Jenny Bollen

UK firm Electra Private Equity is putting its safety equipment manufacturer up for sale for £500m and is thought to have attracted interest from private equity group Advent International and safety equipment companies Aearo and Norcross Safety.

Barclays Private Equity has sold a women’s wear retailer for £51.5m to a consortium led by Kaupthing Principal Investments, which is bringing in a “high profile chief executive officer” to head the business in the coming months.

Kenmore Private Equity has made its second investment since its formation in November and its first foray into the office space sector through the management buyout of London-based Avanta.

Mezzanine and preferred equity provider Hutton Collins is buying a 22 percent stake in the £33.7m management buyout and take-private of an insurance broker, which has been hit by falling insurance risk rates for three years.

3i has made its second investment in two days as it returns to a third round of $125m fundraising for an Indian broadcaster alongside a US supplier of networking equipment for the internet and Oman Investment Fund.

Platina Finance has paid €13m for a two-thirds stake in a French engineering group in its first deal of 2007.

3i has added its 25th healthcare business to its portfolio after closing a financing round for Glucon, a US medical technology company.

French firm Truffle Venture has added a second telecoms-focused company to its portfolio with the acquisition of MoMac, a mobile phone content business.

Swiss investment manager LGT Capital Partners has closed a €609m fund of funds, which will target the European mid-market.

Platina Finance has paid €13m for a two-thirds stake in a French engineering group in its first deal of 2007.