Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Transactions UK
-
July 19, 2024
Casino Group Faces French Price-Fixing Probe
Casino Group, the French retail giant that has recently undergone a restructuring, said it is being investigated by France's financial crime agency for possible price manipulation and corruption.
-
July 18, 2024
Deals Rumor Mill: Google, StandardAero, Sony
Google parent Alphabet is nearing a $23 billion Wiz buy, PE firms circle StandardAero at a potential $10 billion price, and Sony backs away from Paramount after the Skydance deal. Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.
-
July 18, 2024
PE Firm's £432M Deal Awaiting NSIA Clearance Pushed Back
Wealth management firm Mattioli Woods said Thursday that its approximately £432 million ($546 million) acquisition by London private equity firm Pollen Street Capital that is awaiting national security clearance is now likely to close a month later than expected.
-
July 18, 2024
Octopus Renewables To Sell Swedish Wind Farm For €74M
Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust PLC said Thursday that it has agreed to sell a wind farm in Sweden to a German institutional investor for approximately €74 million ($81 million) to release cash that will be used to reduce debt.
-
July 18, 2024
Cleary-Led Blank-Check Co. To Buy Turkish Mine For $290M
ACG Acquisition Co. Ltd. said on Thursday that it has agreed to buy a precious metal mine in Turkey from a subsidiary of Çalık Holding, an Istanbul-based conglomerate, for $290 million.
-
July 18, 2024
Finnish Energy Co. To Sell Recycling Biz To PE Summa Equity
Finnish state-owned energy company Fortum said on Thursday that it will sell its recycling and waste business to private equity firm Summa Equity for €800 million ($875 million).
-
July 18, 2024
Tycoon Commits To 6-Day Service After Royal Mail Takeover
The billionaire who has made a £3.57 billion ($4.64 billion) cash offer to buy Britain's national postal service said Thursday that he has committed to delivering letters across the U.K. six days a week if his bid succeeds.
-
July 18, 2024
Sidley-Led Medical Co. To Buy Clinical AI Biz For £40M
GE HealthCare, a U.S. medical multinational, said on Thursday that it has agreed to buy the clinical artificial intelligence business of U.K. software company Intelligent Ultrasound Group PLC, and other related assets, for £40.5 million ($52.6 million).
-
July 17, 2024
Outsourcer Mitie Acquires ESM Power For Up To £8.5M
Mitie Group PLC said Wednesday it has agreed to buy electrical engineering firm ESM Power for up to £8.5 million ($11.1 million), a move it expects will bolster its power projects business.
-
July 17, 2024
TotalEnergies Sells Stake In Nigerian JV For $860M
French fuel company TotalEnergies SE said Wednesday that it has agreed to sell its stake in SPDC JV licenses in Nigeria to Mauritius-based Chappal Energies for $860 million.
-
July 17, 2024
Shipping Investor Tufton To Redeem $31.5M Worth Of Shares
Investment business Tufton Oceanic Assets Ltd. on Wednesday confirmed plans to return up to $31.5 million to investors through compulsory share repurchases using proceeds from the sale of two tankers.
-
July 17, 2024
Engineer Smiths Sells Shares In US Medical Biz For $152M
Smiths Group PLC said on Wednesday that it has sold a stake in ICU Medical Inc., which makes protective items for the healthcare sector, for roughly $152 million with the U.K. engineering business saying it will use the proceeds "for general corporate purposes."
-
July 17, 2024
Lathams Leads EssilorLuxottica's $1.5B Streetwear Brand Buy
Italian-French eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica said Wednesday that it will buy U.S. urban fashion brand Supreme for $1.5 billion in cash from VF Corp.
-
July 17, 2024
Investor Auréa To Buy Body Shop Out Of Administration
Beauty investment company Auréa Group has signed an agreement to buy The Body Shop International Ltd. out of administration, the companies said on Wednesday.
-
July 17, 2024
Allianz Bids $1.6B For Singapore's Income Insurance
Allianz SE said on Wednesday it has made an all-cash offer to buy a majority stake in Singapore-based insurer Income Insurance Ltd. for 2.2 billion Singapore dollars ($1.64 billion), as the German financial services company seeks to expand its presence in Asia.
