Owners of telephone mast giant Arqiva said to keep options open amid sale reports February 1, 2017 Telephone mast giant Arqiva could still be set for a stock market flotation, according to sources with knowledge of its situation. It emerged last night that Arqiva’s owners, including Australian investment bank Macquarie and the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board, could be seeking to sell the company. Read more: Cheeky IPO? Nando's is considering a float [...]
Rocketing Chinese M&A at risk from new rules and global protectionism February 1, 2017 Chinese mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity into North America grew by 412 per cent last year, according to figures out today. Outbound acquisitions overall were up 201 per cent in Europe, meanwhile, and globally 114 per cent to $208.6bn (£166bn) in value. Read more: China, Mexico, Japan: Who's afraid of Trump's protectionism? Law firm Clifford [...]
Deutsche Boerse boss wants London Stock Exchange merger to bring Anglo-Saxon spirit to Europe January 31, 2017 Deutsche Boerse chief executive Carsten Kengeter wants his company’s merger with the London Stock Exchange to help introduce a more Anglo-Saxon attitude to Europe. Kengeter also spoke of the “urgent” need for the merger in order for Europe to retain its global significance in the face of intensifying competition from the United States and Asia. “Capital [...]
The special M&A relationship survives Brexit vote: US businesses continue to target UK deals January 31, 2017 US business, like the nation’s President, has retained faith in the UK after the Brexit vote, new mergers and acquisitions (M&A) figures released today show. Deloitte’s Deal Monitor tracked 254 deals between the United States and the United Kingdom in the last six months of 2016. Some 172 of the transactions were US-to-UK, a 3.6 per [...]
Bridgepoint buys £750m vehicle rental company from fellow private equity firm HgCapital January 30, 2017 The UK’s largest vehicle rental company has been traded between two private equity firms in a £750m deal. Bridgepoint this morning announced the acquisition of Leeds-based Zenith from HgCapital. Zenith, which also has operations in Solihull and Wokingham, has more than 500 employees and a fleet of around 85,000 vehicles. Read more: Is private equity [...]
Enter The Dragon: Why China is snapping up British assets January 30, 2017 What do Heathrow, Thames Water, black cabs, Harvey Nichols and Rio Tinto have in common? They’re all part-owned by Chinese companies. “Britain holds a number of attractions for Chinese investors,” says Simon Bevan, head of the China Britain services group at Grant Thornton UK. “As a country, our language, business culture, rule of law and [...]
The first of many? TP Icap seals first deal under new banner January 30, 2017 Newly named financial broker TP Icap has made its first acquisition, picking up analytics and business consulting firm Burton-Taylor International. TP Icap has its own division providing independent real time information on over-the-counter financial product prices. Burton-Taylor will "complement" this division, TP Icap said. Read more: This high-profile City boss just sold his shares in new company TP Icap [...]
Retail M&A slowdown as private equity backs away from high street January 30, 2017 The value of UK retail mergers sunk to a three-year low in 2016, with just 36 mergers agreed – down from 47 in 2015 according to law firm RPC. The new figures released today suggest that total deal values have also slumped from £20.7bn down to just £4.7bn, a decline which outpaced a post-Brexit slowdown [...]
More than 12 offers on the table for Agent Provocateur January 29, 2017 At least a dozen offers have been made for troubled lingerie brand Agent Provocateur, according to sources familiar with the chain's owner. Private equity company 3i put the retailer up for sale this month following disappointing December trading. The firm is seeking an offer which exceeds the brand's £30m debt pile. Sources close to the [...]
Telefonica is working through a strategic plan that will pave the way for O2 float January 29, 2017 O2's owner has set the ball rolling on a strategic plan to clear legacy issues before either floating or selling the British mobile phone operator, according to reports. Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, GIC, is working with private equity fund CVC to buy a controlling share in Telefonica's infrastructure division in a deal worth €1.5bn (£1.3bn), the [...]