Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
in Review
Full-year 2009 edition
Contents
Foreword 3
Pan-European private equity 4
Trend graphs 6
Sectors 7
Geography 11
European private equity deals 12
European secondary buyouts 14
Private equity activity tables - buyouts 15
Private equity activity tables - exits 16
Financial adviser activity tables - buyouts 17
Financial adviser activity tables - exits 18
Legal adviser activity tables - buyouts 19
Legal adviser activity tables - exits 20
Appendix 21
Notes and contacts 23
Foreword
mergermarket is pleased to present the full-year 2009 edition of European Private Equity in Review. This report
highlights the latest trends within the private equity industry, covering activity in several of the top dealmaking
sectors and regional markets across Europe.
The full-year 2008 edition of this report recognised that the A ‘back to basics’ approach by the asset class is one of the most
near collapse of the banking sector had significantly impaired significant by-products of the economic downturn and it is no bad
the dealmaking ability of financial investors. However, at the thing. Going forward, private equity volumes will likely continue to
time there were reasons to be cautiously optimistic and it was trend upwards although valuations will stay at depressed levels
suggested that with valuations sliding, the asset class could as sensible mid-market dealmaking becomes the norm. The
take advantage of distressed vendors and acquire fundamentally heady days of near free and easy debt are certainly over although
sound assets on the cheap. leverage is still obtainable for fundamentally sound investments.
Debt packages are now typically widely syndicated with investors
As it turned out, 2009 was one of the most challenging years required to inject a greater equity component into transactions.
yet faced by private equity with the cost of leverage, availability Despite this, a number of significant buyouts have been brokered
of viable targets and price dislocation all emerging as major in recent times, indicating that the larger players are still willing
obstacles. Even where these challenges were overcome, the and able to do deals at the top of the market. KKR’s recent
acquisitive aspirations of many funds was curtailed, so pre- acquisition of Pets At Home for a consideration of almost €1.1bn
occupied were they with fighting fires at portfolio company and BC Partners’ move to buy Spotless Group for €600m are just
level. Indeed, highly geared deals that were struck during the two very recent examples of the confidence returning to the asset
buyout boom began to look ill-timed at best and badly judged class and must be treated as signs of continued recovery.
at worst. As such, several private equity houses were forced
to reassess their portfolio holdings, selling off some assets We hope you enjoy this full-year edition of European Private
while looking to preserve and create value in other investments Equity in Review and, as always, we welcome any comments or
through effective and innovative management. feedback that you may have. If you are interested in sponsorship
of this or any other mergermarket publication, please contact
Simon Elliott.
Looking back, few in the European private equity industry will remember 2009 with much fondness. It is plainly
clear that last year marked a low-water mark for the industry, so reliant, as it was, on the availability of cheap
leverage that fuelled the buyout boom. And, as debt capital markets imploded after Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy,
private equity’s fall from the heights of the pre-crisis period was no less spectacular than the very investment
banks that funded the dealmaking frenzy.
Such a fact is baldly affirmed by the dismal deal trend figures These concessions are, of course, symptomatic of a
from 2009. In the year, buyout and exit transaction volumes broader shift in the power balance between fund managers
each shrank by nearly 45% to 613 and 283, respectively. This and investors. Elsewhere, it has also been reported that
was only somewhat better than the 64% and 60% decline in total endowments from Harvard and Yale universities blocked the
disclosed transaction values. In absolute terms, buyouts and Munich-headquartered Nordwind Capital from investing in
exits stood at €28.9bn and €24bn apiece in the year, down from US-based assets in the Pharma, Medical & Biotech space
€80.8bn and €59.6bn in 2008. when the firm went to draw down committed to the fund.
Opposition sprang from the fact that such a play was not in
Predictably, therefore, the large-cap segment of the buyout line with the fund’s initial strategy of investing in turnaround
market for transactions valued at €500m or more in 2009 opportunities in the Germanic region.
