Deals

Accent Equity Partner AB agreed to acquires property protection company Troax from Gunnebo AB. Stockholm, Sweden-based Accent plans to complete the transaction together with Troax’s management. Troax is based in Hillerstorp, Sweden. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Paris-based Access Capital Partners Group SA has agreed to acquire Pohjola Private Equity Funds Oy from Pohjola Bank plc while Pohjola will simultaneously acquire 40 percent of Access from CapMan plc of Finland and Access’ managing partners. Following these transactions, the capital managed by the new Access Capital Group will increase to €4.5 billion. CapMan will continue to be an Access shareholder after the transaction, with a 5 percent stake. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2010.

Actis Capital LLP of the U.K. invested $53 million in Gtex, a Brazilian-based cleaning products company that sells under the Urcam USE and Amazon brands. Actis plans to initiate a growth plan for Gtex in the Brazilian market to include new product lines, geographical expansion and acquisitions.

Advent International and The Carlyle Group are planning a joint bid for 63 percent of Indian software exporter Patni Computer Systems, Reuters reported, valuing the deal at nearly $1 billion. Reuters said that private equity firm Apax and the technology company Hitachi are also likely to place a joint bid.

Advent International of Boston, Mass., completed its purchase of Tinsa. Advent International took a 94.5 percent stake in the Spanish property valuation firm. The remaining stake will be held mainly by a management team. The transaction is valued at €100 million ($136 million).

Middle-market buyout shop American Securities has paid an undisclosed amount for a controlling stake in Arizona Chemical. Jacksonville, Fla.-based Arizona Chemical refines pine chemicals for use in printing inks, paints, adhesives and other products. American Securities is based in New York.

Dutch pension fund APG and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board have acquired a stake in London’s Stratford City development for roughly £871.5 million ($1.39 billion), Reuters reported. The funds are buying the 50 percent stake in the retail development, which will be built next to the site of the 2012 Olympics, from Australian shopping-mall owner Westfield Group.

Ares Life Sciences AG plans to acquire the remaining 54.1 percent it does not already own in of allergy specialist Stallergenes for €59 ($79.70) a share, Reuters reported. Ares Life is a Switzerland-based health investment fund. The offer is mandatory after Ares Life bought a 45.9 percent stake of Stallergenes from Wendel Investissements SA.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. is close to hiring an adviser to help explore strategic alternatives and it plans to consider the possible sale to a private equity firm, the New York Post reported citing a source close to the retailer. The newspaper added that Leonard Green & Partners, a private equity firm in Los Angeles, is seen as the most likely acquirer. The Post said BJ’s Wholesale could fetch as much as $3 billion.

Cascade Bancorp signed several Securities Purchase Agreements to sell about $177 million of its shares. The Bend, Ore.-based company reached agreements with David F. Bolger, an affiliate of Leonard Green & Partners LP, an affiliate of Lightyear Fund II LP, and private equity funds affiliated with WL Ross & Co. LLC. After the close, Leonard Green, Lightyear, and WL Ross will each own 24.35 percent of Cascade Bancorp. Bolger will own 14.01 percent of the business.

Centerview Partners Holdings LLC of New York acquired Richelieu Foods Inc. in conjunction with the management of the private label food maker. Financial terms were not disclosed. The business was previously owned by Brynwood Partners LP of Greenwich, Conn.

Denham Capital Management‘s Sacramento, Calif.-based portfolio company Greenleaf Power, which operates biomass power plants, said that it has acquired a 28-megawatt biomass power plant from the Town of Scotia. Financial terms were not announced. Denham Capital Management is an energy-focused private equity firm.

GI Partners completed the merger of two companies in its portfolio. The Menlo Park, Calif.-based company combined its SoftLayer Technologies subsidiary that provides on-demand data services with The Planet, which is an information technology hosting concern.

Graham Partners completed a majority investment in Strata Products Worldwide, an Atlanta-based provider of products and services used for infrastructure and miner safety. Graham Partners is a Pennsylvania-based private equity firm that specializes in mid-market manufacturing companies.

H.I.G. Capital portfolio company Stant Corp. has acquired Romeo, Mich.-based Shelby Enterprises. Financial terms of the deal were not released. Shelby Enterprises is a supplier of filler pipe, vapor line and other products for the automotive industry. Connersville, Ind.-based Stant Corp. manufactures vapor and fluid control components.

Hovde Private Equity Advisors said it has invested $11 million in FirstAtlantic Financial Holdings, which owns FirstAtlantic Bank, of Jacksonville, Fla. Hovde, a Washington D.C., private equity firm, said its investment could go up to $25 million over time but will not exceed 24.9 percent ownership in the bank. Joseph James, of Hovde Private Equity, was elected to the bank’s board.

HSBC Capital, through its HSBC Private Equity Partners II fund, has acquired Compton, Calif.-based Venture Aircraft. Financial terms of the deal were not released. Venture Aircraft is a manufacturer of precision crafted sheet metal and machined components for the aerospace industry. HSBC Capital is the U.S. and Latin America private equity division of HSBC Group, and has more than $1.5 billion under management.

Carl Icahn increased his stake in Dynegy Inc. to 12.9 percent from about 9.95 percent and will offer a $2 billion credit to the Houston,Texas-based electricity producer, Reuters said. Icahn also plans to oppose Blackstone Group LP’s offer to acquire Dynegy for $543 million, or $4.7 billion including debt.

IK Investment Partners agreed to buy EPiServer Group AB from Amadeus Capital, Martin Bjäringer, Monterro Holdings, Northzone Ventures, Mikael Runhem and family and employees of the Swedish software company. Financial terms were not disclosed. IK Investment is a Pan-European private equity firm.

