Barry Whyte

Apollo Management, the U.S. private equity firm, is considering a joint bid with one of the other firms eyeing up CKX Inc, the company that makes the American Idol television show. According to the New York Post, Apollo owner Leon Black is trying to decide whether the best means of buying the firm would be outright or with through debt financing. Last month, Robert Sillerman, CKX's founder and former CEO, said he was preparing a bid for the company for $5.50 to $5.75, which values the company at just over $500 million.

The Riverside Company, a global private equity firm, has sold Stoffel Seals Corp, a security seals and ID tags company based in Congers, New York, to Tyden Group. The sale generated a 2.7x gross cash-on-cash return, according to the firm. Riverside acquired Stoffel in October 2004. The details of the deal were not disclosed.

Apax Partners and Providence Equity, among other private equity firms, are interested in buying BT Group’s stake in Tech Mahindra, an Indian IT services company, which is likely to be valued at $830 million, according to the Economic Times. BT holds about a third in Tech Mahindra, and is expecting a 30 percent premium over the current price, which values the deal at more than 37 billion rupees.

Canadian pension fund manager Caisse De Depot Et Placement Du Quebec intends to sell almost $800 million in private equity funds, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The funds come in the form of buyout and venture-capital funds. According to the WSJ, the deal may be completed with third-party financing. It also points out that Caisse backs managers including Accel Partners, AXA Private Equity, Blackstone Group, Carlyle Group, Wynnchurch Capital, BC Partners and Genstar Capital. More here …

Gymboree, the children’s apparel retailer, is expected to fetch more than $1 billion in a planned auction, according to the New York Post. The company has hired Goldman Sachs to begin the auction, the report said, after it was approached by two firms, one of which was Apollo Management, owned by billionaire Leon Black. Other interested firms include Bain Capital, KKR, Apax Partners, and Irving Place Capital.

StepStone Group has acquired SilverBrook Private Equity, the group announced today. Stepstone had previously purchased Citigroup Private Equity, and is on a stated mission of “balancing the firm’s US presence between the east and west coasts.” As part of the deal, Thomas Bradley, Mark Maruszewski, and Michael McCabe, the SilverBrook partners, will join StepStone as managing directors based in New York City. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Pandora, the Danish charm-bracelet manufacturer, has priced its initial public offering at 210 crowns per share at the top of the indicated range, which values the company at $5 billion. The offering saw Pandora issue 2.86 million new shares, and a sale of 44.55 million existing shares by the owner, Prometheus Invest ApS.

Florida-based B/E Aerospace is set to buy TSI Group, an aerospace and defense company, from Arlington Capital Partners, a private equity firm, for $310 million in cash. B/E Aerospace makes aircraft interior products. The deal is expected to be completed in tin the fourth quarter of 2010.

Invest AD, the Abu Dhabi private equity firm, has launched an Iraq Investment Fund to invest in high-growth companies in the stabilizing Iraq. The new fund is open to institutional and high-net-worth investors in early October, Invest AD said. Iraq has the world’s third-largest proven oil reserves and has signed 11 oilfield deals with major international oil firms, which are expected to lift the country’s capacity from 2.5 million to 12 million barrels per day.

Private equity firm Brynwood Partners, based in Greenwich, Connecticut, has closed its latest fund, Brynwood Partners VI, with $305 million of committed capital. It is the largest fund in Brynwood’s 26-year history. Brynwood Partners currently manages over $640 million of private equity capital.