Deals

3i Infrastructure has abandoned its attempt to acquire the Italian gas network of German utility E.ON. 3i had been partnering on the potential deal with gas supplier Erogasmet.

Advantedge Healthcare Solutions, a Warren, N.J.-based provider of medical billing services to physician groups, has acquired AHP Billing Services Inc. (AHP), a former division of Anodyne Health. Advantedge Healthcare has raised more than $22 million from Founders Equity and Safeguard Scientifics.

Alinda Capital Partners reportedly has paid $505 million to acquire NorTex Gas Storage, operator of two natural gas storage facilities in Texas, from Falcon Gas Storage, a portfolio company of Arcapita.

Apax Partners is no longer in talks to buy videoconferencing company Polycom Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), according to Reuters. The two companies reportedly had been in talks on a deal that would have been worth more than $3 billion, but Apax never made a formal offer.

Astrodyne, a Mansfield, Mass.-based provider of power conversion solutions, has acquired the assets of RO Associates from Emrise Corp. (NYSE Arca: ERI) for approximately $1 million in cash plus the assumption of certain liabilities. RO provides standard and semi custom power supply products. Audax Group bought Astrodyne in 2008.

Attends Healthcare Inc., a maker of adult incontinence products, has raised $98 million in new financing for a recapitalization. The deal includes a $20 million asset-based revolving credit facility from Wells Fargo Capital Finance and $78 million in term loans from Regiment Capital. Proceeds will be used to refinance existing debt and to fund a $60 million distribution to shareholders like KPS Capital Partners.

AXA Private Equity and F2i reportedly are prepping a bid for Endesa’s gas assets in Spain.

BAML Capital Partners has acquired a majority stake in Provo Craft & Novelty Inc. Seller Sorenson Capital will retain a minority equity stake, as will company management. No financial terms were disclosed. Robert W. Baird & Co. served as advisor to Provo Craft.

Barclays Private Equity reportedly is considering a £200 million bid for Poundland, a U.K.-based budget retailer owned by Advent International. Close Brothers is managing the process, according to The Independent.

Caltius Equity Partners has acquired a control stake in Diversified Human Resources Inc., an outsourced provider of HR, insurance brokerage, payroll processing and temporary staffing solutions. No financial terms were disclosed.

Carlyle Group’s planned $1 billion deal to acquire a 15.5 percent stake in Taiwan Mobile has hit a regulatory hurdle that could preclude completion by a June 30 deadline.

Carlyle Group has acquired a 30 percent stake in General Lighting Co., the largest lighting fixture manufacturer in Saudi Arabia. No financial terms were disclosed for the deal, which is Carlyle Group’s first in Saudi Arabia.

CCMP Capital has agreed to acquire a 37 percent stake in Oklahoma City-based oil and gas producer Chaparral Energy for $345 million.

Centerbridge Partners has agreed to acquire American Renal Holdings, a national provider of kidney dialysis services, from Pamlico Capital (f.k.a. Wachovia Capital Partners). No financial terms were disclosed for the deal, which is expected to close next month.

Cerberus Capital Management has agreed to buy Boston-based hospital system Caritas Christi Health Care for $830 million, including capital earmarked for hospital upgrades. The deal still must be approved by the Archbishop of Boston, the Massachusetts Attorney General and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

CKX Inc. (Nasdaq: CKXE), owner of the “American Idol” TV show franchise, confirmed that it is “engaged in discussions regarding a possible transaction involving the sale of the company.” The Wall Street Journal reported that One Equity Partners was in late-stage negotiations to buy CKX for around $6 per share, which would value the company’s equity at approximately $560 million.

CLSA Capital Partners has invested $24 million into Indian microfinance group Equitas Micro Finance India Private Ltd., in exchange for a minority stake.

Connexus Corp., operator of ad network and social media platform Traffic Marketplace, has agreed to merge with Epic Advertising, a New York-based performance network and search marketing company. No financial terms were disclosed. Connexus shareholders include Insight Venture Partners, Idealab, Oak Investment Partners and Trilogy Capital Partners. Epic Advertising backers include TA Associates.

