Apax Partners has agreed to acquire Rhiag-Inter Auto Parts Italia, an Italian distributor of automotive spare parts in the independent Italian and Eastern European aftermarkets. No financial terms were disclosed. In related news, Rhiag has canceled a planned €350 million high-yield bond offering. www.rhiag.com
Apollo Global Management and J.C. Flowers & Co. are among the expected second-round bidders for Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.’s (NYSE: HIG) Japanese annuity business, according to Reuters. Deutsche Bank is managing the process. www.thehartford.com
The Ariel Group LLC, a Lexington, Mass.-based leadership and communication skills training company, has acquired The Baron Group, a Westport, Conn.-based provider of sales training solutions. No financial terms were disclosed. Ariel Group is a portfolio company of Renovus Capital Partners. www.arielgroup.com
The Blackstone Group is among the suitors for a minority equity stake (between 15% and 20%) of Italian fashion house Versace, according to Reuters. www.blackstone.com
Bowmark Capital has acquired Romans Group, a UK-based provider of real estate agency and lettings services. The deal was valued in excess of £50 million. www.romans.co.uk
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. has agreed to acquire Crosby Group LLC, a Tulsa, Okla.-based maker of lifting and material handling equipment, from Melrose Industries PLC (LSE: MRO) for approximately $1 billion, according to Reuters. Also included in the deal is York, Penn.-based Acco Material Handling Solutions. www.thecrosbygroup.com
Krewe Energy LLC, a Covington, La.-based oil and gas company sponsored by Sage Road Capital, has acquired the assets of S2 Energy LLC, including 51 wells and associated production facilities across 10 fields in southern Louisiana. No financial terms were disclosed. www.s2-energy.com
Lynx Equity has acquired JewelPop, a Nova Scotia-based designer, importer and distributor of sterling silver jewelry lines. No financial terms were disclosed. www.jewelpop.com
Marlin Equity Partners has acquired Iolo Technologies LLC, a Los Angeles–based provider of performance optimization software for PCs and mobile devices. Marlin will merge Iolo with existing portfolio company Phoenix Technologies Ltd. No financial terms were disclosed. www.iolo.com
NorthStar Anesthesia, an Arlington, Texas-based provider of anesthesia management services, has secured “a significant investment” from TPG Growth. www.northstaranesthesia.com
Thoma Bravo has agreed to acquire Empirix Inc., a Billerica, Mass.-based provider of network testing, monitoring and analytics solutions. No financial terms were disclosed. Empirix has raised VC funding from such firms as Matrix Partners and Tenaya Capital. www.empirix.com
Verisae, a Minneapolis–based portfolio company of Marlin Equity Partners, has acquired Hara Software, a San Mateo, Calif.-based provider of energy and resource data management software. No financial terms were disclosed. Hara Software had raised around $45 million in VC funding from firms like Nth Power, Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, JAFCO Ventures, ITOCHU Technology Ventures, Energy Technology Ventures, Focus Ventures and Navitas Capital. www.verisae.com
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