became far less active than in recent years, comprising just 4%
of total acquisitions by funds in the year, compared to11.3% for But while limited partners are seemingly enjoying some
the 2004-2008 period. In the exit market, dealmakers have also newfound power, many have been forced to sell off private
retreated to the lower end of the market, but overall it has fared equity commitments in secondary markets at steep discounts
relatively well with large-cap transactions comprising 10.9% of in a bid to shore up their own cash position and avoid any
combined valuations, compared to 13% over the wider period. forthcoming capital calls. This has hastened a bustling trade in
secondary markets with some private equity firms raising funds
The global financial crisis has not simply impacted upon the and deploying capital specifically to this end. More generally,
asset class’ ability to broker transactions at the top end of the investors have been hit hard by the worsening sale environment
market, however. It has also challenged fundamental aspects and the concomitant fall in exit activity which has adversely
of the industry itself with regards to issues such as fundraising, impacted upon capital redistributions to limited partners.
investment strategies, portfolio company management and deal
financing structures. No doubt some of these challenges will It is not surprising, however, that financial sponsors would
prove transitory, as will the responses, although others will be alter investment strategies, holding off exits to focus instead on
longer lasting in their effects and magnitude. operational efficiency and value preservation in existing portfolio
companies. Rather intuitively, the sale price of an enterprise
In a handful of instances, general partners moved to scale determines the high exit multiples for which the asset class
down and even curtail fundraising as cash-strapped limited is so famed and also the carried interest paid out to general
partners remained unwilling to commit their precious capital. partners. Understandably, private equity groups were generally
Most prominently, Candover, a one-time giant of private equity loathe to bring assets to market, particularly in those sectors
now hobbled by the financial crisis, agreed with investors to more sensitive to the downturn, that would only fetch depressed
terminate its Candover 2008 Fund after the listed arm of the prices from opportunistic acquirers. Nevertheless, a number of
buyout house failed to meet its own €1bn commitment to hard hit funds faced no choice with the likes of 3i and Candover
the €3bn investment pool. Elsewhere, PAI’s general partners moving to dispose of several assets over the course of 2009.
agreed with investors to halve its current PAI Europe V fund from
€5.4bn to €2.7bn. Moreover, the Financial Times reported that Despite the rally in global equity markets over the second half
the buyout house also made concessions to limited partners of the year and widespread optimism from buyout houses,
relating to governance and fee structures, something that would there was a dearth of public listings of portfolio firms in Europe
have been unthinkable in previous years. last year. In this respect, 2010 has already seen a number
of aborted floatations of large private equity-backed firms, (BVCA) and the European Venture Capitalist Association (EVCA),
suggesting that while the IPO market may recover, it will not shot back with measured but firm criticism of the proposals.
be the quick route to exit that had been previously mooted by Conversely, the two bodies have also tried to ward off any harsh
private equity practitioners. criticism of regulators from private equity industry figures
themselves, which could work against a better outcome on
Nonetheless, competition is beginning to firm within the deal the proposals.
market itself, particularly among private equity bidders, with a
number of auctions being fiercely contested in the first quarter There is arguably little doubt that these pending regulatory
of 2010. Stiffer competition has helped to drive up valuations changes are a backlash against the perceived avarice and
and ease the level of price dislocation that had existed between recklessness of the Financial Services sector in Europe and
buy- and sell-side parties, signalling private equity’s growing the US. Likewise, there is little doubt that foisting a strict
appetite to broker new deals. Indeed, buyout activity had also regulatory burden on private equity will be detrimental to the
been curbed by widespread market uncertainty, a testing industry and its ability to help revitalise economic activity.
financing environment and a general lack of suitable targets. Specifically, the draft AIFM proposals set out greater
Where the big buyouts came to market in 2009, it was generally disclosure from firms, independent valuations of investments
for defensive assets in more resilient investment niches. In and minimum capital requirements. At a time when margin
addition, firms also found fertile ground for distressed and pressures are already heightened for many firms, any reforms
opportunistic investments in the ashes left (or created) by the that will add increased oversight costs are most unwelcome.
financial crisis.
Meanwhile, the proposed regulatory changes in the US are
Overall, private equity has had to go ‘back to basics’ by creating also relevant for the European deal market in an era when
value through managerial expertise and operational efficiency international investment is an everyday occurrence. The Volcker
improvements. Firms that relied too much on financial wizardry Rule, as it has come to be known, sets out proposed changes
during the boom have clearly struggled without the magic designed to prevent the problems with institutions that are “too
stardust of debt during the bust. While there have been positive big to fail.” If adopted, the Volcker Rule could see investment
signs of credit market easing, financial investors have also had banks offload hedge fund and private equity divisions, focusing
to employ increasingly creative deal structures in order to bridge instead on traditional investment banking activities. At the same
the liquidity gap and get deals over the finish line. This includes, time, other prospective reforms could see private equity firms
for example, club deals, the use of deferred earnouts and hybrid based in the US face further regulatory scrutiny in the form of
securities. On the creditor side, lenders have teamed up to tighter capital and disclosure requirements.
