Asia Private Equity Weekly News, April 8, 2014

HONG KONG, April 8 (Reuters) - News and developments in Asia private equity from Reuters News for the week ending April 4.

APRIL 4

BLACKSTONE GROUP LP's head of private equity for Asia, senior managing director Michael Chae, is returning to New York after three years in Hong Kong, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.

APRIL 3

BLACKSTONE AND Carlyle Group are considering a bid for Singapore's Goodpack Ltd (SES: G05.SI - news) , people familiar with the matter told Reuters, eyeing the container maker a few weeks after its takeover talks with Australian pallet maker Brambles ended.

SUN HUNG Kai & Co Ltd has appointed three banks to underwrite the sale of its consumer finance division, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

PRIVATE EQUITY firms, which have been showing an increased interest in investing in the mining industry, will have a hard time even if they are betting on recovery in the longer term, the bosses of Anglo American (LSE: AAL.L - news) and Glencore Xstrata (Other OTC: GLCNF - news) said.

APRIL 2

MORGAN STANLEY Private Equity Asia (MSPEA) launched a sale of shares in Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group Ltd. worth up to $147 million, IFR reported, citing a term sheet for the transaction.

NOAH EDUCATION Holdings Ltd, which provides education services in China, said it has reached an agreement to go private with a consortium including MSPEA and Baring Private Equity Asia, in a deal valuing the company at $107.4 million on a fully diluted basis.

APRIL 1

INTERVIEW-JAPANESE private equity firm Unison Capital Inc said a new fund worth close to $600 million will target mainly smaller, nimble consumer goods and services companies that have bigger growth potential than Japan's established corporate giants.

CHINESE PORK producer WH Group Ltd nearly doubled revenue last year but posted a net loss because of costs associated with a $4.9 billion takeover of U.S.-based Smithfield Foods Inc, the company said in a pre-listing filing.

MONUMENT GROUP, an alternative investment fund placement agent, said it is opening offices in Hong Kong and Tokyo. [http://link.reuters.com/dak38v ]

CREDIT INVESTMENT and private equity firm Ares Management LP filed to go public in what would be the first initial public offering by a major alternative asset manager since Carlyle's flotation two years ago.

MARCH 31

ANHEUSER-BUSCH InBev SA, KKR (Frankfurt: A1C10P - news) & Co and Affinity Equity Partners said that AB InBev has successfully completed the acquisition of Oriental Brewery, the leading brewer in South Korea. [http://link.reuters.com/xyj38v]

SEQUOIA CAPITAL backed China online game developer Baioo Family Interactive plans to raise up to HK$1.84 billion ($237.21 million) in a Hong Kong initial public offering through the sale of 706 million shares, IFR reported.

GREATER CHINA (HKSE: 0431.HK - news) -focused private equity firm Zoyi Capital said it has invested $20 million in Camelot Information Systems Inc (NYSE: CIS - news) , a provider of enterprise application services and financial industry information technology services in China. [http://link.reuters.com/cak38v ]

PANASONIC CORP and KKR said they had completed a deal to become joint partners of Panasonic Healthcare Co, Ltd. [http://link.reuters.com/zyj38v]

($1 = 7.7568 Hong Kong dollars) (Compiled by Stephen Aldred; Editing by Sunil Nair)