debt, three sources told Reuters.

Brynwood Partners’ wholly-owned subsidiary Golden Sun Holdings has acquired Newhall Laboratories, a maker of personal care brands including la bella, Monkey Brains and GroWorks. Terms of the deal were not released. The deal is the third personal care acquisition from Brynwood Partners VI LP. Newhall is based in Santa Clarita, Calif.

A a newly formed Brynwood Partners portfolio company, Sun Country Foods, has acquired the Kretschmer wheat germ brand and manufacturing facility from The Quaker Oats Co., the firm announced. Terms of the deal were not released. Sun Country Foods will be headquartered in Boston.

Canadian Distinction Group Inc. (GDI), a facility services business, has reached an agreement with Birch Hill Equity Partners to take the company private for approximately $153 million, or $4.50 per share in cash. GDI CEO Claude Bigras and Birch Hill will form a new partnership, with Bigras and the existing management team of GDI owning approximately 24 percent of the resulting corporation.

The Carlyle Group is buying a 42 percent stake in Saudi food company Al Jammaz Group, Reuters reported. The acquisition will be Carlyle’s second in Saudi Arabia and its fifth in the Middle East and North Africa region, Reuters wrote.

Centerbridge Capital Partners portfolio company Resort Finance America has acquired a controlling interest in PH Towers Westgate from Westgate Resorts. RFA is owned by Centerbridge and management. The business will provide asset management services for this project through its Lantern Asset Management affiliate. RFA has appointed Hilton Grand Vacations to rebrand the property.

Sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corp. and private equity firm The Blackstone Group have invested in a joint venture with mainland property developer Greentown China, Reuters reported. CIC, which is not allowed to invest in China itself, has made the investment through a subsidiary that can invest domestically, Reuters wrote.

Coal-based urea producer China XLX Fertiliser Ltd announced that Primavera Capital Group has agreed to subscribe its convertible bonds worth approximately $51 million through a wholly owned subsidiary. The private equity fund will indirectly hold 14.97 percent of the company’s enlarged capital and become its third largest shareholder and largest institutional investor upon full conversion of the bonds.

European firm Cinven has acquired Guardian Financial Services, a UK-based closed book of life and pensions business. Cinven reached agreement to acquire Guardian from AEGON in August for an enterprise value of £275 million ($427.2 million).

Special situations investor Clearlake Capital Group has sponsored the recapitalization of customer security services organization Solutionary. The Clearlake also provided a significant capital infusion to the company. Financial terms were not disclosed.After failing to win enough support to take over the Clorox Co. board, billionaire investor Carl Icahn has nearly halved his stake in household products maker, Reuters reported. His stake in the company fell to 4.99 percent as of Dec. 1, a regulatory filing showed. He had a stake of 8.17 percent as of Nov. 2.Software developer Comverse Technology has been approached by bidders interested in its core division, sources close to the matter told Reuters. Comverse Technology has been sharing financial information with prospective parties, including large global technology companies, for its telecommunications billing software unit, Comverse Network Systems, Reuters wrote.

CVC is making a mark on its auction of Orange Switzerland by holding talks with one of the bidders about a possible merger with the Swiss telecom firm’s rival Sunrise, Reuters reported, citing the Financial Times. CVC had held preliminary discussions with Providence Equity Partners over a possible merger if Providence wins the sales process for France Telecom‘s Swiss mobile operations, Reuters wrote.

European firm Doughty Hanson & Co has acquired ASCO Group, a global provider of outsourced logistics services and solutions to the oil and gas industry, from Phoenix Equity Partners. Financial details of the transaction were undisclosed.

Falconhead Capital has acquired a controlling stake in Rita’s Water Ice Franchise Co., a company based in Trevose, Pa. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Formed in 1984, Rita’s Water Ice is a regional Italian ice company.

First Reserve is partnering with Spain’s Renovalia Energy on a venture to invest in wind farm projects across Europe and North America, Reuters reported. First Reserve is putting $150 million of equity into the project, and Renovalia is putting an undisclosed amount of equity into the effort. When leveraged, the venture could have roughly $1 billion for investments in renewable energy, Reuters wrote.