finance deals and spread risk through syndicated loans. In the
latest such example, a consortium of banks, including Nomura, It is unclear what the final form of the regulatory changes
Calyon, KKR Capital Markets and Commerzbank agreed to will be and how severely they will affect the nascent recovery
provide a £455m (€695m) debt package for the €1.10bn buyout underway in private equity dealmaking. The major economies
of the British pet retailer Pets at Home, a transaction discussed of Europe are just beginning to emerge from recession and at
in further detail in the Consumer section below. very low rates of economic growth. As such, the underpinnings
for a more robust uptick in transaction activity remain fragile.
Given the challenges that private equity continues to face, it Private equity deal trends are showing signs of recovery relative
is undeniable that the asset class has a significant role to play to year-earlier levels, albeit from a low base of comparison. In
in the economic recovery, primarily by helping to enhance the the final quarter of 2009, for instance, buyout and exit valuations
efficiency and productivity of portfolio firms. Nevertheless, amid rose robustly, doubling in the first instance and nearly trebling in
this backdrop, the spectre of regulatory reforms emanating the second, to €13.59bn and €14.68bn, respectively. Transaction
from Brussels has loomed large in the form of the Alternative volumes have not, however, bounced back with the same vigour.
Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFM), legislation which While exits rose by 8.1% year on year in Q4, buyouts were down
aims to tighten the regulation of the private equity and hedge by over 10.0% on Q4 2008 levels. Clearly, lingering challenges
fund industries. Lobbyists from country and region-wide trade persist, but the vantage from today is far better than it was a
bodies, including the British Venture Capitalist Association year or even six months ago.
250 250
200 200
150 150
100 100
50
50
0
0
Q1
Q1
2005 Q2
Q2
2005 Q3
Q3
2005
Q4
Q4
2005 Q1
Q1
2006 Q2
Q2
2006 Q3
Q3
2006 Q4
Q4
2006 Q1
Q1
2007 Q2
Q2
2007 Q3
Q3
2007 Q4
Q4
2007 Q1
Q1
2008 Q2
Q2
2008 Q3
Q3
2008 Q4
Q4
2008 Q1
Q1
2009 Q2
Q2
2009 Q3
Q3
2009 Q4
Q4
2009
2005 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009 2009 2009 2009
70,000 70,000
60,000 60,000
50,000 50,000
40,000 40,000
30,000 30,000
20,000 20,000
10,000 10,000
0
0
Q1
Q1
2005
Q2
Q2
2005
Q3
Q3
2005
Q4
Q4
2005
Q1
Q1
2006
Q2
Q2
2006
Q3
Q3
2006
Q4
Q4
2006
Q1
Q1
2007
Q2
Q2
2007
Q3
2007
Q3 Q4
Q4
2007
Q1
Q1
2008
Q2
Q2
2008
Q3
Q3
2008
Q4
Q4
2008
Q1
Q1
2009
Q2
Q2
2009
Q3
Q3
2009
Q4
Q4
2009
2005 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009 2009 2009 2009
Value
80
80
25,000
25,000
70
70
Value of deals (€m)
60
60 20,000
20,000
Volume of deals
50
50
15,000
15,000
40
40
30
30 10,000
10,000
20
20
5,000
5,000
10
10
0
0 00
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
2005 Q1 Q2
2005 Q3
2005 Q4
2005 Q1
2006 Q2
2006 Q3
2006 Q4
2006 Q1
2007 Q2
2007 Q3
2007 Q4
2007 Q1
2008 Q2
2008 Q3
2008 Q4
2008 Q1
2009 Q2
2009 Q3
2009 Q4
2009
2005 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2007 2007 2007 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009 2009 2009 2009
buyouts worth €3.33bn, representing year-on-year declines of In the largest such transaction, Blackstone Group Holdings
48% and 75% in volume and value terms. Obstacles in the exit and Lion Capital exited Orangina Schweppes Group, the French
market also saw divestments ebb to just 41 transactions soft drink maker and distributor, to Japanese strategic investor
collectively valued at €4.30bn, down 52% and 60% respectively Suntory Holdings for a consideration of €2.25bn. Blackstone
compared to the same time period 12 months earlier. and Lion Capital initially acquired Orangina Schweppes in early
2005 for €1.85bn and grew the business through inorganic
Looking at the Consumer subsectors, buyout and exit activity growth and expansion into new markets.
