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Transactions UK
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September 12, 2024
Marlowe To Spin Off Health Unit For £225M AIM Listing
Regulatory compliance firm Marlowe PLC said Thursday that it intends to spin off its occupational health division to form an independent company, Optima Health PLC, and list it on the junior market of the London Stock Exchange at a valuation of £225 million ($294 million).
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September 12, 2024
A&O Shearman-Led Cinven Buys 50% Of UK Insurance Expert
Private equity firm Cinven Ltd. has bought a 50% stake in Policy Expert, a home and motor insurance provider in the U.K., as part of its global growth strategy.
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September 12, 2024
French Legal Research Startup Jus Mundi Raises $22M
Paris-based international law and arbitration research startup Jus Mundi announced that it raised $22 million in series B funding to fuel artificial intelligence development and continue its international expansion.
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September 12, 2024
Cleary Gottlieb-Led General Mills Snacks On $2B Yogurt Sale
General Mills Inc. said Thursday that it will sell its North American yogurt business to two French dairy companies for $2.1 billion in total cash, to focus on its core brands.
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September 12, 2024
Sullivan & Cromwell Guide Springer Nature's German IPO
German-British journal publisher Springer Nature said Thursday that it will aim to raise €200 million ($221 million) as it announced plans of an initial public offering in Frankfurt — in what would be the first large European listing in the second half of the year.
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September 12, 2024
Energy Biz Bowleven Edges Closer To Quitting LSE Listing
Bowleven said Thursday that it has now closed the window for its shareholders to sell their stock before the energy business leaves the junior market of the London Stock Exchange after it received an offer from venture capitalists Crown Ocean Capital to go private.
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September 12, 2024
UK Investment Biz Sells Unit To Canaccord For Up To £51M
London-based investment manager Brooks Macdonald said Thursday that it has agreed to sell its asset management division to a subsidiary of Canaccord Genuity, a Canadian financial services firm, for a maximum of £50.85 million ($66.35 million).
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September 12, 2024
Sanofi Sets €320M Licensing Deal With US, French Biotechs
Pharmaceutical giant Sanofi SA said Thursday that it will pay up to €320 million ($353 million) to U.S. biotechnology group RadioMedix Inc. and French medicine developer Orano Med for an exclusive license for a radiation treatment for rare cancers.
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September 11, 2024
Trustpilot Kicks Off £20M Share Buyback, Returns To Profit
Trustpilot Group PLC launched a new share buyback program worth up to £20 million ($26 million) on Wednesday as the consumer reviews platform bids to reduce its outstanding share capital after it swung back to profit.
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September 11, 2024
EQT Leads €93M Round For Belgian Biotech's Cancer Venture
Biotech company Ion Beam Applications SA said Wednesday its joint venture PanTera raised €93 million ($102.4 million) in an oversubscribed first round of venture capital funding, led by global investor EQT.
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September 11, 2024
Anglo American Sells $400M Of Shares In Platinum Subsidiary
Anglo American said Wednesday that it has raised 7.2 billion South African rand ($400 million) by selling shares in one of its subsidiaries — a sale that could ultimately lead to the listing of the world's largest producer of platinum on the London Stock Exchange.
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September 11, 2024
Dentons Adds 2 Corp. Pros In Dublin From US Rivals
Dentons has recruited two new corporate partners to its Dublin office from U.S. rivals as it looks to expand its mergers and acquisitions practice in the Irish market and capitalize on its global footprint.
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September 11, 2024
Paul Hastings-Led ICG Clinches $17B Direct Lending Fund
British private equity shop Intermediate Capital Group Inc., guided by Paul Hastings, said Wednesday that it has wrapped its fifth direct lending fund after securing roughly €15.2 billion ($17 billion) from limited partners, with plans to offer loans to PE-backed middle market companies based in Europe.
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September 11, 2024
WH Smith Launches £50M Buyback Amid Surge In Travel
WH Smith PLC launched a share repurchase program on Wednesday valued at up to £50 million ($66 million) as the books and travel retailer seeks to reward investors, and as it reported a boost in business helped by strong passenger numbers.
