A 23.5 percent stake in Russian truckmaker Kamaz may be sold to Russian buyers rather than its partner Daimler because the German carmaker is not offering a high enough price, Kommersant newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Tikehau Investment Management has arranged alongside European Capital the unitranche financing, backing the acquisition of Asmodée by Eurazeo Capital. Created in 1995 by Marc Nunès, Asmodée is an independent publisher and distributor of games and trading card games in Europe.
Monroe Capital has funded a $10 million senior secured term loan to support the growth of BookIt.com. Based in Panama City, Florida, BookIt.com is a privately-held online travel agency providing customers travel packages to leisure destinations in the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean.
Ventriloquist Voice Solutions International Inc, a Mississauga, Ont.-based customer communications platform, has been bought by Genesys, a provider of multi-channel customer experience and contact center solutions. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Genesys said the Ventriloquist acquisition would bring additional scale and technical expertise to its communications solution, which also includes capabilities from SoundBite Communications, acquired last year. The Daly, Calif.-based Genesys is a portfolio investment of European private equity firm Permira Funds. Permira acquired the company with the participation of U.S. venture capital firm Technology Crossover Ventures in 2012.
Global security services company Garda World Security Corp has completed its acquisition of G4S Cash Solutions (Canada), the Toronto-based subsidiary of G4S International Holdings. The transaction, which was previously priced at $110 million, will see the operations and employees of G4S Cash Solutions form part of Garda World's cash services platform. The Montréal-based Garda World was taken private for $1.1 billion by British private equity firm Apax Partners in partnership with Stephan Cretier, the company's chairman and CEO, in Nov. 2012.
TriCan Tire Distributors Inc, the Canadian subsidiary of American Tire Distributors Inc (ATD), has purchased the wholesale distribution business of Kipling Tire Co Ltd, which is based in Etobicoke, Ontario. The financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. The Kipling Tire acquisition, which is Trican's third domestic deal since the middle of last year, will further strengthen its presence in southern Ontario, the Burlington, Ont.-based company said. Tire supplier ATD is a portfolio investment of U.S. private equity firm TPG Capital. TPG bought the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company in 2010 from Investcorp, Berkshire Partners and Greenbriar Equity.
Spanish property developer Colonial said it has received a debt restructuring and possible takeover offer from its biggest creditor, a unit of Brookfield Asset Management, ahead of an extraordinary board meeting next week, reports Reuters. The proposal from Brookfield, which holds 46 percent of Colonial's 1.8 billion euros (US$2.4 billion) syndicated loan that matures in December 2014, is a rival offer to a proposed injection of capital announced two weeks ago by Spain's Villar Mir group. Brookfield said it has the support of 77 percent of the company's creditors for its restructuring plan, in which it would subscribe to a capital increase and become a "significant shareholder" in Colonial, according to a statement from Colonial on Friday.
The European subsidiary of Aastra Technologies Ltd (TSX: AAH) has bought for an undisclosed price Telepo Ltd, a provider of cloud-based, multi-tenant enterprise communication solutions with headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Aastra was given consent to acquire Telepo from Mitel Networks Corp (TSX: MNW) (Nasdaq: MITL), which is in the final stages of acquiring the Concord, Ont.-based business communications vendor for around $400 million. Mitel, an Ottawa-based cloud and communications software solutions provider, is majority-owned by U.S. private equity firm Francisco Partners and Dr. Terence Matthews. Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP is acting for Mitel on the Aastra deal.
The JET Group has bought for an undisclosed sum PeakWorks Inc, a Hamilton, Ont.-based fall protection, fall rescue and confined space safety products manufacturer focused on the construction and industrial markets. According to The Jet Group, the deal broadens its safety product offering by adding a portfolio of professional personal protective equipment. Based in Vancouver, The Jet Group brings together several leading brands servicing the professional tool, equipment and safety clothing markets. The company and its subsidiaries were acquired by Canadian private equity firm Penfund from Diamond Investment Group Ltd in Nov. 2012. Penfund has invested more than $2.5 billion in over 220 companies since its establishment in 1979.
The owner of Britain's Guardian newspaper has agreed to sell its 50.1 percent stake in cash-generative Trader Media Group to private equity firm Apax for around 600 million pounds ($985.2 million), Reuters reported.