was uniformly depressed with little variation between the
Retail, Foods and the broader Other sector, including the Financial investors were also involved on the buy-side in the
tobacco and beverages, household and personal care items beverages subsector. The top deal was announced in the
and luxury goods businesses. That said, this latter segment third quarter of the year and witnessed CVC Capital Partners
saw a noteworthy 8.8% increase in aggregate valuations acquire the Central & Eastern European assets of AB InBev,
over last year on the back of two of the asset class’ biggest the world’s largest brewing company, for US$2.23bn (€1.49bn)
transactions. Notably, both deals came to market in the with a possible earnout payment of US$800m dependent upon
beverages niche, a comparatively defensive investment space CVC’s return on initial investment. The deal also saw CVC
given the resilience these companies often have to down acquire brewing operations in nine countries and a number
business cycles. of brands, including the Czech label Staropramen. Notably, a
1,000
1,000
800
800 150,000
150,000
600
600
100,000
100,000
400
400
50,000
50,000
200
200
00 00
2005
2005 2006
2006 2007
2007 2008
2008 2009
2009 20052005 2006
2006 2007
2007 2008
2008 2009
2009
> €500m
Volume of deals
500
500
80,000
80,000
400
400
60,000
60,000
300
300
40,000
40,000
200
200
100
100
20,000
20,000
00 00
2005
2005 2006
2006 2007
2007 2008
2008 2009
2009 2005
2005 2006
2006 2007
2007 2008
2008 2009
2009
syndicate of lenders provided US$1bn in senior debt to finance noted that the median exit multiple for private equity-related
the transaction, one of the largest debt packages seen in the deals in 2009 stood at 8x EBITDA.
European buyout space last year.
While private equity investment in the Consumer sector
The beverages niche may have been the top spot for large-cap may recover only gradually in the face of lingering post-crisis
deals last year, but in the early days of 2010 it appears that challenges this year, it is certainly encouraging that 2010 has
private equity-backed M&A in the Retail niche may be en route got off to a good start for a deal market that has languished in
to a strong revival. The €1.10bn management buyout of Pets at decline for the past two years.
Home, the UK-based retailer of pet products and accessories,
by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co from Bridgepoint Capital
ranks as the largest global private equity-related deal at the Financial Services
time of publication. With the Financial Services industry at the epicentre of the
global economic crisis, it is not surprising that the sector
Moreover, there was strong competition for the asset at witnessed a sharp contraction in the volume and value of
auction from a host of private equity heavyweight bidders private equity-brokered transactions in Europe in 2009.
including Apax Partners, Bain Capital and TPG. On the sell-
side, Bridgepoint realised an exit multiple of 15.7x EDITDA, an In the year, the number of buyouts totalled 33 transactions
impressive return in any economic climate, more so when it is collectively valued at €2.68bn over last year, down from 60
deals worth €9.28bn in 2008. Exit activity was also fairly sub- Elsewhere, Northern Rock, which is set to be split into a ‘good’
dued with just nine transactions valued at €1.26bn in 2009, and ‘bad’ bank by the UK government, has also reportedly
down by 50.0% and 40.5% in year-on-year terms. attracted the attention of private equity houses. The Wall
Street Journal reported that the National Bank of Australia
The largest deal transacted by the asset class in the year had received approaches from the asset class regarding
saw a consortium of investors including Stone Point Capital, teaming up for a joint bid for the ‘good’ bank. In addition to
Hellman & Friedman, Vestar Capital Partners, Crestview Northern Rock, buyout houses may be eyeing parts of RBS
Partners, New Mountain and Caisse de Depot et Placement and Lloyds Banking Group after both banks were ordered
du Quebec sell a 57% stake in Paris Re Holdings, the French- to dispose of assets by the EU after having received bailout
listed, Swiss-based reinsurance solutions provider. The funds from the UK government.
transaction saw Bermuda-based re-insurance provider
PartnerRe acquire the stake in a block purchasing scheme Lastly, private equity firms themselves may see industry con-
for a consideration of €1.19bn. PartnerRe already owned solidation as stronger players take over their weaker rivals.
