Barclays Private Equity has signed an agreement to acquire Laho Equipement, a French construction equipment rental group from Industri Kapital, which acquired Laho in June 2000.

IK paid about $205 million for the company, which has annual revenues of about $215 million and about 700 employees.

Guillaume Jacqueau, managing director of Barclays Private Equity France said the company planned to accelerate the development of the group in its core business of rental, through internal and external growth.