Ribbon cut on Dixons Carphone merger by chief Seb James August 8, 2014 Dixons Carphone chief exec Seb James and his deputy Andrew Harrison cut the ribbon on their £3.8bn mega-merger yesterday, visiting most of the seven newly branded stores with a pair of scissors. “It was quite an early start, we’ve been running around all day trying to make it to all of the stores,” James told [...]
Dixons Carphone share price falls on first day of trading after £3.6bn merger August 8, 2014 Shares in Dixons Carphone rose yesterday morning only to close down 1.8 per cent in their first formal day of trading since Carphone Warehouse and Dixons Retail merged to create a £3.6bn consumer electronics empire. The FTSE 250 company aims to exploit the ever-growing presence of consumer electronics in people’s lives and the so-called [...]
Recovery led to 2013 surge in legal mergers August 3, 2014 THE NUMBER of mergers in the UK’s legal sector has jumped by nearly two thirds in the past year, with more than three times as many recorded in 2013 than in 2009, according to figures released this morning. The data, produced by accountancy firm Wilkins Kennedy, revealed that there were 385 mergers in the sector [...]
Balfour Beatty and Carillion share prices tumble as £3bn merger talks called off July 31, 2014 Construction firm Balfour Beatty saw its share price tumble six per cent this morning after revealing its £3bn merger talks with Carillion were over. Carillion also took a hit as shares fell five per cent. Balfour Beatty said discussions over a potential merger, news of which emerged last week, had been terminated over a disagreement [...]
Carillion bosses set to snap up top jobs after Balfour Beatty merger July 27, 2014 Carillion chairman Philip Green is expected to head up the £3bn construction giant that will be created from the company’s planned merger with flailing rival Balfour Beatty. Usually after a merger the top roles are divided, but Carillion’s chief executive Richard Howson is also set to take up the same role at the combined company, [...]
Balfour Beatty and Carillion begin £3bn merger talks July 24, 2014 Construction groups Balfour Beatty and Carillion are in talks to merge, a deal which could create a colossus with a market capitalisation of more than £3bn. Carillion confirmed yesterday that the negotiations were underway, and that it had approached its slightly-larger but weakened competitor. Balfour Beatty has been in a bleak position in recent months [...]
Sky’s European merger to start in coming days July 23, 2014 BSKYB is expected to announce a multi-billion pound deal tomorrow to take over its sister companies in Italy and Germany, creating a new pay-TV empire in Europe. The so-called Sky Europe deal will see BSkyB, Sky Deutschland and Sky Italia combined to create one of Europe’s largest pay-TV operators, with over 19m subscribers across the [...]
British American Tobacco backing $56bn merger July 14, 2014 BRITISH American Tobacco (BAT) is set to wade into one of the biggest tobacco deals in the industry’s history this week as it looks to up its stake in Reynolds as part of an expected $56bn (£32.7bn) mega-merger between Lorillard and Reynolds. BAT, which currently holds a 42 per cent stake in Reynolds, on Friday [...]
The Aussie boss eyeing an M&A avalanche July 14, 2014 Progility boss Wayne Bos tells Michael Bow how he plans to take on the UK M&A market In the late 1990s Wayne Bos, the Australian executive chairman of training provider Progility, had just helped complete the management buyout of a division from London blue chip ICI when the telephone rang. It was a corporate adviser [...]
Reynolds and Lorillard merger to light up tobacco industry July 11, 2014 Reynolds American and Lorillard look set to complete their merger, bringing together the US's biggest tobacco companies and shaking up the UK order. The two companies have a combined market capitalisation of $56bn. British American Tobacco holds a 42 per cent stake in Reynolds and Imperial Tobacco has announced an intention to buy assets from [...]