Forsyth Capital, a St. Louis-based middle market investor,has provided received an undisclosed amount of funding to Machine Solutions, a Flagstaff, Ariz.-based maker of catheter, balloon and stent devices. The deal gives Forsyth a majority stake in Machine Solutions.

Garnett & Helfrich portfolio company Wyse Technology has bought Trellia. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. Trellia, of Montreal, provides cloud-based mobile infrastructure management.

Gart Capital portfolio company Colorado Bag’n Baggage is merging with Magellan’s Travel Supplies, a California-based premium luggage company that is is majority owned by Sverica International. Specifics of the transaction were not publicized.

Genstar Capital portfolio company Confie Seguros, a national provider of insurance with an emphasis on serving Hispanic consumers, has expanded its operations in Texas with the acquisition of Auto Insurance Discounters, an insurance brokerage company headquartered in Houston. Genstar Capital, based in San Francisco, focuses on investments in life sciences, health care, financial services, software and industrial technology industries. Genstar established Confie Seguros in 2008.

Genstar Capital has acquired Insurity, the former LexisNexis Insurance Software Solutions business, a provider of software and services to the property and casualty insurance industry. Genstar partnered with Jeffrey Glazer to complete the carveout from LexisNexis. Glazer is the founder of the business and will serve as president and CEO of Insurity. Financial details of the transaction were undisclosed.

Gilde Buy Out Partners agreed to acquire Eismann AG. Mettmann, Germany-based Eismann is a direct seller for frozen food in Europe. Terms of the deal were not released. The deal was announced by law firm Kirkland & Ellis International, which acted as an adviser to the firm. Gilde Buy Out Partners operates across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and France.

Gryphon Investors has completed its acquisition of Trinity Consultants. Terms of the deal were not released. Trinity is a Dallas-based provider of air quality compliance and permitting services. Gryphon Investors is based in San Francisco. As part of the deal, NXT Capital announced that it provided a $45 million senior credit facility to fund the transaction.

GTCR portfolio company Aligned Asset Managers has completed its investment in The Townsend Group. Townsend is a specialty real estate advisory and investment firm. Aligned purchased a majority equity interest in Townsend, though specific terms were not released.

GTCR portfolio company AssuredPartners has acquired SKCG Group. Financial terms weren’t announced. White Plains, N.Y.-based SKCG is a risk management and insurance advisory firm. SKCG’s name and location will remain the same, according to a statement.

Abu Dhabi-based Gulf Capital aims to close four private equity deals during the first quarter of 2012, Reuters reported. The firm is in the final stages of acquiring majority stakes in four regional companies, Reuters wrote. Gulf Capital currently has around $1 billion of assets under management.

The Halifax Group has put an undisclosed amount of equity financing into acquisition, grants and professional services company XL Associates Inc. Terms of the deal were not released. Formed in 1989, XL Associates provides professional services to various federal agencies. The company is based in McLean, Va.

Halyard Capital said it had acquired Tranzact Information Services from TRANZACT. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. Halyard will rename the business, which provides data and analytics to direct marketers, Datamyx. Halyard, a New York buyout firm, previously owned TRANZACT and sold the company in 2007 to Veronis Suhler Stevenson. PetskyPrunier, advised TRANZACT in the sale.

Chicago-based HCP & Company has acquired a majority interest in Polaris Hospital Co. Polaris, founded in 2007 and based in Brentwood, Tenn., acquires, develops and operates hospitals and offers behavioral health and physical medicine/rehabilitation services. The investment in Polaris marks HCP’s fourth investment from its second fund and its first in the health care sector.

HFF has arranged a $120 million refinancing for nine hotels in California, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. HFF is a provider of commercial real estate and capital markets services to the U.S. commercial real estate industry. HFF worked on behalf of the borrower, Investcorp, to secure the adjustable-rate loan through J.P. Morgan Chase Bank. Loan proceeds were used to refinance an existing first mortgage. The HFF team representing Investcorp was led by senior managing director Michael Tepedino and directors KC Patel and Michael Gigliotti.

