Endless seals purchase of Yorkshire ambulance converter July 4, 2016 Turnaround investor Endless has bought one of the UK’s leading vehicle converters. The Leeds-based fund today announced the deal to buy Oughtred & Harrison (O&H), with the promise to refinance the group and inject additional working capital. O&H was established in 1988 and specialises in converting vehicles into ambulances and other types of wheelchair access [...]
Johnston Press flogs Isle of Man titles for £4.25m July 4, 2016 Debt-laden newspaper owner Johnston Press today announced the sale of a number of its Isle of Man-based titles for £4.25m. Following through on its promise earlier this year to rationalise its regional portfolio, the Edinburgh-based publisher sold its three print and one online titles to Tindle Newspapers. “This disposal is further progress in executing our [...]
Big firms suffer as investment banking fees plunge 23 per cent in first half of 2016 July 4, 2016 Investment banking (IB) fees plunged by more than a quarter in the UK and Ireland in the first half of 2016, new figures show. Global fees for the six-month period were $37.1bn (£27.9bn), down 23 per cent on the same period in 2015, according to Thomson Reuters. This was the lowest first-half figure since 2012. And the [...]
UK private equity firm 3i brushes up €102m from cosmetic business sale July 4, 2016 Private equity group 3i has announced the sale of a German company which makes cosmetic brushes. Geka has been sold to Swiss company Sulzer, which specialises in "pumping solutions, rotating equipment services, and separation and mixing technology", for €178m (£149m). The UK-listed company made €102m from today’s transaction as well as €23m from a refinancing in [...]
London Stock Exchange shareholders vote to approve Deutsche Boerse merger deal July 4, 2016 Shareholders of the London Stock Exchange have given their backing to the £21bn Deutsche Boerse merger. Some 99.89 per cent of those who voted approved the deal, the company announced on Monday. Attention will now turn to Frankfurt, where shareholders in the German exchange have until 12 July to approve the deal. After this, the [...]
London Stock Exchange dismisses concerns Deutsche Boerse merger would mean “shackling itself to a corpse” after Brexit July 4, 2016 The London Stock Exchange dismissed concerns from a shareholder that it was “shackling itself to a corpse” by merging with Deutsche Boerse after the UK voted for Brexit. The LSE today held an extraordinary general meeting for investors to vote on its proposed £21bn merger. LSE chairman Donald Brydon told the meeting that he was [...]
Green Investment Bank bidder encourages government to push ahead with sale after Brexit vote July 3, 2016 The government has been encouraged to push ahead with its sale of the Green Investment Bank (GIB) and show that the UK is “open for business”. Sustainable Development Capital (SDC), which is among the firms bidding for GIB, has encouraged Whitehall to look beyond Brexit vote uncertainty. Read more: MP wants safeguards on Green Investment [...]
London Stock Exchange shareholders expected to back £21bn Deutsche Boerse merger – but regulatory hurdles await July 3, 2016 London Stock Exchange (LSE) shareholders are expected to give their backing to the proposed £21bn merger with Deutsche Boerse on Monday. However, gaining LSE shareholder approval is just one of many hurdles the deal is facing in the coming months, with ongoing pressure on the tie-up coming from Germany after the UK’s Brexit vote. Shareholder [...]
Studio Lionsgate shoots for the Starz with $4.4bn deal June 30, 2016 Movie studio Lionsgate, the home of smash hits The Hunger Games and Twilight franchises, has agreed to a deal for US premium cable channel Starz for $4.4bn (£3.3bn). The stock and cash deal will value Starz at a 15 per cent premium to the company’s closing price on Wednesday. Starz is 49 per cent owned [...]
Brexit and Donald Trump expected to hit already falling M&A activity levels June 30, 2016 Deal values fell significantly in the UK and, to a lesser extent, globally in the first half of 2016. And mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity is expected to fall further in the next six months, with Brexit and the prospect of Donald Trump causing uncertainty. Read more: What Brexit means for UK M&A: Experts expect further [...]