Micro Focus’s HP deal hailed as post-Brexit statement of confidence from British business September 8, 2016 British company Micro Focus revealed an $8.8bn (£6.6bn) takeover of the software division of US giant Hewlett Packard yesterday, with the audacious swoop hailed as an assertion of post-Brexit confidence and a landmark deal for the UK tech sector. City analysts said the deal also signalled a “change from the post-Brexit dialogue of UK businesses [...]
Steinhoff buys South African shoe shop Tekkie Town and increases annual profits September 8, 2016 The new owner of Poundland has bought a South African shoe shop chain and reported a 32 per cent rise in annual operating profit. Steinhoff announced on Wednesday that it had agreed to buy Tekkie Town, a retailer with 302 stores across South Africa, but it did not disclose how much it paid for the business. The deal is expected to complete by [...]
Fyffes tucks into its second portion of mushrooms after taking purchases past £100m for the year September 8, 2016 Banana-giant Fyffes announced its second foray into the mushroom market this year after revealing it had purchased Canadian producer All Seasons for CA$59m (£34m). Irish-based importer Fyffes mushroomed its Canadian portfolio in April when it purchased Highline Produce Limited for CA$145m. It funded the purchased through drawing down on new and existing debt. The All Seasons purchase was also [...]
Bayer’s share price jumps two per cent as shareholders react to news of “advanced” Monsanto talks September 6, 2016 Bayer’s share price jumped two per cent today after the company announced it was in “advanced” talks to acquire US seeds firm Monsanto. The German chemicals giant’s bid now stands $127.50 per share, or around $65bn (£49bn). This is an improvement on previous offers of $122 and $125, which have been rejected by Monsanto. But [...]
Silverstone boss Paul Allen confirms his departure but denies allegations over Lawrence Tomlinson bid September 6, 2016 The British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) has confirmed a City A.M. report last month that a senior executive at the iconic Silverstone motor racing circuit has stepped down. The BDRC said today it had agreed with Patrick Allen, the managing director of Silverstone, it was "time to put a permanent management team in place". Read more: The Abarth 124 Spider is [...]
This graph shows how UK deal numbers fell to a record low in the run-up to the EU referendum September 6, 2016 It’s official: the lead-up to the EU referendum was a dreadful period for UK mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity. New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show there were 87 deals involving UK firms during this period worth £14bn. This was down from 190, worth £69bn, in the first quarter of this year. Read [...]
It’s a date: Time Out owner sells majority stake in online dating service September 5, 2016 Oakley Capital Investments’ share price jumped by more than five per cent today after it announced the sale of its controlling stake in a German online dating service. Oakley, which is headed up by entrepreneur Peter Dubens, has sold part of its share in Parship Elite to German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1. The deal values Parship Elite at [...]
UK private equity firm makes Star investment in German IT company September 5, 2016 UK private equity firm Star Capital has acquired a majority stake in Stuttgart-based IT and infrastructure business Globalways. Under the investment, around €60m (£50m) of growth capital will be committed to building a regional data centre business in Germany. Read more: Private equity group scoops up Millionaires' Holiday Club company for £30m It is the [...]
Patrick Drahi’s Altice agrees £2bn deal to buy remaining stake in French company SFR September 5, 2016 Dutch telecoms company Altice has agreed a deal to buy the 22 per cent of French company SFR Group that it doesn’t already own for around €2.4bn (£2bn). Patrick Drahi’s Altice said the deal, to buy out smaller investors, had been unanimously agreed to by the company boards. Read more: Altice hits out at rival [...]
Santander UK to bid for credit card giant MBNA as competition heats up September 5, 2016 Santander UK is reportedly circling MBNA, as interest in the credit card giant heats up ahead of next week’s deadline for offers. Sky News reported that the bank is considering a takeover bid for MBNA and could make a formal offer next week. MBNA has been stamped with a "for sale" sign by its current owner, Bank of [...]