Contrax Furnishings LLC, a Gainesville, Fla.-based provider of furniture for educational and institutional markets, has raised an undisclosed amount of private equity funding from Hudson Ferry Capital.

Crestview Partners and MidOcean Partners have agreed to acquire a combined 42 percent equity position in Insight Communications Company Inc., the nation’s ninth-largest cable operator. Sellers include The Carlyle Group, which will retain a 42 percent equity stake.

Crisis Prevention Institute, a portfolio company of The Riverside Co., has acquired Positive Options, a U.K.-based provider of crisis-related diagnostic services, education and training since 2004.

CVC Capital Partners has won minority shareholder approval for its $790 million, control-stake acquisition of Indonesian department store operator Lippo Group.

DFS is not for sale, according to the U.K. sofa chain’s founder and chairman. The company had said in February that it had hired advisors to explore strategic options.

Duke Street has acquired a control position in the Marlin Group, a U.K.-based buyer and manager of consumer debt, with a focus on litigation-based recovery. No financial terms were disclosed.

Egeria has completed its acquisition of AEGON’s Dutch funeral insurance business for €212 million. Egeria is a Dutch investment group.

Energy Capital Partners has agreed to buy three gas-fired power plants in Connecticut and Massachusetts from BG Group. The deal is valued at $450 million, with ECP operating partner Curt Morgan to run the newly-formed company.

Energy Investors Funds and NTE Energy LLC have formed a joined venture to develop, build and operate large-scale hybrid renewable energy facilities in the U.S. No financial terms were disclosed.

Extended Stay, a bankrupt budget hotel chain, reportedly favors a planned takeover bid by Centerbridge Partners and Paulson & Co., over a rival offer from a group led by Starwood Capital Group.

GE Energy Financial Services has invested $150 million for a 30 percent stake in a liquefied natural gas receiving terminal under construction in Mississippi. The seller was Crest Group.

GeoDigm Corp., a portfolio company of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, has agreed to acquire National Dentex Corp. (Nasdaq: NADX), an owner and operator of dental laboratories in North America. The deal is valued at nearly $98 million, or $17 per share.

Golden Gate Capital has agreed to buy restaurant brand On The Border Restaurant Grill and Cantina from Brinker International Inc. (NYSE: EAT). No financial terms were disclosed.

Gores Group reportedly is considering a bid for videoconferencing system Polycom Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), which it then would merge with portfolio company Siemens Enterprise Communications. Apax Partners previously had considered offering to buy Polycom for about $3 billion, but talks later broke down.

Grano Retail Investments has acquired tailored menswear brand Samuelsohn. No financial terms were disclosed, except that BDC provided leveraged financing.

Graphite Capital has invested an additional £24 million into Willowbrook Healthcare, a U.K.-based operator of nursing and dementia care homes for the elderly. Graphite invested an initial £53 million in Willowbrook back in November 2008.

Great Expressions Dental Centers, a Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based operator of 120 affiliated dental practices in seven states, has signed a long-term management agreement for the Jacksonville, Fla.-based dental practice of Ramsey Salem DDS. No financial terms were disclosed. Great Expressions is owned by Audax Group.

Groeb Farms Inc., a portfolio company of Horizon Partners, has acquired Miller’s American Honey Inc., a Colton, Calif.-based honey producer. No financial terms were disclosed. Houlihan Smith & Co. advised Miller’s American Honey on the deal.

HgCapital has agreed to acquire the talent management software unit of StepStone ASA. The deal is valued at €110 million, and is expected to close next month.

HHI Group Holdings, a maker of forged parts for power train and wheel-end applications, has raised $300 million in new financing for a recapitalization. The deal includes a $100 million revolving credit facility and a $200 million term loan. Proceeds will be used to refinance existing debt and to fund a $150 million distribution to shareholders like KPS Capital Partners and MC Capital.

Hopu Investments has led a $110 million investment into Winsway, a Chinese coking coal logistics company.

Hostway Corp., a Chicago-based provider of web hosting and cloud hosting services, has raised $110 million in private equity and debt funding. Veronis Suhler Stevenson led the deal and was joined by Fortress Capital, Regiment Capital and Phoenix Life. Houlihan Lokey advised Hostway on the deal.