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September 11, 2024
Latham Hires Senior Tax Pro From Travers Smith In London
Latham & Watkins LLP said on Wednesday that it has recruited a former head of tax at Travers Smith LLP for its office in London, a blow for the U.K. law firm, which has been hit by the departure of a series of partners.
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September 11, 2024
Dubai Builder Sells Entire Stake In UK Rival Costain For £38M
Dubai-based builder ASGC Construction LLC said Wednesday that it has ended its investment in Costain Group PLC, a British building engineering company, with a sale to institutional investors.
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September 11, 2024
Aussie Metal Exploration Biz Raises £250M To Fund M&A
Greatland Gold, an Australian metal exploration company, said Wednesday that it has raised £248.6 million ($325.1 million) by issuing new shares to help fund its expected buyout of Newmont Corp., a miner based in the U.S.
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September 11, 2024
UK Property Biz Rejects £5.6B Bid By Murdoch's REA Group
Rupert Murdoch's online real estate advertising company said Wednesday that Britain's Rightmove PLC has rejected an initial £5.6 billion ($7.3 billion) cash and share offer, despite concessions that would have kept the combined group on the London Stock Exchange.
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September 10, 2024
Slaughter and May-Led AngloGold Bids £1.9B For Centamin
Global gold mining group AngloGold Ashanti PLC said Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire its smaller rival Centamin PLC in an approximately £1.9 billion ($2.5 billion) cash-and-stock offer led by Slaughter and May and Norton Rose Fulbright.
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September 10, 2024
Britain's Renold Buys Canadian Conveyor Biz For $31.4M
British power transmission products maker Renold PLC said Tuesday that it has acquired the North American conveyor chain maker MAC Chain Co. Ltd. for $31.4 million, giving it a foothold in the Western U.S. and Canadian forestry markets.
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September 10, 2024
Osborne Clarke Steers £12M Charity Pension Deal
The Charities Aid Foundation has offloaded pension liabilities valued at £12 million ($15.7 million) to insurer Just Group, an adviser on the transaction said Tuesday, in a deal guided by Osborne Clarke.
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September 10, 2024
White & Case Guides £100M Hedge Fund Deal For Spectator
Hedge fund manager Paul Marshall has bought The Spectator for £100 million ($130 million), the 196-year-old news magazine said on Tuesday, a move that will keep the publishing institution independent and out of foreign control.
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September 10, 2024
EU Antritrust Chief Resists Softer Telecom Merger Rules
The European Union's outgoing competition chief pushed back at a pitch to loosen the bloc's competition rules Tuesday, saying that merger control rules for telecom markets must continue to look at competition at the national level rather than enlarging the examination to the entire 27-country bloc.
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September 10, 2024
Vorys-Led Infrastructure Biz Buys Steel Maker For $30M
Hill & Smith PLC said Tuesday that it has bought U.S. steel manufacturer Whitlow Electric Service Co. Inc. for $30.2 million, as the infrastructure products supplier continues a spending spree to expand its global operations.
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September 10, 2024
Swedish Biopharma Vicore Announces Plans To Raise $75M
Vicore said Tuesday that it aims to raise approximately 782 million Swedish kronor ($75 million) to finance projects and operations by issuing shares to investors, advised by Swedish law firm Vinge, with the joint bookrunners led by Baker McKenzie.
Expert Analysis
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EU Merger Control Concerns Remain After ECJ Illumina Ruling
The recent European Court of Justice judgment in Illumina-Grail is a welcome check on the commission's power to review low-threshold transactions, but with uncertainty persisting under existing laws and discretion left to national regulators, many pitfalls in European Union merger control remain, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.
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Examining The EU's New Payments Services Package
Following recent European Parliament elections, the spotlight is turning to the highly anticipated payments services package expected in September, marking a pivotal moment in the legislative process that will reshape the payment services ecosystem in the European Union, says Kristýna Tupá and Karolína Hlavinková at Schoenherr.
