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Transactions UK
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April 18, 2024
Royal Mail Says It Rejected £3.2B Bid By Czech Mogul's Group
The parent company of Britain's national postal carrier Royal Mail has confirmed that it rejected an approximately £3.2 billion ($4 billion) "opportunistic" bid from a European conglomerate controlled by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky.
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April 18, 2024
London SPAC's £33M Buy Of Canadian Hydrogen Biz Lingers
Blank-check company Pineapple Power said Thursday that it has not yet reached a "binding agreement" for the anticipated £33 million ($41 million) acquisition of Canadian hydrogen energy business Ilios Hydrogen Canada Ltd. that was announced in November.
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April 18, 2024
City Pushes For UK Regulators To Be Globally Competitive
A body representing U.K. financial services called Thursday for a new post-Brexit international framework to compare regulators' performance and their impact on competitiveness.
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April 18, 2024
Insurance Broker Jensten Builds £170M Acquisition War Chest
Private equity-backed insurance broker Jensten Group said Thursday it has secured £170 million ($211 million) in funding for a series of planned acquisitions.
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April 18, 2024
Kirkland, Weil-Guided Apax To Buy HR Payroll Co. For €36M
Investment group Apax Global Alpha Ltd. said Thursday that a fund it advises has agreed to buy Zellis UK Ltd., a prominent provider of payroll and HR software in the U.K. for approximately €36 million ($38.4 million), financed via one of its funds.
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April 18, 2024
Housebuilder Vistry To Return £100M To Shareholders
Vistry Group PLC on Thursday announced the take-off of an up to £100 million ($125 million) share repurchase program, progressing with its plan to return £1 billion to investors across three years.
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April 18, 2024
Hipgnosis Agrees To $1.4B Takeover By US Rival Concord
Concord Chorus has agreed to buy its British music royalties rival Hipgnosis Songs Fund in an all-cash transaction worth $1.4 billion, as the U.S. company looks to add 1.2 million more songs to its portfolio, the companies said in joint statement Thursday.
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April 17, 2024
Ex-JPMorgan Analyst Liked 'Winding Up' Autonomy CEO, Jury Told
A former JPMorgan stock analyst testifying Wednesday in the criminal fraud trial of former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch said that he "took pleasure in winding up Lynch" and once even used a Hitler analogy to describe his performance, but said his critical coverage was never personal.
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April 17, 2024
Royal Mail Rejects Takeover Approach From Czech Billionaire
A European conglomerate owned by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky said Wednesday that the parent company of Royal Mail has rejected its offer to take over Britain's national postal service.
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April 17, 2024
Agronomics Meat Unit Taps Investors For €40M Capital Raise
Lab-grown meat company Agronomics said on Wednesday that its portfolio company Mosa Meat BV, a producer of alternatives to conventional beef, has raised €40 million ($42.5 million) in new capital to invest in the business.
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April 17, 2024
Standards Setter Proposes Steps To Boost Non-Bank Liquidity
A global standards setter proposed on Wednesday new measures to enable non-bank financial firms such as hedge funds or insurers to better support their derivatives or securities positions in stressed markets.
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April 17, 2024
Public Property Invest To Float In Oslo In $162M IPO
Norwegian commercial property company Public Property Invest said Wednesday that it has launched an initial public offering in Oslo to raise up to approximately 1.8 billion Norwegian krone ($162 million) with advice from Norwegian law firms Thommessen AS and Wikborg Rein.
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April 17, 2024
Steel Specialist Severfield To Launch £10M Share Buyback
Severfield PLC said on Wednesday it intends to launch a share repurchase program worth up to £10 million ($12.5 million) aimed at rewarding investors and lowering its outstanding share capital.
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April 17, 2024
Vinci To Buy Controlling Stake In Edinburgh Airport For £1.3B
Vinci SA said Wednesday that one of its subsidiaries has agreed to buy a 50.01% stake in Edinburgh Airport for £1.27 billion ($1.58 billion), as the French infrastructure giant eyes growth at the Scottish flight hub.
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April 16, 2024
Autonomy CEO Pressured JPMorgan Over Analyst, Jury Told
An ex-JPMorgan stock analyst testifying Tuesday in the criminal fraud trial of former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch told jurors that the software company founder responded with hostility when his research reports questioned its growth, and that Lynch offered JPMorgan millions in business if he were taken off the Autonomy beat.
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April 16, 2024
Amundi, Victory Capital Ink Strategic Partnership Agreement
France's Amundi will merge its Amundi US unit with Texas-based Victory Capital in exchange for a 26.1% stake in the latter firm, in a deal that would bolster Amundi's U.S. presence while expanding Victory's worldwide distribution channels, the asset managers said Tuesday.
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April 16, 2024
McDermott Hires 2 Partners For Global Tax Practice In Paris
McDermott Will & Emery is expanding its global tax practice group with two partners in Paris who have a track record of advising on cross-border mergers and acquisitions and tax controversies before France's tax authority, the firm announced.
