EU referendum: 2015 was record year for UK-targeted deals from Europe despite approaching Brexit vote April 20, 2016 The looming referendum was not enough to put European Union countries off doing business with the UK last year, newly-compiled figures show. Some $206bn (£143bn) worth of deals in which businesses based in other EU countries acquired British counterparts were announced last year. This marked a new record, according to Dealogic, and was up from $12.3bn [...]
Cheers: MegaBrew takes a step closer as AB InBev accepts Asahi’s $2.55bn Peroni and Grolsch bid April 19, 2016 The MegaBrew deal has just taken a step closer, with AB InBev accepting Asahi’s $2.55bn (£1.77bn) offer for SABMiller’s beer brands Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime. The deal – which will be Asahi's biggest acquisition and a megabrew deal of its own in Japan – comes as the Belgian firm looks to complete its £70bn takeover of SABMiller. It is a [...]
Edmond de Rothschild targets “flurry of M&A activity” expected in UK after EU referendum April 18, 2016 Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management has launched a new UK equity fund in anticipation of a "flurry of M&A activity" in the UK after the EU referendum. The Edmond de Rothschild Fund UK Synergy will target takeover deals and companies for restructuring. The fund was seeded with £3m and Edmond de Rothschild is aiming to build [...]
UK Oil and Gas Investments share price falls after buying Horse Hill stake from Angus Energy April 18, 2016 UK Oil and Gas Investments (Ukog), the company behind the so-called Gatwick gusher, has bought up a stake in the Horse Hill well development, increasing its stake. The firm has acquired Angus Energy's 7.8 per cent stake in the Weald Basin development area in a £1.8m cash and share deal, increasing its holding from just under a [...]
EU referendum and Brexit risk low priority for dealmakers in global M&A survey April 18, 2016 The prospect of a Brexit is a low-priority risk for global dealmakers, a new mergers and acquisitions (M&A) report suggests. Research by law firm Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) also found global appetite for M&A has been largely unaffected by economic volatility in 2016. Read more: Mr Kipling owner not tasty enough for McCormick after all The authors of [...]
Brexit vote could not see merged London Stock Exchange group’s headquarters moved from UK to Germany, sources close to deal confirm April 17, 2016 Sources close to the London Stock Exchange-Deutsche Boerse deal have dismissed the prospect of the merged company having its headquarters outside of the UK in the event of a Brexit. Under the terms of the proposed £21bn merger, set out last month, the headquarters of the holding company, UK TopCo, would be based in London. An [...]
Monarch Airlines considers inbound and outbound bids less than two years after Greybull flew to its rescue April 17, 2016 Monarch Airlines is considering both inbound and outbound bids less than two years after it nearly collapsed. Monarch Group has confirmed it has "generated inbound interest". And it has taken on Deutsche Bank to "evaluate both inbound and outbound opportunities". Easyjet is said to be considering a bid for the airline along with China's HNA. And [...]
Technology firm agrees $2bn acquisition to create merged company with $2.5bn revenue April 15, 2016 Mitel has agreed a $1.96bn (£1.38bn) deal to acquire fellow technology company Polycom. The deal would create a merged company with $2.5bn revenue and 7,700 employees. Under the terms of the agreement, Polycom investors would be entitled to $3.12 and 1.31 Mitel common shares for each of their shares. Read more: China and Silicon Valley to keep [...]
Law firms Reed Smith and Pepper Hamilton confirm merger talks April 14, 2016 The transatlantic law firm mergers and acquisitions (M&A) space is heating up. Reed Smith, which was founded in Pittsburgh in the United States but has its biggest office in London, has confirmed it is in talks to merge with Philadelphia-based Pepper Hamilton. Read more: Why companies need to tackle "cultural clashes" for M&A success "Based on these preliminary discussions, we [...]
US presidential election 2016: Donald Trump would be worse for deals activity than Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, survey of 1,500 M&A bankers finds April 14, 2016 Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) bankers are more worried about the prospect of Donald Trump than Bernie Sanders, a self-described socialist. Some 62 per cent of 1,500 M&A banking professionals worldwide believe Trump, the Republican frontrunner, would have a negative impact on activity in their area. Read more: Donald threat trumps Brexit, fund manager tells investors This [...]