Private equity firms are not yet in the holiday mood.Vega Carburanti acquired Carburanti 3.0, a company that sells fuel close in the Coop Alleanza shopping malls area (see here a previous post by BeBeez). Vega received the financing from UniCredit (Sole Global Coordinator, Sole Bookrunner, Mandated Lead Arranger, Facility Agent, and Original Lender), Banca Ifis, Banco Bpm, and UBI Banca (Mandated Lead Arranger and Original Lenders), and private debt fund Antares AZ, part of Azimut Libera Impresa, which subscribed a mezzanine loan. Carburanti 3.0 has sales of 312 million of euros, an ebitda of 5.7 million (+1.7 million yoy), net profits of 1.2 million, and net cash of above 15 million. Vega Carburanti has revenues of 228.8 million, an ebitda of 6.1 million, and net debt of 10.5 million.ALP.I, the Spac that Mediobanca launched together with Stefano Giambelli, Roberto Marsella, Massimo Perona and Stefano Rangone, announced a business combination with Antares Vision, a provider of services for visual inspection and data management for the pharmaceutical sector (see here a previous post by BeBeez). ALP.I will invest 50 million of euros for subscribing a capital increase and 20 million for buying shares of Antares Vision in order to get a 12% stake. Antares Vision previously launched another capital increase that Guido Barilla subscribed together with Inpar Investment Fund, H14, which belongs to the Berlusconi Family, and Antonio Belloni, who will own 14% of the company after the combination. Emidio Zorzella and Massimo Bonardi founded Antares Vision in 2007. The company has revenues of 81.3 million, an ebitda of 20.7 million and net cash of 4.2 million. Antares Vision may invest the proceeds of the business combination also in acquisitions.
Italian shipping company Fratelli d’Amato Group sold part of its vessels and real estate assets to an undisclosed competitor (see here a previous post by BeBeez). These assets were a collateral for a portfolio of credits that Intesa Sanpaolo, MedioCredito Italiano, and UniCredit sold to Hong Kong’s SC Lowy.
Route Capital Partners, the investment company that Marco Ferrara founded with Nicola Carminucci, Giuseppe Altieri, Gianfranco Padovani, and Vittorio Cereghini, acquired Barikell, a producer and vendor of machinery for industrial floor (see here a previous post by BeBeez). The target’s founder Luca Zivieri will hold a minority. Barikell generates abroad 90% of its sales of above 10 million of euros, and has a 20% ebitda.
EOS investment management, a British private equity that Ciro Mongillo founded, hired Giuseppe La Loggia and Gianni Galasso (see here a previous post by BeBeez). La Loggia, based in London, will head Efesto, a firm that invests in renewable energy assets in grid parity. Galasso, previously working at Intek, Advent International, IBV Capital, and Azimut Libera Impresa, will be part of EOS private equity units.
Gioconda, the Italian subsidiary of LBO France, headed by managing directors Roberto d’Angelo and Arthur Bernardin, acquired a stake in Bluclad, an Italian producer of chemical products for the fashion sector. (See here a previous post byBeBeez). Bluclad’s founders Marco Eruli and Leandro Luconi will keep a stake in the business that has sales of above 20 million of euros. Bluclad aims to grow organically and through acquisitions also in France.
Paolo Simonato is the new managing director of London BlackRock Private Equity Partners and will be a senior member of the investment team and head of the private equity platform at BlackRock Alternative Investors (See here a previous post byBeBeez). Simonato has previously been chief strategy officer and member of the executive and credit commitee of GE Corporate Finance Bank. BlackRock announced also the appointment of Steve Lessar and Konnin Tam as managing directors and co-head of secondaries activities and liquidity solutions of BlackRock Private Equity in New York. Nick Marsh, will be director and senior member of the private equity platform in London and responsible of the EMEA Investor Relations department.
Swiss Private Banking firm Julius Bär hired Goldman Sachs for selling the Italian asset manager Kairos that its chairman and ceo Paolo Basilico founded (See here a previous post by BeBeez). JB may fetch up to 500 million of euros out of this sale.Private equity firms Apax Partners, Centerbridge, Altas Merchant, JC Flowers, and Hellman&Friedman are interested in Kairos. However, banks like Credit Suisse or JPMorgan may join the race for the asset. Kairos has asset under management of 9.3 billion gained net commissions worth 122.8 million, net profits of 44 million.