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EU Reports Signal Greenwashing Focus For Financial Sector
Reports from the European Supervisory Authorities on enforcement of sustainability information, plus related guidance issued by the European Securities and Markets Authority, represent a fundamental change in how businesses must operate to maintain integrity and public trust, say Amilcare Sada and Matteo Fanton at A&O Shearman.
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What M&A Uptick Will Mean For Legal Hiring
Thomson Reuters research reveals an improving macroeconomic picture of incoming interest rate cuts, and with market confidence in the new U.K. government, there is a higher corporate demand for transactional advice, leading law firms to increase their hiring in preparation for this heavier workload, says James Lavan at Buchanan Law.
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Takeaways From First EU Foreign Subsidy M&A Investigation
The European Commission's recent investigation into Emirates Telecommunications' proposed acquisition of PPF Telecom is the first in-depth investigation of an M&A deal under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, demonstrating that the regulation can have real consequences in practice that companies must consider at the outset of large transactions, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.
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Disclosure Takeaways From Superdry Restructuring Plan
Superdry’s recently approved restructuring plan is said to be the first of its kind accompanied by a capital raise, with the High Court of England and Wales’ interim judgment providing helpful guidance on disclosure requirements, say lawyers at King & Spalding.
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EU Competition Report Spotlights Areas For Future Focus
The European Commission’s recent report on protecting competition highlights the importance of safeguarding innovation and preventing exploitative conduct by dominant firms, signaling that strong and focused law enforcement is to remain a priority with an even greater application of abuse-of-dominance rules, say Nicole Kar and Charlotte Mann at Paul Weiss.
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Insurance Rulings Show Court Hesitancy To Fix Policy Errors
Two recent Court of Appeal insurance decisions highlight that policyholders can only overcome policy drafting errors and claim coverage if there is a very obvious mistake, emphasizing courts' reluctance to rewrite contract terms that are capable of enforcement, says Aaron Le Marquer at Stewarts.
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Irish Businesses Should Act Now To Prepare For EU AI Act
Artificial intelligence is increasingly transforming the Irish job market, and proactive engagement with the forthcoming European Union AI Act, a significant shift in the regulatory landscape for Irish businesses, will be essential for Irish businesses to responsibly harness AI’s advantages and to maintain legal compliance, say lawyers at Pinsent Masons.
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Unpacking The New Concept Of 'Trading Misfeasance'
In addition to granting one of the largest trading awards since the Insolvency Act was passed in 1986, the High Court recently introduced a novel claim for misfeasant trading in Wright v. Chappell, opening the door to liability for directors, even where insolvent liquidation or administration was not inevitable, say lawyers at Greenberg Traurig.
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Opinion
The FTC Needs To Challenge The Novo-Catalent Deal
Novo's acquisition of Catalent threatens to substantially lessen competition in the manufacturing and marketing of GLP-1 diabetes and obesity drugs, and the Federal Trade Commission should challenge it under a vertical theory of harm, as it aligns with last year's merger guidelines and the Fifth Circuit decision in Illumina, says attorney David Balto.
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Complying With EU Commission's Joint Purchasing Rules
One year after the European Commission released its revised guidelines on horizontal cooperation agreements, attorneys at Crowell & Moring reflect on the various forms such agreements can take, and how parties can avoid structuring arrangements that run afoul of competition law.
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Tips For Implementing EU Sustainability Reporting Guidance
Lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell discuss the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group’s recently published guidance on double materiality assessments and offer takeaways on achieving a sustainability directive-compliant process that could enhance clarity and consistency among multinational stakeholders.
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What UK Digital Markets Act Will Mean For Competition Law
The new Digital Markets Act’s reforms will strengthen the Competition and Markets Authority's investigatory and enforcement powers across its full remit of merger control and antitrust investigations, representing a seismic shift in the U.K. competition and consumer law landscape, say lawyers at Travers Smith.
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What French Watchdog Ruling Means For M&A Landscape
Although ultimately dismissed due to lack of evidence, the French competition authority’s recent post-closing review of several nonreportable mergers is a landmark case that highlights the increased complexity of such transactions, and is further testament to the European competition authorities’ willingness to expand their toolkit to address below-threshold M&As, say lawyers at Cleary.