CMA to investigate Aviva’s £3.7bn Direct Line deal May 14, 2025 The UK’s competition watchdog has begun an investigation into insurance giant Aviva’s proposed £3.7bn acquisition of Direct Line. The Competition and Markets Authority said it had commenced its phase one inquiry to establish whether the deal would result in a “realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition.” The CMA has invited comment on the [...]
Revolut, Allica, Zopa: Analysts back ‘enduring value’ of UK fintech May 13, 2025 UK fintech received a wealth of praise from Peel Hunt analysts in a fresh sector note following a year of rapid growth for the industry. Fintech firms booked record profits in 2024 and have transitioned from disrupting the banking climate to direct competition with traditional lenders. Revolut topped 52.5 million customers in 2024, surpassing Europe’s [...]
Takeovers outnumber IPOs three to one on London Stock Exchange April 2, 2025 There have only been four IPOs on the London Stock Exchange so far this year, compared to 15 takeover bids, leading analysts to worry that London’s equity markets are being rapidly depleted of strong companies. “It’s now been nine months since the UK general election and the pace of IPOs is nothing more than a [...]
UK board members brace for wave of takeover bids March 24, 2025 Non-executive directors of UK companies and bracing for a wave of takeover bids throughout 2025 as British firms face continual share price weakness. As many as 80 per cent of non-executive directors said that their companies are more vulnerable to a takeover bid, according to data from investment bank Peel Hunt. Last year, a host [...]
Assura: FTSE 250 firm rejects £1.5bn takeover approach February 17, 2025 FTSE 250 healthcare real estate investment trust Assura has rejected a takeover offer worth more than £1.5m – the fourth such deal it has turned down in the last six months it has been revealed. The Altrincham-headquartered business hit the headlines at the end of last week when it emerged it had been approached by [...]
FTSE 250 Assura receives unsolicited takeover approach February 15, 2025 Assura, the FTSE 250 healthcare real estate investment trust, has received an unsolicited takeover approach from private equity giant KKR and a major universities pension scheme. The Altrincham-headquartered company confirmed late on Friday that it had been contacted by KKR and USS Investment Management, which is representing Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). The parties have until [...]
Dust off the defence manuals… private equity is coming, say advisors December 20, 2024 London’s listed firms have been warned to dust off their defence manuals and prepare for takeover bids as private equity investors limber up for a deals offensive on the London Stock Exchange next year. After a subdued year of dealmaking through 2024, private equity buyers are expected to reignite a swoop on the public markets [...]
National World: Yorkshire Post and The Scotsman owner agrees £65m takeover December 18, 2024 Shareholders in National World, the media group whose titles include Yorkshire Post and The Scotsman, are set for a bumper pay day as a takeover deal which values it at over £65m was agreed. Irish media group Media Concierge, which currently holds a 26 per cent stake in National World, first tabled an offer worth [...]
Foreign takeovers surge as buyers strike megadeals December 12, 2024 The foreign takeover raid on UK companies accelerated this year as international buyers struck a series of mega deals to acquire listed companies. In the ten months to the end of October, deals launched by foreign buyers with a UK target had jumped 55 per cent to $116bn (£91bn), with the number of deals increasing [...]
Typhoo Tea rescue deal eyed up by vapes giant Supreme November 28, 2024 Supreme, which sells products such as vapes and vitamins, is eyeing up a rescue deal for Typhoo Tea after the 120-year-old brand collapsed into administration. Greater Manchester-headquartered Supreme has confirmed it is “currently participating in a process regarding the potential acquisition” and added that discussions are at ‘an advanced stage”. However, the company said that [...]