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Transactions UK

  • May 16, 2025

    Investor Pulls De La Rue Bid Amid Competing Offer

    Two investors, Pension SuperFund and Disruptive Capital, have pulled their bid of approximately £260 million for De La Rue after the banknotes maker backed a rival £263 million offer from U.S. investment firm Atlas Holdings LLC.

  • May 16, 2025

    US Auto Parts Maker Eyes London Listing After £1.2B UK Deal

    American Axle said Friday that it is planning a secondary listing in the U.K. after it takes over automotive group Dowlais, which trades in London, in a £1.16 billion ($1.5 billion) deal, appeasing shareholders across the Atlantic.

  • May 22, 2025

    Freeths Hires Pensions Specialist From Simmons & Simmons

    Freeths has hired James Dean, a pensions specialist from Simmons & Simmons LLP, to lead the growth and development of the firm's national pensions practice.

  • May 15, 2025

    Vinge-Led Swedish Wine Group To Buy Dutch Rival For €57M

    Viva Wine Group AB said Thursday that it has agreed to acquire Dutch wine distributor Delta Wines from venture capital firm Navitas Capital for approximately €57 million ($64 million) to expand its footprint in Europe.

  • May 15, 2025

    Gov't To Allow Foreign States To Own 15% Of UK Newspapers

    The government said on Thursday that it plans to loosen the rules on state ownership of British newspapers in a move to allow media outlets to draw in investment from sovereign wealth and pension funds.

  • May 15, 2025

    Software Biz Sage Group To Extend Share Buyback By £200M

    Sage Group PLC said Thursday it will extend its current stock repurchase program worth up to £400 million ($530 million) by buying more shares worth a maximum of £200 million as the accounting software business drives its growth strategy forward.

  • May 15, 2025

    Building Materials Biz Wins Irish Clearance For €32M Deal

    Ireland's antitrust regulator has given the green light for Grafton Group PLC's €31.6 million ($35.4 million) acquisition of the Irish arm of HSS Hire Group PLC, the British tool and equipment hire company said Thursday.

  • May 15, 2025

    Brabners Guides Telecoms Biz In £63M Pension Deal

    Telecommunications company CommScope has offloaded £63 million ($8 million) of its U.K. pension liabilities to insurer Aviva PLC, advisers have said, in a deal guided by Brabners.

  • May 15, 2025

    Greencore Set To Devour UK Meal Maker Bakkavor For £1.2B

    Irish sandwich maker Greencore said Thursday that it will gobble up ready-to-eat meals producer Bakkavor Group PLC in a cash and share takeover worth approximately £1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) to create a U.K. convenience food giant.

  • May 15, 2025

    Alliance Pharma AIM Listing Canceled After £362M Takeover

    Consumer healthcare company Alliance Pharma PLC said Thursday that it has canceled its share trading on London's junior AIM market following its £362 million ($481 million) takeover by a consortium that includes asset manager DBAY Advisors.

  • May 14, 2025

    Novo Nordisk, Septerna Ink Up To $2.2B Obesity Drug Deal

    Denmark's Novo Nordisk said Wednesday it has signed a drug development deal worth up to $2.2 billion with U.S.-based Septerna, part of its continued push to expand treatments for obesity, Type 2 diabetes and related diseases.

  • May 14, 2025

    Addleshaw Goddard Steers £56.4M Bid For Property Biz

    Energy and compliance services business Sureserve on Wednesday announced a recommended final cash offer to buy property services group Kinovo PLC for approximately £56.4 million ($75.2 million).

  • May 14, 2025

    Sidley-Led Evri To Merge With DHL Unit In The UK

    Evri said Wednesday that it has agreed to merge with the U.K. e-commerce unit of global delivery heavyweight DHL to form a giant postal logistics service in Britain in a deal guided by Sidley and Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP.

  • May 21, 2025

    BCLP Hires 2 Partners From Taylor Wessing, A&O Shearman

    Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP said Wednesday that it has recruited two new partners from Allen Overy Shearman Sterling and Taylor Wessing LLP to boost its finance and tax capabilities in London.