-
July 16, 2024
UK's Probe Of Microsoft-Inflection AI Deal Moves Ahead
The U.K.'s antitrust enforcer launched a formal merger inquiry on Tuesday into Microsoft Corp.'s relationship with Inflection AI after asking for public input earlier this year on several artificial intelligence investments made by Microsoft and Amazon.
-
July 16, 2024
Labour Government Urged To Introduce Green Tax Credits
The new Labour government should introduce tax credits for businesses investing in green energy technology, according to a tax expert from the Confederation of British Industry.
-
July 16, 2024
Financial Intel Firm To Buy Fund Ratings Biz RSMR
Fintel PLC said Tuesday it has conditionally bought Rayner Spencer Mills Research Ltd. for an undisclosed amount of money, making the purchase of the fund ratings and research agency its ninth acquisition in 12 months.
-
July 16, 2024
Apax Completes Sale Of Internet Group Baltic
The Apax IX Fund, in which Guernsey-based, closed-ended investment company Apax Global Alpha Ltd. is a limited partner, said Tuesday it has sold its remaining shares in Baltic Classifieds Group, a Lithuanian internet service provider.
-
July 16, 2024
Precision Tools Supplier To Buy US Rival For Up To $683M
Spectris said Tuesday that it has agreed to buy rival U.S.-based Micromeritics in a deal worth up to $683 million as the British precision tools supplier looks to improve its advanced materials analysis division and grow into the clean technology sector.
-
July 16, 2024
Troubled REIT To Wind Down Amid £115M Debt Pile
A struggling investment trust said Tuesday that it will wind down as it grapples with a £115 million ($149 million) burden of debt, an investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority and potential group litigation.
-
July 16, 2024
PE Firm Sells 3% Stake In Trustpilot For £27.5M
Private equity shop Vitruvian Partners LLP said on Tuesday that it has sold a 3% stake in Danish review website Trustpilot for £27.5 million ($35.7 million).
-
July 16, 2024
Top UK Court Rules Deal Advice Fees Are Not Tax Deductible
Britain's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that £2.5 million ($3.2 million) paid in advisory fees by an investment company to Deutsche Bank and others is not tax-deductible as the expenses were "capital in nature" spent trying to dispose of a Dutch business.
-
July 15, 2024
Biotech Firm Destiny To Delist From AIM
Destiny Pharma PLC on Monday proposed quitting London's alternative investment market to go private, saying doing so gives it a better chance of raising funds for developing its key drug program than as a public business.
-
July 15, 2024
Labour Gov't Urged To Consult On Green Finance Rules
A trade body for financial institutions has urged the Labour government to consult before imposing extra rules on firms' plans to transition to the green economy to avoid liability risks.
Expert Analysis
-
How Changes To 'Acting In Concert' Will Affect UK Takeovers
The recent changes made to the rules by the U.K. Takeover Panel on who is presumed to be acting in concert will be of most interest to parties proposing to make a bid for a U.K. listed company, and give welcome clarity as to how the U.K. takeover regime operates, say attorneys at Herbert Smith.
-
Key Points In Draft EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation
The draft implementing regulation on EU foreign subsidy control provides eagerly awaited guidance on the submission of mandatory notifications, but there are still many open questions, say Paul van den Berg and Merit Olthoff at Freshfields.
-
ClientEarth Claim May Expand Scope Of Directors' Duties
In using litigation to hold Shell’s board of directors to account for failing to properly prepare for the net-zero transition, ClientEarth’s actions represent a shift in climate change activism strategy and an unprecedented application of directors’ duties as a mechanism to drive change, say Marlene Henderson and Danielle De Val at Browne Jacobson.
-
Volatile Energy Prices Complicate Int'l Arbitration Damages
In the turbulent global energy market, international arbitration is a crucial tool for resolving cross-border disputes — but determining how, if at all, to account for recent energy price spikes when quantifying damages presents many challenges for tribunals, say attorneys at White & Case.
-
A Breakdown Of The SRA's Proposed New Fining Powers
Thanks to the Solicitors Regulation Authority's pending new fining framework, which includes guidance on unsuitable fines and a fixed penalties scheme for low-level breaches, firms can expect to see more disciplinary findings leading to an SRA fine rather than referral to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, say Graham Reid and Shanice Holder at RPC.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.