Other Done Deals

• Reading-based natural gas provider BG Group Plc’s Australian subsidiary, BG International (AUS) Investments has acquired an interest in more than 90 per cent of Queensland Gas Company. The terms of the deal were undisclosed
• The Qatar Investment Authority, Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund specialising in local and foreign investment, has acquired a 20 per cent stake in property investor Chelsfield, owner of London’s Camden Market as well as other assets. The terms of the deal were undisclosed
• The residential division of the Ball & Percival-branded Venmore Partnership has been sold to Wirral estate agency Bradshaw, Farnham & Lea. The terms of the deal were undisclosed
• Verifile, a European background screening company, has acquired the employment screening division of London-based Tigerbrook. The terms of the deal were undisclosed
• Coordimax, an Australian-owned and operated provider of integrated customer relationship management, document management and help desk tools, has acquired Australian rival software company Pinnacle Pty in a move to push into overseas markets including Hong Kong, Malaysia and the UK
• German digital photo developer CeWe Color Holding AG has taken over web-to-print software specialist diron GmbH & Co KG in Munster, Germany for an undisclosed sum
• Washington-based manufacturer Whiteley Murphy has acquired an unnamed North Tyneside company, which had fallen into liquidation

Deals in the pipeline

• The directors of Judges Capital, a Sussex-based AIM-listed company specialising in the design and production of scientific instruments, have been pursuing a prospective acquisition. The target company operates in a niche market segment and is of a similar size to Judges Capital in terms of revenue and profit. No further details were disclosed.
• London-based vocational training business Melorio has conditionally agreed to acquire Oxfordshire-based Zenos and Zenos Learning, providers of government-funded vocational training to the ICT sector. The deal was made for an initial payment of £20.6 million with some £13 million of deferred consideration pending.
• Kemira, a European manufacturer and supplier of fertilisers and industrial chemicals based in Finland, is set to acquire Brazilian water treatment chemicals company Nheel Química for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition has been approved by the Brazilian competition authorities.
• American private equity firms Oaktree Capital and Apax are eyeing Britain’s largest housebuilder Taylor Wimpey, which was created by the merger of Taylor Woodrow and George Wimpey in July last year.