a 7% stake in the company and paid the Swiss company’s Candover, struggling under a heavy debt load, is the most
shareholders a premium of 12.75% over the traded share prominent example, having becoming a takeover target itself.
price one day prior to the offer announcement. Elsewhere, Natixis, the investment banking arm of BPCE,
recently announced that it has received a conditional offer
Looking ahead, it is possible that a number of drivers may from AXA Private Equity to acquire parts of its private equity
bolster private equity investment in the sector. Although division. The proposed offer would see AXA acquire iXEN
Financial Services is a comparatively small deal market for Partners, NI Partners and Initiative & Finance. Consolidation
the asset class in Europe, representing approximately 5% and may also be driven by regulatory changes as smaller players
10% of total European buyout and exit activity in 2009, activity merge to share the costs of compliance to new disclosure
may be set to increase in the year ahead with buyout houses requirements in both the US and Europe.
eagerly eyeing a number of prospective targets in a sector
that is arguably ripe for consolidation.
20.8%
11.2%
12.1%
13.7%
11.7%
13.4%
21.2%
23.8%
19.1%
The UK & Ireland maintained its position as the main hub of deal also ranked as active for dealmaking, only surpassed by the UK &
activity in 2009 with the largest share of buyouts and exits of any Ireland in terms of both buyout and exit volumes.
regional market in Europe. The region witnessed 135 buyouts,
comprising 22.0% of overall acquisitions undertaken by financial Elsewhere, the CEE and SEE M&A markets witnessed a relative
sponsors in Europe. On the sell-side of the asset class, a total dearth of private equity investment activity. Indeed, increasingly
of 67 exits were announced in the UK & Ireland, accounting for risk-averse western funds generally eschewed bold buyouts in
23.7% of the overall market in this regard. these regions, preferring to stay closer to home - CVC Capital
Partners’ acquisition of AB InBev’s CEE brewing operations was,
In terms of deal value, the UK & Ireland also ranked highest for of course, a notable exception.
buyouts with €6.94bn worth of deals coming to the market, rep-
resenting a 24% share of 2009 valuations. However, UK & Ireland The figures from last year show that the CEE region witnessed
exit valuations were surpassed by both the Germanic region and 36 buyouts collectively valued at €3.37bn. However, the SEE
France. With €10.20bn in total exit value, the Germanic region region saw the fewest number of buyouts with only 11 such
accounted for 42.5% of the overall total, much further ahead transactions carrying an aggregate value of €419m. The largest
than France which had exits totalling €5.71bn (23.8% of total exit such deal was announced in the first quarter of the year with
value). Notably, activity in these regions was driven by the above- Greece-based investment holding company, Marfin Investments,
mentioned Unitymedia and Orangina Schweppes exits. acquiring the flying activities, MRO assets and ground handling
activities of Olympic Airlines for €177m from the Government of
While this trend obviously reflects the fact that several of the year’s Greece. Somewhat unsurprisingly, there were not any exits in
top private equity transactions were brokered in the Germanic and the SEE region in 2009, while the CEE region saw just 13 worth
French markets, it is noteworthy that these geographies were a combined €595m.