Levine Leichtman Capital Partners acquired Santa Cruz Nutritionals. The deal was completed in partnership with the management of the California-based maker of nutritional and dietary supplements. Financial terms were not disclosed. Swander Pace Capital was the seller.

Macquarie Infrastructure Partners has acquired two landfill gas-to-energy facilities from Montvale, New Jersey-based Ridgewood Renewable Power. Financial terms of the deal were not released. Macquarie Infrastructure Partners has more than $5.5 billion in committed capital across two funds.

Scandinavian private equity firm Nordic Capital paid £450 million ($719.2 million) for Britax Childcare, a company owned by U.S. buyout shop The Carlyle Group, Reuters reported, citing an article in the Financial Times. Britax, a U.K.-based maker of child-safety car seats, was bought by the Carlyle Group five years ago for £230 million.

Olympus Partners announced its sale of Ann’s House of Nuts to Gryphon Investors. Financial terms were not disclosed. Columbia, Md.-based Ann’s House of Nuts makes private label and branded snack nut and trail mix products.

Paris-based buyout shop PAI Partners will buy the Hunkemoeller lingerie chain from Maxeda Retail Group, Reuters reported. Financial terms of the deal were not released. Hunkemoeller has roughly 500 stores in the Benelux, France and Germany.

Pamlico Capital of Charlotte, N.C., has acquired ATX Networks from Trivest Partners. Members of management re-invested in partnership with Pamlico Capital to complete the transaction. Financial terms were not disclosed. ATX Networks, of Ajax, Ontario, provides radio frequency management equipment.

Renwood Opportunities Fund acquired the assets of State Industries Inc. Renwood is a partnership formed by Rosewood Private Investments and Renovo Capital. State Industries designs and makes wood panels and related components used in furniture, store fixtures and architectural interiors. Rosewood Private Investments is the private equity arm of Rosewood Corp.

Cleveland-based Resilience Capital Partners has acquired Indiana Limestone Co. Financial terms were not announced. Resilience plans to combine Indiana Limestone is with Victor Oolitic Stone Co., which Resilience acquired in November 2009, under its industrial minerals platform, North Coast Minerals.

Riverside Company platform company Health & Safety Institute acquired a health care application maker called GoToAID. Financial terms were not disclosed. Health & Safety Institute is a privately held emergency response training organization based in Eugene, Ore.

The Boston-based private equity firm Riverside Partners has invested $34 million in Welocalize, a 13-year-old, Frederick, Md.-based company that sells consulting, translation, localization, testing solutions and enterprise translation management tools and employs 400 people in nine offices around the world.

SavATree said that it has acquired DeerTech, which is backed by Ropart Asset Management and BEV Capital. Financial terms were not announced. SavATree provides tree, shrub and lawn care services. Ropart is a private equity firm while BEV Capital is a venture capital firm. DeerTech provides products to protect shrubs and plants from hungry deer.

Snow Phipps Group portfolio company Interactive Technology Solutions said that it has acquired the outstanding stock of Peace Technology Inc. Financial terms were not announced. Laurel, Md.-based Peace provides technical services to design and manage complex applications for federal, state and local governments. ITSolutions, of Silver Spring, Md., is a management and information technology services company. Snow Phipps is a New York private equity firm.

Socius Capital Group LLC participated in a $6.9 million private placement of common shares and senior secured convertible debt for the publicly traded Hythiam Inc., a Los Angeles-based specialist in substance abuse services. Socius Capital, of Colorado, is an affiliate of Terren S. Peizer, Hythiam’s chairman and CEO. The funds will provide Hythiam with working capital to deliver services under existing agreements and contracts currently in negotiation.

TA Associates Inc. of Boston, Mass., made a minority investment in MedSolutions, which is a provider of medical management services. MedCare and Ridgemont Equity Partners will each retain a part of their stake in the Nashville, Tenn. -based company. Further details of the investments were not disclosed.

Takko is expected to attract at least four buyout shops, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Apax Partners, Bain Capital, EQT and TPG are preparing proposals to take one of Germany’s largest clothing chains out of the hands of Advent International. Another source said an initial public offering is also being considered.

San Francisco private equity firm Thoma Bravo has agreed to buy UPS‘s logistics technologies unit. Financial terms were not announced. The logistics technologies unit, based in Baltimore, Md., creates high-tech transportation routing and fleet management systems.

TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners are close to an agreement to buy the clothing retailer J Crew Group for $2.8 billion, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the deal. The deal would value J Crew at $43.50 per share, a 15 percent premium over the company’s closing price the day before the deal was disclosed.

Velocity Financial Group announced that it has closed a management-led buyout of Velocity’s business lines from Core Financial Holdings. Financial terms were not announced. American Capital, a publicly traded business development company, owns a majority stake in Core Financial. Boston-based Velocity is a specialty finance company that serves both buyouts and venture capital companies. Parish Capital Advisors provided financing.

Veritas Capital has completed an $815 million deal for Lockheed Martin’s Enterprise Integration Group business unit, Reuters reported. The division advises government agencies on weapons platforms, Reuters said, adding that Lockheed Martin sold the unit in order to avoid conflicts of interest.

Wafra Partners and its affiliates acquired All Island Media Inc. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Wafra can invest up to $30 million in equity per deal. All Island Media publishes and distributes Pennysaver News, Town Crier and other titles to more than 750,000 homes and businesses in Nassau and Suffolk counties, N.Y.

Warburg Pincus has led a $9.5 million investment in the Better Advertising Project. The round will help Better Advertising expand its platform, which is designed to give consumers more transparency into how their information is used online. New York-based Better Advertising was created inside Warburg Pincus in 2009 while its CEO Scott Meyer was an entrepreneur-in-residence at the firm. The company’s management team also participated in the round.