Dust off the defence manuals… private equity is coming, say advisors Investing 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 [...]
Harland and Wolff: Deal struck to buy troubled Titanic maker saving 1,000 jobs Business Troubled shipbuilder Harland and Wolff, which crashed into administration owing more than £160m earlier this year, has been saved. Spanish state-owned business Navanti has struck a deal to buy the Belfast-based company in a move which will secure 1,000 jobs at Harland and Wolff’s four shipyards – one in Belfast, two in Scotland (Methil on [...]
National World: Yorkshire Post and The Scotsman owner agrees £65m takeover Media 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 [...]
Bunzl: Shares in FTSE 100 giant tumble after issuing warning December 17, 2024 Shares in outsourcing giant Bunzl tumbled early on Tuesday after it warned “more persistent” than expected deflation would weigh on profit in 2024. The impact is likely to be felt most by its Continental Europe division, however Bunzl still anticipates a “strong increase” in group full-year adjusted operating profit when compared with 2023. Shares fell [...]
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 [...]
Nodor: Darts maker for Luke Humphries sells majority stake to Inflexion December 9, 2024 A majority stake in a family-run company which makes darts used by world champion Luke Humphries has been sold to a private equity firm. Inflexion has invested in Nodor Group, which is behind Winmau boards and Red Dragon darts, for an undisclosed sum. The Bridgend-based company was founded more than 100 years ago and has [...]
Observer newspaper sale to Tortoise Media approved December 6, 2024 A deal to sell the Observer newspaper to Tortoise Media has been approved, it has been announced. The boards of the Scott Trust and Guardian Media Group have given their blessing to the sale – only days after Observer newspaper journalists went on strike over the proposed sell off. No information has been given over [...]
Vodafone and Three: What £16.5bn merger actually means for customers and prices December 5, 2024 After an almost 18-month battle the UK’s largest ever telecoms deal – which will see Vodafone and Three complete a £16.5bn merger – has been given the green light. Described by Vodafone as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the UK’s digital infrastructure”, the deal has now satisfied the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) enough for [...]
Foreign firms launch £7.8bn summer deals raid on British companies December 3, 2024 A raid by international firms on UK companies accelerated over the summer as foreign buyers kicked off deals worth some £7.8bn – even as domestic mergers and acquisitions (M&A) slumped. Foreign spending on UK companies rose by 16 per cent between July and September, thanks in part to the $976m (£769m) swoop by US-based Quanex [...]
Typhoo Tea takeover: New owner brews cost-cutting turnaround after rescue deal December 2, 2024 With the immediate future of Typhoo Tea secured after it was rescued out of administration, attention is now turning to what could next be on the cards for the historic brand. City AM exclusively revealed late on Sunday that the troubled tea maker is to be taken over by a vapes, batteries and vitamins seller [...]