Deals

Q Investments has agreed to sell Xcel Telecom, an Indian operator of wireless telecom towers, to American Tower Corp. (NYSE: AMT). No financial terms were disclosed, but The Economic Times puts the price in excess of $136 million.

AIG is expected to receive bids from at least three private equity firms next month, in the second-round of its auction for International Lease Finance Corp. (IFLC). Bidders reportedly include THL Partners, The Carlyle Group and Greenbriar Equity/Onex Partners.

Aleris International Inc., a bankrupt maker of aluminum rolled products, will receive court approval for around $1 billion in DIP financing, in order to work out a deal with creditors. TPG bought Aleris for $3.3 billion in 2006 (including assumption of $1.6 billion in debt).

AmWINS Group Inc., a Charlotte, N.C.-based wholesale distributor of specialty insurance products and services, has acquired National Insurance Wholesalers, an insurance wholesaler of medical stop-loss insurance for self-insured companies, from Clark & Wamberg LLC. No financial terms were disclosed. AmWINS is a portfolio company of Parthenon Capital.

Apollo Management reportedly is planning to take majority equity ownership of Charter Communications Inc. via the cable operator’s reorganization in bankruptcy court.

Aquiline Capital Partners has invested an undisclosed amount in HedgeServ Holding LP, a hedge fund and fund-of-hedge fund administrator with offices in New York and Dublin, Ireland.

Atlanta Equity Fund has sponsored a recapitalization of Empower Software Solutions, an Orlando, Fla.-based provider of HR management software. No financial terms were disclosed, except that Chatham Capital provided a $31 million junior secured facility.

Bain Capital, Hellman & Friedman and TPG each have shown an interest in acquring iShares, an exchange-traded funds provider owned by Barclays.

Calyx Transportation Group Inc., a transportation and logistics company majority-owned by Wynnchurch Capital Partners, has made three acquisitions: Totalline Transport, Kreative Carriers Transportation & Logistics Services Inc. and Bransam Logistics Services Inc. No financial terms were disclosed. Each of the acquired companies will become separate operating subsidiaries of Calyx Transportation.

The Carlyle Group has expressed interest in acquiring U.K. software company Innovation Group PLC. The firm also plans to raise its stake in Willcom Inc. from 60 percent to 65 percent, by acquiring shares in a private placement, according to a Japanese financial daily. Willcom makes personal handyphone systems.

Carousel Capital has acquired Copac Inc., a Spartanburg, S.C.-based specialty packaging company, from its founder. No pricing terms were disclosed for the deal, which included leveraged financing from RBC Bank.

CI Capital Partners plans to acquire a majority of Ply Gem Industries Inc.’s 9 percent senior subordinated notes. No financial terms were disclosed. CI Capital is an existing shareholder in Ply Gem, a Cary, N.C.-based maker of products for use in the residential new construction, do-it-yourself and professional renovation markets.

Clarion Capital Partners has acquired the assets of fine china maker Lenox Group Inc. The deal was valued at approximately $100 million, including assumption of debt. KPS Capital Partners announced last month that it was the successful bidder for Lenox Group, but Clarion said the bidding process was reopened during a bankruptcy court hearing on Feb. 25.

Compass Automotive Group Inc., a provider of aluminum and magnesium component solutions to automakers and auto suppliers, has acquired the aluminum die casting and machining operations of Citation Corp. No financial terms were disclosed. Compass is a portfolio company of Monomoy Capital Partners.

Doughty Hanson and Goldman Sachs reportedly have written off their investment in Setanta, an Irish pay television broadcaster. Doughty Hanson holds around a 20 percent stake, while Goldman Sachs holds a 5 percent stake.

Drug Fair, a New Jersey pharmacy chain bought by Sun Capital Partners in late 2005, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It already has an agreement in place to sell some of its assets to Walgreen Co.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has completed its sale of failed mortgage lender Indymac to an investor consortium that includes Dune Capital Management, J.C. Flowers & Co., MSD Capital, Paulson & Co., Stone Point Capital, Soros Fund Management and Silar Advisors. The deal was being valued at $13.9 billion, including $1.3 billion in cash.

Fiat SpA denied reports that it would assume any current or future debt from Chrysler LLC, with which it plans to form a partnership. Chrysler is a portfolio company of Cerberus Capital Management.

Fireman Capital is in talks to invest $33 million into Los Angeles-based apparel maker Hudson Jeans, according to LBO Wire.

Foamex International Inc., a Media, Penn.-based maker of polyurethane foam for bedding and cushions, has received bankruptcy court approval for a DIP loan of up to $95 million, from MatlinPatterson and Bank of America.

Gemini Investors and Socius Capital have sponsored a recapitalization of Wazee Electric Inc., a provider of of products and services for industrial motors and cranes in the Rocky Mountain region. CapitalValue advised Wazee on the deal.

Goldman Sachs plans to make a take-private bid for USJ Co. Ltd., the operator of Japan’s Universal Studios theme park. The deal could be worth more than $610 million.

GTCR has dropped out of the auction for AIG’s advisor unit, peHUB has learned. The move leaves just two private equity bidders: Clayton Dubilier & Rice and Warburg Pincus. Also GTCR has formed Actient Pharmaceuticals LLC, a Deerfield, Ill.-based platform to acquire and operate specialty pharmaceutical companies and products. GTCR will invest up to $200 million in Actient, which will be run by former Abbott Labs executive Ed Fiorentino.

Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. said that investors had tendered $5 billion in bonds, which represents 57 percent of the issues that Harrah’s was seeking. The bond exchange was designed to push back the maturity dates of the company’s near term debt. Apollo Management and TPG bought Harrah’s for around $30 billion in January 2008.

HgCapital has acquired stakes in three Spanish solar photovoltaic plants, from AIG Financial Products Corp. and Spanish investment bank 360 Corporate.

JLL Partners has completed its tender offer for all outstanding common shares of PharmaNet Development Group Inc. (Nasdaq: PDGI), a provider of clinical development services. The deal was valued at approximately $98 million.

KKR and Permira reportedly are considering ways to cut debt from commercial broadcaster ProSiebenSat1, which faces possible financing bottlenecks next year. Options include injecting fresh capital into the company, or repurchasing part of its debt.

KPS Capital Partners has completed its acquisition of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Labatt USA unit. It also bought High Falls Brewing Co. and a perpetual license for the Seagram’s Cooler Escapes and Seagram’s Smooth brands from Pernod Ricard USA. No financial terms for any of the transactions were disclosed.

Lion Capital has agreed to acquire a 20 percent stake in clothing retailer American Apparel (AMX: APP) for approximately $80 million, according to The New York Times. Under terms of the deal, Lion would receive warrants for 16 million new shares at a strike price of $2 per share.

Loving Care Agency Inc., a provider of pediatric nursing and home health aides, has acquired six homecare branches from Gentiva Health Services Inc. (Nasdaq: GTIV). No financial terms were disclosed for the deal, which includes branches in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. LCA sponsors MTS Health Investors and Oaktree Capital Management provided equity for the transaction, while BMO Capital Markets and Siemens Financial Services provided debt.

Mustang Group has sponsored a buyout of Country Club Enterprises, a Wareham, Mass.-based distributor of golf carts to New England golf courses. The deal was worth south of $100 million, with The Gladstone Cos. and TD Banknorth providing leverage.

PAI Partners has proposed a debt-for-equity swap to lenders of Saeco International Group, an Italian coffee machine maker. Saeco currently has a €562 million ($763.2 million) debt load.

Pennant Foods, a provider of bakery products to the food service and retail markets, has agreed to acquire a portion of the General Mills Bakeries and Food Service frozen bread dough business. No financial terms were disclosed. Pennant is a unit of Fresh Start Bakeries, a platform company sponsored by Lindsey Goldberg LLC.

Platinum Equity has agreed to acquire the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper from The Copley Press, in an all-equity deal reported to be worth less than $50 million.

R.G. Barry Corp. (Nasdaq: DFZ) has rejected an unsolicited buyout offer from Mill Road Capital, saying that it “does not represent adequate value for our shareholders.” Mill Road had offered up to $7.75 per share for R.G. Barry.

Recurrent Energy, an on-site solar panel developer based in San Francisco, has agreed to buy the solar project assets of Chicago-based UPC Energy Group. No financial terms were disclosed. Recurrent Energy has raised over $85 million from Hudson Clean Energy Partners, Mohr Davidow Ventures and JEM Partners.

Satyam Computer Services Ltd. said in a regulatory filing that it hopes to finalize the buyer of a 51 percent stake by April 30.

Shackleton Advisors has acquired the CyberGlove business of Immersion Corp. (Nasdaq: IMMR). No financial terms were disclosed. CyberGlobe makes products used to capture hand and finger motion and manipulate objects in virtual reality

Shari’s, an operator of 24-hour family dining restaurants, has acquired four Bakers Square locations in the San Francisco area, from Vicorp Restaurants Inc. No financial terms were disclosed. The restaurants will be rebranded over the next several weeks. Circle Peak Capital led a buyout of Shari’s in 2005, while Vicorp is a Wind Point Partners portfolio company that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last April.

Terra Firma has acquired Consolidated Pastoral Co., Australia’s second-largest beef producer, from gaming tycoon James Packer. The deal reportedly is valued at around A$425 million ($278 million).

The Nielsen Company, a New York-based media analytics, communications and publishing company, has acquired The Cambridge Group, a Chicago-based growth strategy consulting firm to Fortune 500 clients. No financial terms were disclosed. Nielsen shareholders include The Blackstone Group and KKR.

Tonka Bay Equity Partners has formed AppleWhite Dental LLC, a Dubuque, Iowa-based platform to acquire dental practices. No financial terms were disclosed.

Vector Capital has completed its $160 million take-private buyout of Aladdin Knowledge Systems, an Israeli maker of security software. Aladdin stockholders received $11.50 per share.

Virtuos, a Beijing-based provider of videogame production services, has acquired Besides Sound Production, a Shanghai-based provider of audio production for videogames. No financial terms were disclosed. Virtuos is sponsored by Legend Capital.

Wind Point Partners has agreed to acquire an equity stake in Grand Rapids, Mich.-based contract cereal and snack maker Roskam Baking Co. The deal would include more than $100 million in leveraged financing from GE Capital and CIT Group.