LSL abandons Countrywide merger amid coronavirus concerns March 16, 2020 LSL Property Services has pulled out of a potential £500m merger with Countrywide, terminating a deal that would have created the UK’s biggest estate agent, amid market uncertainty due to the outbreak of coronavirus. LSL, which owns Your Move and upmarket chain Marsh & Parsons, did not give a reason for its decision this morning, [...]
Private equity firms preparing bids for Capita sell-off March 9, 2020 The private equity backer of auction house Bonhams is among a group of funds examining bids for a basket of outsourcer Capita’s non-core businesses. Sky News reported that Epiris was one of several private equity firms getting ready to bid for nine of Capita’s business units. The subsidiaries up for sale include Capita’s travel and [...]
Aon to buy Willis Towers Watson for nearly $30bn in insurance mega-deal March 9, 2020 Aon said today it had agreed to acquire Willis Towers Watson for nearly $30bn (£22.9bn) in an all-stock deal that will create one of the world’s largest insurance brokers. The deal between the two would create a company with a combined value of approximately $80bn. Aon confirmed last year it was in early stage talks [...]
Divestments fail to add value for six consecutive years March 3, 2020 The majority of companies that sold portions of their business last year lost shareholder value, meaning that divestments have failed to add value for six consecutive years. Six out of ten companies that divested part of their business continued to struggle to add value, according to Willis Towers Watsons Divestment Performance Monitor. Based on share [...]
Deal-makers bullish on M&A prospects for the year March 2, 2020 Deal-makers are more bullish about prospects for M&A and capital raising this year than they were at the start of 2019. According to figures from Refinitiv, 47 per cent of deal-makers anticipate M&A volume growth, with an average predicted growth of 4.7 per cent. Asian dealers are more bullish than their American and EMEA counterparts, [...]
Asda: Private equity firms race to buy majority stake March 1, 2020 Private equity firms are vying to buy a majority stake in Asda after its US owner Walmart decided to offload the supermarket following the competition watchdog’s decision to block its merger with Sainsbury’s. US buyout firm Lone Star has reportedly made an offer for a stake in the grocer, with private equity firms Apollo and [...]
London Stock Exchange’s $27bn Refinitiv deal under scrutiny in Brussels February 26, 2020 The London Stock Exchange Group’s $27bn purchase of Refinitiv has reportedly already come under intense scrutiny in Brussels, raising the prospect that EU regulators will initiate a much longer investigation into the deal than had been expected. The two companies are yet to formally notify competition regulators of the deal, which would trigger the review [...]
Countrywide and LSL confirm ‘ongoing’ merger talks February 24, 2020 Estate agent Countrywide has confirmed discussions over a reported £500m merger with rival LSL are “ongoing” after news of the possible tie-up leaked over the weekend. If Countrywide and LSL do tie the knot, they could create the UK’s biggest estate agent company with numerous brands under one umbrella. Countrywide made a brief announcement today [...]
Anglo American profit boosted as it circles Sirius Minerals February 20, 2020 Mining giant Anglo American has reported a strong set of results for 2019. The company saw a nine per cent increase in underlying EBITDA from $9.1bn (£7bn) in 2018 to $10bn at the end of 2019. Anglo American boss Mark Cutifani, said: “We continue building on the fundamental structural and operational improvements we have embedded [...]
Crispin Odey’s firm lashes out at Anglo American’s bid for Sirius February 19, 2020 Crispin Odey’s investment firm has said it will vote against any Anglo American offer for Sirius Minerals that is not designated as “final”. In an email to the management of Sirius and Anglo American, Odey Asset Management said it does not believe that Anglo’s current offer represents fair value for Sirius shareholders. It said it [...]