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Transactions UK
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September 12, 2024
DLA Piper Taps Brussels Veteran As Int'l Head Of Competition
A DLA Piper partner who has been with the firm in Brussels since 2015 is the new head of its international competition group.
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September 12, 2024
Nippon's Push To Save US Steel Buy And Other Deal Rumors
An executive of Japan-based Nippon flew to Washington, D.C., this week to push for approval of its $14.9 billion deal with US Steel, the FTC is wary of a Canadian takeover of 7-Eleven, and a former NBA player is buying a 10% stake in the Milwaukee Bucks. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors reported over the past week.
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September 12, 2024
NewRiver REIT Gets 2nd Extension To Bid For UK Mall Owner
Shopping center owner Capital & Regional PLC said Thursday that the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers has granted its request to allow NewRiver REIT PLC more time to make or cancel a formal offer for Capital & Regional's biggest shareholder Growthpoint Properties Ltd.
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September 12, 2024
Wilson Sonsini Hires Tax Pro From Slaughter and May
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC has recruited a tax specialist from Slaughter and May to its office in London to boost its strengths representing U.K. and European technology and life sciences companies that are expanding in the U.S. and globally.
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September 12, 2024
EU Probes Bankrupt German Racetrack Sale After Court Loss
The European Commission relaunched an investigation Thursday into whether Germany supplied illegal state aid in the sale of the Nürburgring motorsports complex after the European Union's top court struck down the competition authority's 2014 decision to clear the aid.
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September 12, 2024
Italian Watchdog Probing Swisscom's €8B Vodafone Deal
Swisscom said Thursday that the Italian Competition Authority has launched an in-depth probe into its proposed €8 billion ($8.8 billion) cash purchase of Vodafone Italia, a transaction the Swiss telecoms company said is on track to complete.
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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 it pursues 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, allowing it to focus on its core brands.
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September 12, 2024
Sullivan & Cromwell Guides Springer Nature's German IPO
German-British journal publisher Springer Nature said Thursday that it will aim to raise €200 million ($220 million) as it announced plans for an initial public offering in Frankfurt — 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.
Expert Analysis
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Merger Ruling Shows Risk Of Not Seeking Prior CMA Approval
The recent decision by the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority to unwind the acquisition by Cerelia Group of Jus-Rol demonstrates that despite the voluntary nature of the U.K. reporting regime, parties may wish to consider the potential for wider scrutiny when deciding whether to seek merger control clearance, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.
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Warranty & Indemnity Insurance Considerations For M&A
With increased competition and greater capacity leading to lower premiums and deal costs, warranty and indemnity insurance is now available to the wider M&A market, and may help to limit risk and help parties focus on other key elements of the transaction, says Alice Wooler at Birketts.
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What The Dignity Takeover Deal Says About M&A Trends
While some public companies may prefer to go private to maximize company growth and shareholder returns, there are potential pitfalls and in the current uncertain economic climate pairing up between private equity and public entities is likely to increase, as evidenced by the recent Dignity takeover deal, says James Lyons at Lawrence Stephens.
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How Geopolitical Change Is Affecting M&A Activity In Europe
Several factors are leading businesses to divest from Russia and invest in central and Eastern European EU member states, with particular sectors attractive to U.K. companies and certain trends in M&A transactional activity emerging, says Oksana Howard at Colman Coyle.
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Discovery Blocking Reform Better Protects French Companies
The 2022 reforms to France's 1968 blocking statute gives French companies more tools to resist abusive discovery requests from foreign competitors and public agencies, but France should do more to defend confidential information and assert its sovereignty, says Raphael Gauvain at Betto Perben.
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A Look At New Vertical Laws, Their Opportunities And Pitfalls
Looking at trends that have gained the most traction under the new vertical laws in the EU and U.K., it is clear that brands should use the transition period wisely, ensuring that lessons have been learned on what to avoid and that go-to-market strategies are future-proof, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
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Why 2023 Could Be The Year Of The Restructuring Plan
As U.K. businesses face a challenging economic environment going into 2023, the stage may be set for a rise in restructuring plans, with early signs such as an increasing body of case law, the pragmatic approach taken by the judiciary to date and the cross-class cramdown mechanism, say Rachael Markham and Charlotte Møller at Squire Patton.
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How Mur Ruling May Affect Force Majeure Considerations
The recent U.K. Court of Appeal decision in Mur Shipping v. RTI demonstrates that exercising reasonable endeavors can include payment in an alternative currency to overcome a force majeure event, and is topical for contracting parties in light of Russia-related sanctions, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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ECJ Fiat Ruling Sets Clear Boundaries For EU State Aid Law
The European Court of Justice's recent landmark decision in Fiat v. Commission limiting the commission’s attempts to circumvent the lack of EU powers in the area of tax law has important implications in EU state aid law and beyond, say Andreas Reindl and Pietro Stella at Van Bael.
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Cos. Can Expect Intense Antitrust Enforcement This Year
In 2023, authorities in the U.K. and Europe are expected to push the boundaries of antitrust enforcement, merger control and foreign investment screening with the goal of achieving positive outcomes for consumers, say Nicole Kar and Tara Rudra at Linklaters.
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Foreign Direct Investment Considerations For Buyers, Sellers
The rapidly developing legal and regulatory foreign direct investment landscape means the challenge for deal makers is in navigating the continuously changing rules and understanding the manner in which regulators interpret them, says Kurt Ma at BCLP.
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Widely Forecast UK Recession Is Likely To Reshape M&As
Despite the economic downturn in the U.K., transactions will continue to get done in 2023, albeit with more complex terms and a greater focus on undertaking vigorous due diligence on customer relationships and contracts, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Czech Z-Trade Ruling Shows Benefit Of Compliance Program
With its recent Z-Trade fine reduction decision, the Czech Office for the Protection of Competition has for the first time put into practice its compliance program consideration policy, providing a further incentive for companies to implement such programs and underlining the office's intention to pay attention to them, say Vojtech Chloupek and Martin Taimr at Bird & Bird.
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Lessons That May Be Learned From The Demise Of Made.com
With Made.com going into administration, companies that may face similar challenges should take on board that the earlier adequate preemptive planning is considered, the more financial and legal options there will be to avoid last minute firefighting and to focus instead on strengthening the business, says Eleni Michaela at Faegre Drinker.
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Link Ruling Shows FCA's Wide Change-In-Control Powers
The Financial Conduct Authority's recent decision regarding the proposed acquisition of Link Fund Solutions is a reminder that the regulator has significant powers to attach conditions to its approvals and the advent of the Financial Services and Markets Bill could lead to the widening of those powers, say Charlotte Hill and Daniel Hirschfield at Taylor Wessing.