ICICI Venture has invested approximately $26.7 million into India-based Star Health and Allied Insurance, in exchange for between a 15 percent and 20 percent stake.

Intrinergy, a global biomass renewable energy company based in Richmond, Va., has raised an undisclosed amount of private equity funding from Riverstone Holdings.

Jackson Square Aviation has formed with a $500 million equity commitment from Oaktree Capital Management. The company is led by former Pegasus Aviation and Sky Holding executives, and will provide lease capital to passenger and cargo airlines.

Lions Gate Entertainment has opted not to raise its bid for PE-backed film studio MGM, after being told it was outbid by Time Warner. Bids for the comapny reportedly came in between $1.2 billion and $1.5 billion. Current MGM shareholders are TPG, Providence Equity Partners, DLJ Merchant Banking, Quadrangle Group, Sony Corp. and Comcast Corp.

KKR and GoldenTree Asset Management are among several Tribune Co. lenders seeking documents from bondholder Centerbridge Partners, related to Tribune’s stock purchases and 2007 leveraged buyout.

KKR has joined Triton on its previously-announced €850 million acquisition of Nordic care home operator Ambea from 3i Group. The two firms will be 50-50 partners on the deal.

KKR and CVC Capital Partners reportedly have teamed up to bid on Interactive Data Corp. (NYSE: IDC). Rival bidding groups include Advent International with Bain Capital and Hellman & Friedman with Silver Lake Partners.

Lee Equity Partners has acquired Vancouver, Wash.-based pizza chain Papa Murphy’s from Charlesbank Capital Partners. No financial terms were disclosed.

Littlejohn & Co. has acquired CTI Foods Inc., a Wilder, Idaho-based provider of food products to restaurant chains, from CIC Partners. No financial terms were disclosed.

Madison Dearborn Capital Partners has agreed to acquire BWAY Holding Co. (NYSE: BWY), a North American supplier of general line rigid containers. The deal is valued at $20 per share, or approximately $915 million (including assumed debt).

Main Capital has acquired a “substantial minority stake” in IASO Backup Technology, a Dutch provider of online backup software. No financial terms were disclosed.

Nelson Peltz reportedly will not bid for CKE Restaurants Inc., which already has agreed to sell itself to THL Partners. Peltz already owns Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc., via Trian Fund Management.

Patria Investimentos reportedly is considering an offer from an undisclosed private equity firm, to sell its control stake in publicly-listed Brazilian IT company Tivit.

Platinum Group has acquired the assets of Tiziani Golf Car of Minnesota, which will be renamed Superior Golf Cars. The company will sell, service and lease new and used Club Car brand golf cars in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

RadioShack Corp. (NYSE: RSH), an electronics retailer, is exploring strategic options that could include a share buyback or sale, according to the New York Post. A sale could net in excess of $3 billion.

Rocket Software, a Newton, Mass.-based maker of enterprise infrastructure software, has agreed to acquire Computer Corp. of America, a Waltham, Mass.-based maker of enterprise database systems. No financial terms were disclosed. Rocket Software has raised around $92 million private equity funding led by Court Square Capital Partners.

Saban Capital Group and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) have signed an equal partnership to operate and manage Tiger Gate, an operator of pay television channels and a distributor of television programming and films in Asia. Lionsgate formed Tiger Gate in 2008.

Sandow Media, a portfolio company of Veronis Suhler Stevenson, has acquired a portfolio of Reed Business Information publications that serve the residential/commercial design, home furnishings and accessories industries. No financial terms were disclosed for the deal, which includes Interior Design magazine and the Furniture Today group of publications.

Servigistics, an Atlanta-based provider of strategic service management software, has acquired Kaidara, a French provider of customer service software that relies on data mining and case-based reasoning. No financial terms were disclosed. Servigistics is a portfolio company of Marlin Equity Partners, while Kaidara has raised VC funding from firms that include Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners, 123Venture and Galileo Partners.

Shackleton Equity Partners has acquired Excel Meridian Data, a Carrollton, Texas-based provider of computer data storage equipment for the education, gaming, government and video surveillance industries. No financial terms were disclosed.

