Kraft Heinz’s withdrawn Unilever bid ranks as the world’s third largest collapsed M&A deal February 20, 2017 Kraft Heinz’s scrapped $140bn (£113bn) bid for Unilever marks the third biggest M&A collapse in history, according to Thomson Reuters figures. US food giant Kraft shocked the financial world on Sunday night, withdrawing the bid just two days after details of the deal leaked. Read more: Unilever share price plunges after deal talks with Kraft [...]
Why is M&A rising? The bigger the company, the more likely it is to survive February 20, 2017 Investor sentiment is still skyrocketing as Donald Trump continues his victory lap and investors revel in the fanfare. The markets are behaving as though the White House’s as-yet-undetailed economic policies will cure all ills, from the simmering uncertainty around French, Dutch and German elections to the biggest pain for chief executives – technology disruption. The [...]
Politicians must tread carefully on M&A intervention February 20, 2017 It is common in business and politics today to talk about "signals". Brexit is either a signal of our desire to cut ourselves off from the world, or a sign that we’re set to become a kind of expansionist high-seas merchant. From immigration to Donald Trump, foreign policy to international aid, perceptions are increasingly being [...]
Vehicle rental company backed by Bridgepoint to announce takeover of Coca-Cola truck provider February 20, 2017 A northern private equity-backed vehicle rental company is set to announce the takeover of a local rival that provides trucks to clients including Coca-Cola, City A.M. can reveal. Leeds-based Zenith, which private equity house Bridgepoint bought from HgCapital for £750m last month, has agreed a deal for CVL, which is also based in Leeds. Read more: Private equity [...]
Downing Street was up for a fight over the now scuppered $140bn Kraft Heinz-Unilever mega deal February 20, 2017 Sometimes, it’s just not meant to be. Many of us spent the weekend chewing over the early manoeuvres of what would have been one of the largest corporate deals ever, but by Sunday evening Kraft Heinz declared it was “amicably” walking away from its audacious bid to scoop up Unilever. In just 48 hours, a [...]
Marmite and Ketchup: the perfect combination? Kraft Heinz has made a £115bn merger offer for Unilever February 17, 2017 Processed cheese giant Kraft Heinz has made a $143bn (£115bn) merger offer for FTSE 100-listed UK food producer Unilever, it announced today. In a statement Kraft said Unilever had declined an initial offer to combine the two groups, but added they were still in talks. Under the offer, Unilever shareholders would receive $50 per share, in a [...]
99 problems? Not for this M&A bank, which recently advised on Jay Z deal February 16, 2017 An investment bank which recently advised on a Jay Z deal has reported record revenues for 2016. GCA has reported a turnover of £148m and earnings before interest and taxation of £27m for the year to 31 December. Read more: Boutique investment bank Zeus triumphs in biggest IPO of 2017 so far The results are the first [...]
Private equity giant Blackstone buys majority stake in London technology company Cloudreach February 16, 2017 Private equity giant Blackstone has announced a deal to acquire a majority stake in a London cloud technology company. Cloudreach provides cloud computing products and services for companies including BP, Pearson and Hearst Corporation. Founded in 2009, the company now has offices in seven countries and has a presence in both Europe and North America. [...]
Deutsche Boerse boss plays down UK HQ of London Stock Exchange merger and promises new Frankfurt jobs February 16, 2017 Deutsche Boerse chief executive Carsten Kengeter this morning attempted to win more German support for the company’s merger with the London Stock Exchange, playing down the UK headquarters and promising new jobs for Frankfurt. Speaking at a full-year results conference, Kengeter downplayed the significance the London legal base of the combined exchange, saying: “There are to be [...]
Deutsche Boerse boss denies insider trading allegations: They have “affected me personally very much” February 16, 2017 Deutsche Boerse chief executive Carsten Kengeter has asked the media and shareholders to “bear with me” as he is investigated over alleged insider trading. Speaking at a media conference after the German company’s full-year results, Kengeter also said the investigation by Frankfurt’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has “affected me personally very much”. Read more: Under-fire Deutsche [...]