Exits

Boston-based Berkshire Partners is the second US private equity group to make a bet on a Canadian retailer in December, investing in women’s apparel company Aritzia.

The LVMH affiliated private-equity group, L Capital, has closed on roughly €325 million for its follow-up investment vehicle.

Carlyle/Riverstone, less than two years after closing on $1.1bn in commitments for its second fund, has amassed $2.45bn for its follow up effort.

The European private equity firm has reported realisations of £1.04 billion in the first six months of its financial year, almost double the £603 million realised in the same period of 2004.

According to figures presented at the AVCA’s annual conference in Mombasa earlier this week, VCs active in Africa invested $1.3bn last year, up 60% on 2003.

After roughly six months of negotiations with Goldner Hawn Johnson & Morrison, ShopKo has agreed to be acquired by Sun Capital Partners in an $877m deal.

The Nordic buyout firm has acquired boating electronics company Simrad Yachting from Norwegian technology group Kongsberg Gruppen.

Candover has made 2.6x its investment in the €650m sale of aviation service group Swissport International to infrastructure and services firm Ferrovial.

Along with co-investor Cinven, Candover has also announced the sale of a £200m stake in UK bingo operator Gala to Permira in a deal which values the company at £1.9bn.

A question is vexing the minds of institutional investors: how much – if any - of my European portfolio should be in the East? Andy Thomson reports.