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April 16, 2024
London-Listed Ashoka India Equity Looking To Raise £415M
Ashoka India Equity Investment Trust PLC said Tuesday that it is planning on a new share issuance program to raise equity as it seeks to amend its investment policy to allow more investors to invest in the company.
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April 16, 2024
Cooley Hires Ex-Norton Rose Antitrust Chief In London
Cooley LLP has recruited Norton Rose Fulbright's London antitrust and competition chief to its London office as a partner in an effort to boost its ability to advise clients on competition disputes across the U.K. and the European Union.
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April 16, 2024
Simmons & Simmons-Led Gas Biz To Buy Builder For £90.6M
A Regent Group unit said Tuesday it has agreed to buy TClarke PLC, a building service contractor, for approximately £90.56 million ($112.8 million), as the U.K. gas supplier looks to control a business it has "long admired."
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April 16, 2024
International Paper Co. To Buy UK Rival DS Smith For £5.8B
International Paper Co. said on Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire packaging provider DS Smith PLC in an all-share deal valuing the U.K. group at £5.8 billion ($7.2 billion), after fighting off a competing bid by Mondi PLC.
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April 16, 2024
HSF-Guided Hostmore To Buy TGI Fridays For £177M
British restaurant group Hostmore said Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire the American-themed casual dining business TGI Fridays for an enterprise value of £177 million ($220 million) in a deal guided by Herbert Smith Freehills LLP and Ropes & Gray LLP.
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April 16, 2024
Software Biz Craneware Further Extends Buyback Program
Craneware PLC said on Tuesday that it is extending its phased share repurchase program worth up to £5 million ($6.2 million) by another three months.
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April 15, 2024
Ex-Autonomy Exec Testifies To Handshake Deals, Backdating
Autonomy's former U.S. head of sales testified for the prosecution Monday in the criminal fraud trial of founder Michael Lynch, saying he boosted sales figures via "quid pro quo" handshake deals with customers, created pretextual emails to cover his tracks and even backdated a deal to meet revenue targets.
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April 15, 2024
UK Trading Platform Marex Eyes US Markets For $300M IPO
Private equity-backed U.K. trading platform Marex Group PLC launched plans Monday for an estimated $300 million initial public offering, represented by Latham & Watkins LLP and underwriters' counsel Kirkland & Ellis LLP, becoming the latest U.K.-area firm to seek capital from U.S. markets.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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Takeaways For Transaction Parties After UK Acquisition Block
The U.K. government recently used its retrospective powers under the National Security and Investment Act for the first time to block Nexperia’s acquisition of Newport Wafer Fab, highlighting the considerations that parties have to evaluate when contemplating transactions in high-risk areas, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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Understanding The EU's New Foreign Subsidies Regulation
The European Parliament’s newly adopted Foreign Subsidies Regulation extends already wide-ranging European Union state aid powers and adds new layers of deal conditionality, so companies will need to carefully consider how the regulation may affect their EU-bound activities, say Peter Camesasca and Sophie Bertin at Covington.
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A Look At The Increase In Employee Ownership Trusts
The rise in employee ownership trusts has brought certain challenges, but with tax advantages and a proven positive impact on individuals, businesses and regional economies, employee buyouts are set to become more popular and could outstrip mainstream deal activity, says Lisa Hayward at Birketts.
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EU Basel III Bank Reforms May Weaken Securities Market
Recent proposals from the Council of the European Union's review of Basel III bank capital regulatory reforms did not adopt substantive changes urged by the market for the securitization framework, and may have a dampening effect on the competitiveness of European securitizations, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.
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5 Factors Driving Longer Prenotifications In EU Mergers
Attorneys at Linklaters discuss reasons, including transaction complexity and a higher standard of proof, why the duration of the prenotification process in European Commission merger control cases has generally increased over the last 10 years, say attorneys at Linklaters.
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Series
My Favorite Law Prof: How I Learned To Argue Open-Mindedly
Queens College President Frank Wu reflects on how Yale Kamisar’s teaching and guidance at the University of Michigan Law School emphasized a capacity to engage with alternative worldviews and the importance of the ability to argue for both sides of a debate.
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New Clarity On Directors' Creditor Duty In Insolvency Context
The recent case of BTI 2014 v. Sequana, the first to consider the creditor duty at U.K. Supreme Court level, provides directors and insolvency practitioners with significant guidance on how close to insolvency the company needs to be for the creditor duty to be engaged, say attorneys at Shearman.
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German Draft Bill Reflects Trend Toward New Antitrust Tools
A recently proposed amendment to the German Act against Restraints on Competition continues the trend in Europe to equip authorities with greater powers, shifting from a more traditional approach to a more extensive market protection tool, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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How COVID, Supply Chain Woes Are Fueling Air Cargo M&A
The pandemic has triggered a shift in the air cargo market, with supply chain issues and demand for expedited service attracting new investment — and M&A interest will likely continue, even as inflation and other factors damp enthusiasm, say Solange Leandro and Alison Weal at Watson Farley.