Cement maker Holcim confirms Lafarge merger is still on track March 11, 2015 Swiss cement firm Holcim yesterday said its proposed merger with French competitor Lafarge was continuing “unchanged” despite reports that the deal had been derailed by concerns over price. Thomas Schmidheiny, Holcim’s largest shareholder with an almost 20 per cent stake in the company, was reported to be demanding a better deal in the Swiss press [...]
Verisk Analytics to enter energy market with Wood Mackenzie takeover March 10, 2015 Data firms Verisk Analytics and Wood Mackenzie are to come together in a £1.85bn deal announced yesterday. Verisk, which specialises in analysis of the insurance market, will purchase Wood Mackenzie from private equity house Hellman & Friedman and other shareholders, using a combination of around $2bn (£1.33bn) in debt and up to $800m in equity. [...]
CRH share price dives as doubts of Holcim-Lafarge merger hit Irish firm March 9, 2015 Shares in Irish building supplies company CRH plummeted yesterday amid reports that a merger between Swiss cement maker Holcim and its French counterpart Lafarge could fall apart. The fears arose after Holcim’s largest stakeholder, Thomas Schmidheiny, who owns about 20 per cent of the company, demanded a better deal, according to Swiss weekly SonntagsZeitung. [...]
Hyperion boss David Howden states ambition for new group after RK Harrison merger March 3, 2015 The merger between Hyperion Insurance Group and RK Harrison (RKH) has not put an end to David Howden’s plans to float his company. Howden revealed grand ambitions for the combined business, and said that the last time a broking company was built up from scratch to this extent was “when Pat Ryan did it [...]
UK mergers and acquisitions fall to lowest total since 1987 March 3, 2015 Last year was officially the year of the failed merger. According to new data from the ONS, there were fewer mergers and acquisitions involving UK companies in 2014 than in any year since 1987, when ONS records begin. The figures There were 20 completed acquisitions of UK companies by foreign businesses in the fourth quarter [...]
Three flat ahead of O2 takeover February 26, 2015 BRITAIN’S smallest mobile network operator Three yesterday posted flat revenue growth of just one per cent to £2.05bn for 2014. The network, owned by Hong Kong investment group Hutchison Whampoa, said its total active customer base rose six per cent to 8.41m as it added 478,000 customers during the year. Hutchison Whampoa is currently preparing [...]
Holcim posts strong final quarter as Lafarge merger stays on track February 23, 2015 CEMENT group Holcim reported a positive final quarter of 2014, although overall the firm posted a 3.1 per cent reduction in sales during 2014 – blaming unfavourable currency conditions for having a 5.2 per cent impact on the drop. Operating profit fell by 1.7 per cent to 2.3bn Swiss francs (£1.6bn). The firm stated that [...]
Lipton Rogers and Axa takeover Pinnacle tower for £220m February 19, 2015 Developer Lipton Rogers and fund manager Axa have agreed to takeover the stalled Pinnacle tower development in London’s Square Mile. The pair bid around £220m to buy the site located on 22-24 Bishopsgate in the heart of the city. It has been dormant since 2011 when its developer ran out of funding. [...]
Can you believe it? Rexam share price jumps as board recommends takeover offer by Ball Corp February 19, 2015 The board of Rexam – supplier of quality can to the like of Red Bull and Carlsberg – has recommended a takeover by US rival Ball Corp. The offer comprises 407p in cash and 0.04568 of a new share in Ball, representing in aggregate 628p per Rexam ordinary share. It's thought to value Rexam at [...]
Insurance sector to be hit by M&A fever as Fairfax buys Brit February 17, 2015 Analysts said yesterday that Brit’s acquisition by Canadian firm Fairfax Financial Holdings could be the precursor to other deals set to sweep the insurance market. Shares in Brit jumped by 11.23 per cent following the news that Fairfax had made an offer of £1.22bn that has been agreed by private equity owners CVC and Apollo, [...]