Silver Lake Partners has acquired a minority stake in Spreadtrum Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: SPRD), a Shanghai-based chipmaker. No financial terms were disclosed. Spreadtrum’s current market cap is approximately $277 million.

SkillSoft PLC (Nasdaq: SKIL) has received a sweetened buyout offer from a consortium that includes Advent International, Bain Capital and Berkshire Partners. The new bid is $11.25 per American depository share, which would value the e-learning software maker at around $1.2 billion. The original offer was $10.80 per ADS.

Slate Capital Group has acquired the assets of Coastal Business Machines Inc., a Randallstown, Md.-based reconditioning and repair center for uninterruptible power supplies. No financial terms were disclosed.

Solo Cup Co., a portfolio company of Vestar Capital Partners and BAML Capital Partners, has acquired InnoWare Plastic Inc. from InnoWare LLC, a portfolio company of Norwest Equity Partners. Financial terms of the all-stock deal were not disclosed. InnoWare Plastic is a Georgia-based maker of take-out containers.

Sterling Foods, a portfolio company of Austin Ventures and TGF Management, have acquired Caravan Trading Co., a Union City, Calif.-based bakery for the wholesale, military, food service and retail industries.

Stock Building Supply, a Raleigh, N.C.-based portfolio company of Gores Group, has acquired the assets of National Home Centers Inc., a provider of building materials in Arkansas. No financial terms were disclosed.

Stripes Group has acquired a minority stake in Sandata LLC, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based provider of IT solutions to the home health care market. No financial terms were disclosed, except that TD Bank provided new senior debt financing.

Sun Capital Partners has offered to invest between $50 million and $100 million in jeweler Zale Corp. (NYSE: ZLC), according to The Wall Street Journal. The preferred stock deal could give Sun Capital a majority ownership position.

Sun Capital Partners has acquired certain assets of 3D Entertainment Group Ltd., a U.K.-based operator of late night bars targeting the 25 to 40 year old market. No financial terms were disclosed for the deal, which was done via a prepackaged bankruptcy.

TA Associates has acquired a majority stake in British lifestyle brand Cath Kidston. No financial terms were disclosed.

Teachers’ Private Capital has led a buyout of Exal Group, a manufacturer of aluminum containers. No financial terms were disclosed for the deal, which included buy-side participation from Stonebridge Partners.

Templeton Asset Management has acquired a 5.3 percent stake in India’s Shiv-Vani Oil & Gas Exploration Services. The deal was valued at $20.6 million.

Terra Firma Capital Partners held separate talks with Universal Music and Sony about licensing the North American rights to EMI Group’s music assets, but was unable to reach agreement.

THL Partners is likely to succeed in its effort to buy CKE Restaurants (NYSE: CKR) for $619 million, unless a surprise rival bidder emerges by today’s “go-shop” deadline.

Thoma Bravo has agreed to acquire PLATO Learning Inc. (Nasdaq: TUTR), a provider of online learning solutions for kindergarten through adult age groups. The deal is valued at approximately $143 million, or $5.60 per share.

West Corp., an Omaha, Neb.-based provider of call center and conference call backend solutions, has agreed to acquire SKT Business Communication Solutions, a Wichita, Kan.-based provider of unified communications and collaboration solutions. No financial terms were disclosed. West Corp. filed for a $500 million IPO last October, and is owned by THL Partners and Quadrangle Group.

Vibes Media LLC, a Chicago-based mobile marketing company, has acquired Zeep Mobile, a self-service mobile advertising company. No financial terms were disclosed. Vibes Media has raised $15 million from Volition Capital.

VPIsystems, a Holmdel, N.J.-based provider of mobile network analytics and capacity management software, has acquired Elanti Systems, a provider of routing software for carrier networks. No financial terms were disclosed, except that existing VPIsystems and Elanti Systems shareholders invested an additional $4 million into the combined company. VPIsystems backers include AlpInvest Partners, Cipio Partners and Core Capital Partners, while Elanti shareholders include New Venture Partners Innovation Capital.