Gresham House to be taken private in £470m deal with US-based Searchlight Capital July 17, 2023 Gresham House will become the latest UK-listed firm to be taken private after agreeing a £470m deal with US-based private equity company Searchlight Capital. Shareholders in the AIM-listed fund manager, which invests in assets such as forestry and solar farms, will receive 1,105p per share, a premium of 63 per cent to its closing price [...]
STV buys Greenbird Media for £21.4m and gains hit series in growth push July 6, 2023 STV has acquired Greenbird Media, an unscripted television production network, for £24.1m today in a “transformative” drive for greater growth across the UK and globally. The Scottish broadcaster, which has brought popular dramas like Antiques Road Trip, Celebrity Catchphrase and Blue Lights to UK television screens, is bolstering its STV Studios production division with the [...]
A Better Way Forward for M&A Pipeline Management July 4, 2023 | City Talk Pipeline management – identifying, building, and managing potential targets and opportunities – is key to success for M&A dealmakers. However, the process can be extremely inefficient. Dealmakers often rely on spreadsheets that are not purpose-built for tracking M&A opportunities, lack sophisticated automation to optimize workflows, and don’t link with other M&A technologies being used. A [...]
Uncertainty but Optimism for Benelux M&A June 6, 2023 | City Talk Despite rising inflation, increasing interest rates, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and more, uncertainty remains the biggest issue for M&A dealmaking in the Benelux region in 2023. Nevertheless, the market remains resilient and there are still a lot of opportunities to be had. These were the key conclusions from panellists at a recent event in [...]
Navigating Nordic M&A in 2023 June 6, 2023 | City Talk At a recent event in Copenhagen, panellists met to discuss the headwinds and tailwinds affecting dealmaking in the Nordics. The conclusions? While inflation and higher interest rates will continue to challenge the market, realism and strategic discipline should help drive M&A in the region in the months ahead. Inflation and interest rates The record rate [...]
Startup Spotlight: Jnck Bakery May 17, 2023 | City Talk Jnck Bakery was founded by brothers Sean and Alex Brasill in 2021 as a passion project focused on the UK obesity crisis and lack of healthy food innovation. Seeing an opportunity to create something that makes a positive difference – and tasted good – they created the world’s first HFSS-compliant cookie. Now halfway through their [...]
Dealmakers League: Top M&A Investment Bankers & Lawyers in the UK April 18, 2023 | City Talk By Datasite Who’s leading the pack in the UK among M&A investment bankers and lawyers? Datasite’s Dealmakers League, in partnership with MergerLinks, identifies the top M&A professionals, based on announced transactions they were involved in, across various regions, in 2022. In the UK, the top ten M&A investment bankers came from eight different firms, with [...]
Christmas comes early: PayPoint swoops on savings club Appreciate in £83m ‘earnings enhancing’ deal February 28, 2023 PayPoint has completed its acquisition of Christmas vouchers firm Appreciate Group. The two companies agreed the £83m deal last November and the boards have now finalised the buy-out agreement. The deal with PayPoint, which allows Brits to pay bills at 28,000 convenience stores across the country, involves the incorporation of some of Appreciate Group’s board [...]
Ex-PwC partner denies leaking info to City banker to help Slater & Gordon’s £637m deal January 31, 2023 The former head of PwC’s restructuring business has denied leaking confidential information to a London investment banker that allegedly helped City law firm Slater & Gordon get a better price in a £637m acquisition, a London court heard today. Ex-PwC partner Ian Green is accused of disclosing commercially sensitive information about software developer Quindell’s financial [...]
Bank dealmaking slumped to a five year low in 2022 – will it rebound this year? January 26, 2023 Mergers and acquisitions involving Europe’s top lenders slumped to their lowest level in five years last year as aggressive moves by central banks spooked dealmakers, new research has revealed.