1 Nov-09 C Unitymedia TMT Liberty Global Inc US-based international cable Apollo Management LP; Exit 3,500
GmbH operator BC Partners Ltd
2 Nov-09 C Orangina Consumer Suntory Holdings Ltd Japanese beverage producer and Blackstone Group Holdings Exit 2,245
Schweppes distributor LLC; Lion Capital LLP
Group
3 Dec-09 C Springer TMT EQT Partners AB; GIC Sweden-based private equity Candover Investments plc; SBO 2,240
Science + Special Investments firm; Singapore-based Cinven Ltd
Business Media Pte Ltd soveriegn wealth fund
Deutschland
GmbH
4 May-09 C Enel Rete Gas Energy, AXA Private Equity; France-based private equity Enel Distribuzione SpA IBI 1,716
SpA (80% stake) Mining & F2i SGR SpA firm; Italian closed-end fund
Utilities focused on infrastructure invest-
ments in Italy
5 Oct-09 C Gatwick Airport Transpor- Global Infrastructure US-based private equity firm BAA Ltd IBO 1,609
Ltd tation Partners
6 Oct-09 C Anheuser- Consumer CVC Capital Partners UK-based private equity firm Anheuser-Busch InBev IBO 1,493
Busch InBev Ltd
(Central
European
operations)
7 Sep-09 C Skype TMT Silver Lake Partners; US-based private equity firm; eBay Inc IBI 1,424
Technologies Andreessen Horowitz; US-based venture capital firm;
SA (70% stake) Canada Pension Plan Canada-based investment
Investment Board; management firm; Swiss private
Index Ventures equity firm
8 Dec-09 C Compagnie la Real Estate ICADE French Real Estate investment Morgan Stanley Real Estate Exit 1,299
Lucette SA and development company and Fund V
a unit of the French bank Caisse
des Dépôts et Consignations
9 Jul-09 C Paris Re Financial PartnerRe Ltd International reinsurance group Caisse de Dépôt et Placement Exit 1,187
Holdings Ltd Services du Quebec; Crestview Partners
LP; Hellman & Friedman LLC;
New Mountain Capital LLC; Stone
Point Capital LLC; Vestar Capital
Partners Inc
10 Dec-09 P Marken Ltd Transpor- Apax Partners LLP UK-based private equity firm Intermediate Capital Group SBO 1,080
tation
11 Oct-09 P Constantia Industrials Sulipo Beteiligungs- Austria-based civil-law Constantia Packaging BV IBI 927
Packaging AG & Chemicals verwaltungs GmbH partnership and affiliate
(75% stake) of One Equity Partners LLC
12 Dec-09 P Gas Natural Energy, GALP Energia SGPS Portuguese Energy company; Gas Natural SDG SA IBI 800
SDG SA Mining & SA; Morgan Stanley US-based alternative investment
(certain gas Utilities Infrastructure arm of Morgan Stanley
distribution
assets in
Madrid)
13 Sep-09 C Invitel Holdings TMT Mid Europa Partners UK-based private equity firm TDC A/S IBI 737
AS (64.60% LLP
stake)
14 Jun-09 C Wood Macken- Business Charterhouse Capital UK-based private equity firm Candover Partners Ltd SBO 654
zie Ltd Services Partners LLP
15 Oct-09 P GFKL Financial Financial Advent International US-based private equity firm IBI 584
Services AG Services Corporation
(80% stake)
16 Jul-09 C AEG Power Industrials Germany1 Channel Island-based special Ripplewood Holdings LLC Exit 582
Solutions BV & Chemi- Acquisition Ltd purpose acquisition vehicle
cals formed for the acquisition of
operating businesses with
principal operations in Germany,
Austria or Switzerland
17 Apr-09 C Strabag SE (25% Construc- Raiffeisen Holding Austrian Financial Services and Rasperia Trading Ltd Exit 494
stake) tion Niederoesterreich- holding company; Austria-based
Wien; Haselsteiner private investors
family (private
investors)
18 Nov-09 C Gras Savoye & Financial Alcee SAS France-based acquisition vehicle Willis Europe BV MBO 474
Cie SAS Services formed for the acquisition of
Gras Savoye SA
19 Jun-09 C Cintra Construc- Ahorro Corporacion Spanish infrastructure fund Cintra Concesiones de IBI 451
Aparcamientos tion Infraestructuras 2, owned by financial group Infrastructuras de Transporte SA
SA (99.92% SCR, SA; Ahorro Cor- Ahorro Corporation; Spanish
stake) poracion Infraestruc- infrastructure fund owned by
turas FCR; Assip SGPS financial group Ahorro Corpora-
SA; Banco Espirito tion; Portugal-based holding
Santo de Investimento; company owned by construction
ES Concessoes SGPS group A Silva & Silva; Portuguese
S.A; Espirito Santo investment bank; Portuguese
Infrastructure Fund I transportation concession arm
Fundo de Capital de of Banco Espirito Santo; Portu-
Risco; Transport Infra- guese infrastructure fund owned
structure Investment by financial group Espirito Santo;
Company Luxembourg-based investment
company controlled by Portu-
guese toll-road operator Brisa,
Portuguese bank BCP, La Com-
pagnie Benjamin de Rothschild
and its management