Huron Capital Partners portfolio company Hughes Associates has acquired Edan Engineering Corp. Financial terms weren’t announced. Vancouver, Wash.-based Edan Engineering specializes in electrical systems analysis, evaluation, testing and research.

A group led by JH Partners and the Highland Consumer Fund is acquiring a majority interest in J.McLaughlin, the company announced. The Brooklyn-based clothing brand has 52 stores across the eastern United States. Terms of the deal were not released.

Investor Carl Icahn has offered $15 a share, or $1.73 billion, for Texas-based Commercial Metals Co. The deal would combine the metals recycler with Icahn’s PSC Metals Inc., Reuters reported.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. is to invest $60 million as a cornerstone investor in the Hong Kong initial public offering of China men’s casual wear retailer China Outfitters Holdings. China Outfitters designs, makes and sells menswear in China. Its foreign brands include JEEP, Santa Barbara, Polo & Racquet Club and London Fog. The company has more than 1,000 stores nationwide, according to Reuters.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Japanese trading house Itochu Corp. have joined forces in a $7 billion bid for U.S. oil and gas group Samson Investment Co., Reuters reported. With an enterprise value of more than $7 billion, the deal would be the second-largest global private equity transaction of the year, ranking behind The Blackstone Group’s $9.4 billion agreement to buy nearly 600 shopping malls from Australia’s Centro Properties, Reuters wrote.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. is buying a 12.5 percent equity stake in Saba Infraestructuras, a Spanish operator of car parks and logistics parks. KKR joins a consortium of shareholders including Spanish savings bank Criteria CaixaHolding, investment firm Torreal and mid-market buyout shop ProA Capital.

Equipment leasing and finance company LEAF Commercial Capital, has closed a $50 million growth equity investment from New York-based investment firm Eos Partners and its affiliates. LEAF has also closed on $75 million of additional debt financing with Versailles Assets, an asset-backed commercial paper conduit sponsored by Natixis, which will increase the company’s securitized and syndicated warehouse facility to $185 million in aggregate.

Greenwich, Conn.-based Littlejohn & Co. has made an investment in Installed Building Products, an installer of insulation and building products to residential and commercial customers. The investment is intended to enhance the company’s future growth and development.

Mid-market investor Lyceum Capital has acquired the British security software maker Clearswift. Terms of the deal were not released. Clearswift’s software is designed to manage inbound threats, data loss prevention, Web access policies and compliance across both Web and e-mail communications, the company said.

MBAC Fertilizer Corp. has executed the $40 million loan agreement with International Finance Corp. The proceeds from the IFC loan will be used by MBAC for the development of the Itafós Arraias SSP Project.

Maxim Partners has acquired Pipe Maintenance Inc., a Texas-based provider of inspection, repair, maintenance and asset management services for oilfield services companies and drilling contractors. Terms of the deal were not released. Maxim is based in Chicago.

Moelis Capital Partners, the buyout arm of investment bank Moelis & Co., has bought Flightstar Aircraft Services. Financial terms weren’t announced. Jacksonville, Fla.-based Flightstar provides maintenance, repair and modification services to operators of transport category aircraft.French firm NiXEN is to acquire a controlling interest in Babeau Seguin Group, a builder of single-family detached homes. Management is making a substantial re-investment in the business alongside historical financial partners Siparex (lead financier of the previous transaction), CM-CIC, Carvest and Somfy Participations. Pechel and Avenir Entreprises will also support the company.

Neste Jacobs

and GE Healthcare, the health care business of General Electric, have formed a strategic alliance to assist countries worldwide to become self-sufficient in the manufacture of blood plasma products. The alliance will combine GE Healthcare’s expertise in bioprocessing for plasma fractionation with Neste Jacobs’s global bio-engineering and construction capabilities.

New China Life Insurance Co. Ltd has received commitments from four cornerstone investors for $780 million worth of shares in the Hong Kong tranche of its initial public offering, IFR reported, citing two sources with direct knowledge of the deal. Among the investors is South Korean private equity firm MBK Partners, which will buy $100 million worth of shares, IFR added.