  • May 14, 2025

    Homebuilder Persimmon To Sell Broadband Arm For £100M

    British homebuilder Persimmon PLC said Wednesday that it has agreed to sell its broadband arm FibreNest to utility infrastructure company BUUK Infrastructure for up to approximately £100 million ($133.1 million).

  • May 14, 2025

    Kirkland-Led Equity Firm To Buy UK Insurance Broker JMG

    GTCR Inc. has said that it has penned a deal to acquire JMG Group in an acquisition the U.S. private equity firm hopes will help to drive the broker's expansion across the British insurance market.

  • May 14, 2025

    Macfarlanes-Led US Pawnshop To Buy UK Rival For £300M

    U.S. pawn store giant FirstCash said Wednesday that it is expanding its geographical footprint by acquiring a British rival, H&T Group PLC, for approximately £297 million ($396 million) in a deal guided by Alston & Bird, Macfarlanes and Gowling.

  • May 14, 2025

    UK Optics Biz Agrees $17.5M Buy Of US Military Kit Supplier

    Optical systems maker Gooch & Housego said Wednesday that it has agreed to buy U.S.-based Global Photonics in a $17.5 million transaction, in which it was advised by Burges Salmon and Goulston & Storrs.

  • May 14, 2025

    Aviva's £3.7B Deal To Buy Direct Line Gets UK Investigation

    Britain's antitrust watchdog said Wednesday that it is investigating Aviva's proposed £3.7 billion ($4.9 billion) cash and stock acquisition of rival insurer Direct Line, saying it has concerns about competition.

  • May 14, 2025

    HP's $4B Fraud Case To Resume After Mike Lynch's Death

    A London court unjammed Hewlett Packard's $4 billion fraud case against Mike Lynch on Wednesday by approving an administrator to his estate, reactivating the case after the technology entrepreneur died when a yacht he was aboard sank in the Mediterranean Sea.

  • May 14, 2025

    Cleary Guides GSK's $2B Buy Of Liver Disease Drug

    Pharmaceutical giant GSK PLC said Wednesday that it plans to buy a drug for treating liver disease for up to $2 billion from Boston Pharmaceuticals in the U.S. to boost its hepatology supply.

  • May 13, 2025

    British Oil Biz Lands $100M For Developing US Assets

    Oil and gas company Zephyr Energy PLC said Tuesday that a "highly respected" investor has agreed to provide it with up to $100 million to develop its dormant assets in the Williston Basin in North Dakota and Montana.

  • May 13, 2025

    Energy Biz DCC Announces £800M Returns For Shareholders

    DCC PLC, an Irish energy supplier and marketing company, said Tuesday it plans to return £800 million ($1.06 billion) to shareholders from the sale of its healthcare division, beginning with a share repurchase program of up to £100 million.

  • May 13, 2025

    Sheikh Fights Liability Over Share Transfer At Top UK Court

    An Arab tycoon told Britain's top court Tuesday that he did not breach a fiduciary duty to his former company by transferring shares out of it after it went into liquidation, because he was no longer its director by that point.

  • May 13, 2025

    Renewables Biz To Sell Assets For €156M, Float In Joburg

    Greencoat Renewables PLC said Tuesday that it has agreed to sell six Irish onshore wind farms for a total of €156 million ($173 million) to European energy investor HitecVision as it revealed plans for a secondary listing in South Africa.

Expert Analysis

  • Anticipating The UK's Top M&A Trends In 2025

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    Conversations with market participants are focusing on five key questions about 2025's transactional markets, ranging from issues of artificial intelligence, to the boom in takeovers and increased regulatory scrutiny, says Layla D’Monte at King & Spalding.

  • Businesses Should Expect A Role In Tackling Fraud Next Year

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    If one word sums up a key trend in financial crime enforcement in 2024, it would be fraud, as enforcement agencies clamped down on consumer-focused crime — and businesses will need to be prepared to play a part in 2025 with the coming of the "failure to prevent fraud" offense, says Jessica Parker at Corker Binning.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Cross-Border Contract Lessons

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    A U.K. court's decision this month in Banco De Sabadell v. Cerberus provides critical lessons for practitioners involved in drafting and litigating cross-border investment agreements, and offers crucial insight into how English courts apply foreign law in complex cross-border disputes, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn. 