20 Dec-09 P British Car Consumer Clayton, Dubilier & US-based private equity firm Montagu Private Equity LLP SBO 426
Auctions Ltd Rice Inc
1 Dec-09 C Springer Science TMT EQT Partners AB; GIC Sweden-based private Candover Investments 2,240
+ Business Media Special Investments equity firm; Singapore- plc; Cinven Ltd
Deutschland Pte Ltd based soveriegn
GmbH wealth fund
2 Dec-09 C Marken Ltd Transportation Apax Partners LLP UK-based private Intermediate Capital 1,080
equity firm Group
3 Jun-09 C Wood Mackenzie Business Charterhouse Capital UK-based private Candover Partners Ltd 654
Ltd Services Partners LLP equity firm
4 Dec-09 P British Car Consumer Clayton, Dubilier US-based private Montagu Private Equity 426
Auctions Ltd & Rice Inc equity firm LLP
5 Nov-09 C Web Reservations TMT Hellman & Friedman US-based private Ray Nolan (private 228
International Ltd LLC equity firm investor); Summit Part-
ners LP; Tom Kennedy
(private investor)
6 Aug-09 C Kalle GmbH Industrials & Silverfleet Capital UK-based private Montagu Private Equity 213
Chemicals Partners LLP equity firm GmbH
7 Jul-09 C Viking Moorings Industrials & HSBC Private Equity UK-based private F&C Private Equity Trust 208
Group Ltd Chemicals (UK) equity firm plc; Inflexion Private
Equity Partners LLP
9 Jul-09 C FPEE Industries Construction Barclays Private UK-based private equi- AGF Private Equity; AtriA 150
SA Equity Ltd; Pragma ty firm; France-based Capital Partenaires;
Capital private equity firm Euromezzanine Conseil
SAS; UI Gestion SA
10 Oct-09 C AVG Technologies TMT TA Associates Inc US-based private Benson Oak; Enterprise 137
CZ sro (25% stake) equity firm Investors; Intel Capital
Buyouts - Volume
Rank Company name Value (€m) Volume of deals
Buyouts - Value
Rank Company name Value (€m) Volume of deals
Note: The tables are based on private equity houses as the bidder on buyouts and buyins announced between 01/01/2009 and 31/12/2009, where the target is European, excluding lapsed
and withdrawn deals.
The Private Equity Activity Tables reflect the activity of buyout firms, venture capitalists, investment firms, financial institutions and all parties whose activities wholly involve, or include
making private equity investments. Please note that the values in the 'Value' column do NOT reflect the equity contribution of the investors but represent the total values of deals they
were involved in.
Exits - Volume
Rank Company name Value (€m) Number of deals
1 3i Group 142 11
2 Arques Industries 134 6
3 Cinven 2,240 4
4 NI Partners 159 4
5 NPM Capital 30 4
6 Candover Investments 2,894 3
7 Sofinnova Partners 688 3
8 Montagu Private Equity 639 3
9 Gimv 576 3
10 Inflexion Private Equity Partners 230 3
Exits - Value
Rank Company name Value (€m) Number of deals
1 BC Partners 3,500 2
2 Apollo Management 3,500 1
3 Candover Investments 2,894 3
4 Lion Capital 2,354 2
5 Blackstone Group 2,245 1
6 Cinven 2,240 4
7= Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Quebec 1,187 1
7= Crestview Partners 1,187 1
7= Hellman & Friedman 1,187 1
7= New Mountain Capital 1,187 1
7= Stone Point Capital 1,187 1
7= Vestar Capital Partners 1,187 1
Note: The tables are based on private equity houses as the seller on exits announced between 01/01/2009 and 31/12/2009, where the target is European, excluding lapsed and withdrawn deals.
The Private Equity Activity Tables reflect the activity of buyout firms, venture capitalists, investment firms, financial institutions and all parties whose activities wholly involve, or include
making private equity investments. Please note that the values in the ‘Value’ column do NOT reflect the equity contribution of the investors but represent the total values of deals they
were involved in.
Buyouts - Volume
Rank Company name Value (€m) Number of deals
1 PricewaterhouseCoopers 413 15
2 KPMG 340 10
3 Deloitte 114 10
4 Ernst & Young 1,777 8
5 Lazard 1,706 8
6 Close Brothers Corporate Finance 552 7
7 BDO Corporate Finance 28 7
8 ING 1,626 6
9 JPMorgan 4,316 5
10 UniCredit Group 3,673 5
Buyouts - Value
Rank Company name Value (€m) Number of deals
1 JPMorgan 4,440 7
2 UniCredit Group 3,673 5
3 Ernst & Young 1,777 8
4 Lazard 1,706 8
5 ING 1,626 6
6 Close Brothers Corporate Finance 552 7
7 PricewaterhouseCoopers 413 15
8 KPMG 340 10
9 Deloitte 114 10
10 BDO Corporate Finance 28 7
Note: The tables are based on financial advisers to the bidder on buyouts and buyins announced between 01/01/2009 and 31/12/2009, where the target is European, excluding lapsed and
withdrawn deals.
