Other Done Deals

• AIM-traded investment company Hawtin Plc has acquired three connected companies that form the Holywell Group. The group was acquired in a cash-and-shares deal worth £2.9 million. The deal provides an exit for Martin Warner, Clive Travers and a family trust.
• Access to Music, a UK designer and provider of popular music education, training and consultancy, has been acquired by Manchester-based Armstrong Learning. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
• Venture capitalist Shackleton Ventures has made a follow-on investment in portfolio company NanoSight, with the purchase of a stake from the government-backed National Endowment for Science, Technology & Arts for an undisclosed sum.
• French mobile phone software company Purple Labs is being acquired by Swiss-based Esmertec, providing an exit for the company’s venture capital backers.

Deals in the Pipeline

• Nippon Paper Group Inc has agreed to acquire Australian Paper from PaperlinX, the largest paper trading company in Australia, for an initial payment of A$600 million (£268 million) in addition to a deferred payment of up to A$100 million dependent on AP’s performance until 2012.
• Swedish investor Peter Gyllenhammar has added a stake in another Yorkshire quoted group to his portfolio of holdings. The Swedish investor now holds a 3.3 per cent interest in Leeds-based 600 Group after acquiring 1.9 million shares in the UK’s largest toolmaker. Source: businessdesk.com
• California-based cardiac-device maker Thoratec Corporation will buy Australia’s HeartWare International for $282 million (£197 million) in a cash-and-shares deal.
• The UK division of Cardinal Brands, a manufacturer of carbonless stationery products, has been acquired by its management. The deal was led by MD Michael Deane and backed by invoice and asset-based lender Venture Finance. The financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed.
• Headhunter Hexagon Human Capital says it is in “very preliminary” discussions with an unnamed potential bidder.