Morning all, Irien Joseph here with the Europe edition of the Wire from the London newsroom.
The hospitality sector is undergoing a digital makeover and private equity is taking notice. From digital tools that streamline hotel operations to smarter back-office systems, operators are embracing tech to stay competitive. Case in point: Sandberg Capital and ARX Equity Partners are teaming up to acquire a majority stake in a Croatian travel tech business.
In another strategic move, Permira is reconfiguring its Asia strategy by shutting down its Hong Kong and Shanghai offices to concentrate on India’s promising market. As tariff tensions continue to cloud China investments, for some, India is emerging as the region’s private equity hotspot.
And finally, the business services sector had a busy week, with six deals across the US and European markets, as reported by PE Hub.
Double-digit growth
Hospitality is still pretty under-digitalized, Edward Hughes, managing director at PSG Equity, told PE Hub’s Craig McGlashan in March. “That’s particularly attractive as the sector has grown heavily over the last few years, with the covid-19 shutdowns now looking like a mere blip.”
That growing momentum is reflected in the latest deal in the sector: Sandberg Capital and ARX Equity Partners have jointly acquired a majority stake in Travelnode, the parent company of Croatian SaaS technology provider Phobs.
Unlock the premium version of the Wire to discover Sandberg and ARX Equity's plan for driving value within the company.
Want more on how private equity is tapping into the hospitality tech wave? Check out Craig McGlashan’s deep dive into Eurazeo’s acquisition of Mapal, a clear sign of growing interest in back-office products for the sector.
New beginnings
Permira is making a pivot in Asia. The London-based investment firm is set to wind down its offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai over the next 18 months, sources tell PE Hub.
Subscribe to the premium version of the Wire for insights into Permira’s strategy as they navigate this exciting new shift. Plus, we've got the freshest insights from the IVCA-EY monthly PE/VC roundup, highlighting the ongoing growth trajectory of India.
Check out this feature for more on how global players like Blackstone, EQT and KKR are betting big on the Indian market.
Below are some of the Indian deals we’ve covered:
Business services play
This week, PE Hub tracked six transactions in the business services sector across the US and Europe – here’s a quick look at the highlights:
That’s all from me. John R Fischer will be with you in the New York morning with the US edition and Nina Lindholm will bring you the Europe edition of the Wire on Monday as usual.
Warmly,
Irien
Read the full Wire commentary on PE Hub ...