Exits - Volume
Rank Company name Value (€m) Number of deals
1 Rothschild 3,573 11
2 Lazard 1,885 8
3 PricewaterhouseCoopers 131 8
4 Morgan Stanley 5,799 7
5 Goldman Sachs 4,005 7
6 KPMG 271 7
7 UBS Investment Bank 6,977 6
8 Close Brothers Corporate Finance 150 6
9 Lincoln International 8 6
10 Jefferies & Company 482 4
Exits - Value
Rank Company name Value (€m) Number of deals
Note: The tables are based on financial advisers to the seller/target on exits announced between 01/01/2009 and 31/12/2009, where the target is European, excluding lapsed and withdrawn deals.
Buyouts - Volume
Rank Company name Value (€m) Number of deals
1 Linklaters 3,800 18
2 Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer 3,114 14
3 Allen & Overy 2,343 14
4 CMS 749 14
5 SJ Berwin 612 14
6 Ashurst 1,303 11
7 Loyens & Loeff 870 11
8 Clifford Chance 1,060 10
9 PricewaterhouseCoopers 291 9
10 Poellath & Partners 2,173 8
Buyouts - Value
Rank Company name Value (€m) Number of deals
1 Linklaters 3,800 18
2 Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer 3,114 14
3 Hengeler Mueller 2,476 3
4 Allen & Overy 2,343 14
5 Vinge 2,190 7
6 Poellath & Partners 2,173 8
7 Slaughter and May 1,646 2
8 Sullivan & Cromwell 1,564 3
9 Bojovic Dasic Kojovic 1,493 1
10 Bird & Bird 1,446 2
Note: The tables are based on legal advisers to the seller/target on buyouts announced between 01/01/2009 and 31/12/2009, where the target is European, excluding lapsed and withdrawn deals.
Exits - Volume
Rank Company name Value (€m) Number of deals
Exits - Value
Rank Company name Value (€m) Number of deals
Note: The tables are based on law firms advising the seller/target on exits announced between 01/01/2009 and 31/12/2009, where the target is European, including lapsed and withdrawn deals.
Volume 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Volume 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Not disclosed 476 610 640 554 341 Not disclosed 197 232 263 207 142
< €15m 137 134 137 114 89 < €15m 64 49 60 49 37
€15m - €100m 302 330 328 289 126 €15m - €100m 168 182 216 133 60
€101m - €250m 112 128 107 79 36 €101m - €250m 96 96 87 52 24
€251m - €500m 62 66 65 43 10 €251m - €500m 52 50 46 28 12
> €500m 69 96 112 32 11 > €500m 48 59 75 32 8
TOTAL 1,158 1,364 1,389 1,111 613 TOTAL 625 668 747 501 283
Buyouts Exits
Value 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Value 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
< €15m 1,206 1,218 1,264 1,049 816 < €15m 611 474 545 483 362
€15m - €100m 12,601 14,178 14,031 11,884 5,317 €15m - €100m 8,315 8,269 10,066 5,684 2,653
€101m - €250m 18,432 20,717 16,871 12,643 5,869 €101m - €250m 15,310 15,250 13,842 8,135 4,142
€251m - €500m 22,475 24,241 22,720 14,885 3,654 €251m - €500m 18,773 18,584 16,155 9,608 4,094
> €500m 118,055 194,095 163,231 40,316 13,264 > €500m 60,458 73,013 83,609 35,653 12,787
TOTAL 172,769 254,449 218,117 80,777 28,920 TOTAL 103,467 115,590 124,217 59,563 24,038
Defence 1 15 Defence 1 15
Agriculture 1 48 Agriculture 1 -
mergermarket contacts:
Elias Latsis
Head of Research
T: +44 (0)20 7059 6100
E: elias.latsis@mergermarket.com
Simon Elliott
Publisher, Remark
T: +44 (0)20 7059 6100
E: simon.elliott@mergermarket.com
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