Nomura has started talks to sell domestic businesses including its real estate arm, Reuters reported, citing the Financial Times. Nomura is considering the sale of Nomura Real Estate Holdings and its consulting arm, Nomura Research Institute, the newspaper said, and is in preliminary talks with private equity buyers, Reuters wrote.

Oakley Capital Investments Ltd, the listed vehicle of European mid-market private equity firm Oakley Capital Private Equity, is to acquire a 51 percent stake in intergenia AG, a German Web hosting company providing managed, dedicated and cloud hosting. As part of the transaction the company will be providing €10 million ($13.38 million) of senior financing and the fund will provide an additional €30 million of equity financing to fund the acquisition.

Global contract research group Pharmaceutical Product Development has received approval from its shareholders for the merger of the company with an entity controlled by The Carlyle Group and Hellman & Friedman. Upon consummation of the merger, the company’s shareholders will receive $33.25 in cash for each share of the company’s common stock. The transaction is subject to certain remaining customary closing conditions as set forth in the merger agreement.

British life insurer Phoenix Group Holdings said it was considering potential takeover offers, including one from buyout firm CVC Capital Partners, after an approach from rival Resolution Ltd failed, Reuters reported. CVC, which owns home, motor and travel insurer Acromas, and last year joined forces with rival Apollo Global Management to buy non-life insurer Brit, was not immediately available for comment, Reuters said.

Boston-based Riverside Partners is taking a majority stake in ITC Global, a provider of satellite communications services to mining, energy and maritime businesses operating in remote environments. Terms of the deal were not released.

Royal Bank of Scotland has collected final bids for its RBS Aviation Capital aircraft leasing business and hopes to select a preferred bidder early next year, Reuters reported. China Development Bank, Wells Fargo, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and a Macquarie-led consortium are in the running for the business, which RBS is selling as part of a broader strategy to divest non-core assets.

A portfolio company of Houston-based SCF Partners, oilfield services company Reservoir Group, has acquired Mudlogging Services Inc., a Colorado-based developer and supplier of the MLogger series of gas detection systems. Terms of the deal were not released. The deal is Reservoir Group’s sixth acquisition this year.

Skyview Capital portfolio company NewNet Communication Technologies is acquiring a business unit from Nokia Siemens Networks, Reuters reported. Financial terms of the deal were not released. The deal includes the company’s WiMAX product portfolio, the related employees and assets, as well as active customer and supplier contracts.

Snow Phipps Group

portfolio company Tasti D-Lite, a low-calorie soft serve dessert chain, has acquired Planet Smoothie. Terms of the deal were not released. Planet Smoothie sells smoothies and natural snacks.

French bank Société Générale is selling property loans worth more than €600 million ($801 million) Reuters reported. The Financial Times said it believes SocGen has invited a range of companies including private equity groups like The Blackstone Group, The Carlyle Group, Lone Star and Oaktree Capital Management and Italian hedge fund Chenavar to bid for the loans, Reuters wrote.

Thomas H. Lee Partners is interested in buying the U.S. operations of Yahoo, Reuters reported. THL is hoping to do a leveraged buyout of Yahoo’s U.S. business, which could be worth $5 billion to $6 billion, and draw on its experience running other media assets such as Nielsen Co., Clear Channel and Univision to turn around the ailing company, Reuters reported.

Veronis Suhler Stevenson portfolio company Remedy Health Media, a health information and technology company, has acquired HealthCentral, a provider of online clinical and patient community resources and tools that help patients and caregivers take control of their health and improve their well-being. HealthCentral is backed by interactive media and technology investors IAC/InterActiveCorp, Polaris Ventures, Sequoia Capital, The Carlyle Group and Allen & Company. Terms were not disclosed.

Wind Point Partners portfolio company Hearthside Food Solutions has acquired Roskam Granola, a co-manufacturing business that produces granola base and range of products, including bars, mixes and granola nut clusters. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Wind Point Partners acquired Hearthside in 2009 in partnership with food veteran in partnership with Rich Scalise, who became and remains the bakery company’s CEO.