M&A activity declines as investors opt for high-value deals September 5, 2025 UK merger and acquisition (M&A) activity declined in the first half of the year, as investors sought strategic deals amid market volatility. The total deal value of UK M&A declined 12.3 per cent from £65.3bn to £57.3bn according to a report from professional services group PwC. Deal volume also softened with just 1,478 transactions in the [...]
Foreign takeovers to propel UK M&A volumes above £50bn September 3, 2025 UK markets are bracing for a major bump in mergers and acquisitions with the total value of deals expected to top £50bn in 2025. Fresh data from the Office for National Statistics showed the value of domestic deals jumped to £3.4bn in the second quarter, up £600m from the first three months of the year. [...]
What has caused the M&A surge in the UK financial sector? August 27, 2025 The UK financial sector has seen an influx of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity so far this year as investors look to capitalise on emerging opportunities in the market. Growing economic stability in both the private and public markets, following a period of instability caused by inflation and soaring interest rates, has sparked a renewed [...]
EG Group: Billionaire Issa brothers sell £367m Italian arm August 12, 2025 EG Group, the empire co-founded by a major investor in supermarket giant Asda, has sold its Italian division in a deal which values it at €425m (£367m). The Blackburn-headquartered group has agreed terms with a consortium of established Italian operators comprising PAD Multienergy S.p.A., Vega Carburanti S.p.A., Toil S.p.A., Dilella Invest S.p.A. and GIAP s.r.l. [...]
Companies cracking down on investment bank leaks August 8, 2025 Big companies are putting investment banks under pressure to cut back on the number of advisers working on UK takeover deals, as concerns about leaks grows. Several clients have asked banks to review the number of employees that have to be informed about live transactions in recent weeks. This stemmed from rising concerns among regulators [...]
KKR pushes for Assura to ditch PHP deal amid bidding war August 8, 2025 The bidding war between private equity giant KKR and retail investor Primary Health Properties (PHP) has heated up after KKR pushed for Assura to ditch an already recommended takeover offer from the latter. KKR’s investment vehicle Bidco – which is also by fellow US private equity Stonepeak – said on Friday it has held discussions [...]
Breadmakers Hovis and Kingsmill butter up £75m merger July 26, 2025 Bread producers Hovis and Kingsmill are set for a historic merger with their owners expected to ink an agreement after months of discussion. Kingsmill, whose immediate parent Allied Bakeries is owned by London-listed Associated British Foods (ABF), and Hovis could benefit from up to £50m of annual cost savings from a merger. The proposed agreement, [...]
Why did Santander buy TSB? July 3, 2025 Santander might have hoped its takeover of TSB would make waves across the banking industry, but analysts have dubbed it a more modest splash. The deal, which is set to be worth £2.9bn when closed in 2026, will add TSB’s five million customers, £34bn in mortgages and £35bn in deposits to Santander’s portfolio as well [...]
M&A volumes jump as US bidders snap up UK tech July 2, 2025 US private equity firms are continuing to swoop for UK tech companies leading to a jump in merger and acquisition (M&A) volumes. Giants from across the Atlantic have taken a heightened interest in UK stock, which analysts pegged to the “cheap and undervalued” nature of equities. UK public M&A activity almost tripled in the first [...]
Totally Wicked: Vapes giant sold to Chinese investor June 26, 2025 Family-owned vapes retailer Totally Wicked has been sold to a Chinese investor, it has been revealed. The Lancashire-headquartered company, which was founded in 2008 by Jason Cropper, has been acquired by Wittyace UK Holding. The business is controlled by Chinese national Ying Wang and is registered in Cambridge. It is ultimately owned by Wittyace Hk Holding [...]