  • Preparing For The Next 5 Years Of EU Digital Policy

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    The new European Commission appears poised to build on the artificial intelligence, data management and digital regulation groundwork laid by President Ursula von der Leyen's first mandate, with a strong focus on enforcement and further enhancement of previous initiatives during the next five years, say lawyers at Steptoe.

  • The Rising Tide Of EU Antitrust Enforcement In Pharma

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    The European Commission’s recent record-breaking €463 million fine of Teva for abusing its dominant position confirms that European Union competition law enforcement in the pharmaceutical sector remains a priority, with infringements drawing serious financial exposure, say lawyers at Cooley.

  • Looking Back On 2024's Competition Law Issues For GenAI

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    With inherent uncertainties in generative artificial intelligence raising antitrust issues that attract competition authorities' attention, the 2024 uptick in transaction reviews demonstrates that regulators are vigilant about the possibility that markets may tip in favor of large existing players, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • What The Future Of AI In Financial Services Looks Like

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    Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the global financial services industry, with a hybrid model likely to evolve where AI handles routine tasks and humans focus on strategy and decision-making, so financial institutions should work with regulators to establish ethical standards and meet regulatory expectations without stifling innovation, say lawyers at Womble Bond.

  • What UK Security Act Report Indicates For Future Gov't Policy

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    Following the recent publication of the National Security and Investment Act report on the scrutiny of proposed investments, it will be interesting to see how the act’s powers fit into a government policy that plans to cut regulatory obstacles, while maintaining a hard line on national security, say lawyers at Katten Muchin.

  • What UK Takeover Code's Narrowed Focus Will Mean For Cos.

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    In narrowing its scope of application, the U.K. Takeover Panel's forthcoming amended code will have practical implications for U.K.-registered companies and ultimately provide greater market clarity and certainty, say lawyers at Davis Polk.

  • M&A Takeaways From 1st EU Foreign Subsidies Merger Ruling

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    The European Commission’s recent decision on the merger between e& and PFF Telecom is the first to approve a transaction subject to commitments under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, serving as a helpful guide by confirming that behavioral measures ring-fencing EU activities from the potential effect of third-country subsidies are acceptable, say lawyers at Cleary.

  • Factors Driving EU Competition Policy For The Next 5 Years

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    Teresa Ribera Rodríguez’s recent nomination as the new European Union commissioner for competition prompts questions about policy and enforcement, with goals to enhance competition in business, implement stronger and faster enforcement, and promote and fund decarbonization likely in her sights during a five-year term, say lawyers at Linklaters.

  • Modernizing UK Trade Settlement Standard: The Road Ahead

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    Andrew Tsang and Tom Bacon at BCLP consider the rationale and challenges of a potential U.K. trade settlement acceleration, part of an initiative to modernize the financial market infrastructure, and suggest that incorporating distributed ledger technology as a synchronized recording system would facilitate the move.

  • What EU Antitrust Guidelines Will Mean For Dominant Cos.

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    The European Commission’s recent draft antitrust guidelines will steer courts' enforcement powers, increasing the risk for dominant firms engaging in exclusive dealing without any apparent basis to shift the burden of proof to those companies, say lawyers at Latham.

  • Draft Merger Control Guidance Allows CMA To Cast Wide Net

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    The Competition and Markets Authority's recent draft merger control guidance, reflecting the regulator's strengthened powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act, introduces extensive change and potential procedural improvements, specifically concerning reviews of private equity firms, say lawyers at Travers Smith.

  • Reflecting On 12 Months Of The EU Foreign Subsidy Regime

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    New European Commission guidance, addressing procedural questions and finally providing clarity on “distortion” in merger control and public procurement, offers an opportunity to reflect on the year since foreign subsidy notification obligations were introduced, say lawyers at Fried Frank.

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