Transactions UK

May 08, 2025
Latham, Wilson Sonsini Guide $800M Tripledot Gaming Deal

British game developer Tripledot Studios said Thursday it has inked a deal to acquire Palo Alto, California-based AppLovin's portfolio of mobile games studios for $800 million, with Latham & Watkins LLP advising Tripledot and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC guiding AppLovin.
May 08, 2025
Court Clears CareTrust's £448M Takeover Of UK REIT

Care homes owner Care REIT has said that its £448 million ($597 million) takeover by a U.S. housing company, CareTrust REIT, has been given the nod by the High Court, allowing it to cross the final hurdle in the completion of the deal.
May 08, 2025
Latham-Led TA Associates Bids £570M For UK Tech Biz

TA Associates said Thursday that it has agreed to acquire British tech businesses FD Technologies PLC for approximately £570 million ($756 million) in a cash offer to give the U.S. private equity company access to an "industry-leading database and analytics engine."
May 08, 2025
EU Backs New Screening Rules For Foreign Investment

The European Parliament on Thursday backed revamped rules designed to prevent hostile overseas players from acquiring control of critical infrastructure and technology.
May 08, 2025
Sackers Guides Trustee In Standard Life's £280M Pension Deal

Standard Life and Cancer Research UK's retirement savings plan have concluded a £280 million ($372 million) bulk purchase annuity transaction, the pensions giant said Thursday, with the trustee guided by Sacker & Partners LLP.
May 07, 2025
Staffing Firm Says Possible Takeover Offer Undervalues It

Recruitment business Empresaria Group PLC said Wednesday it has received an unsolicited indicative offer from a consortium but believes the proposed deal fundamentally undervalues it.
May 07, 2025
9th Circ. Affirms FTC Loss In Microsoft-Activision Case

The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a lower court's ruling in a Federal Trade Commission case that refused to block Microsoft's $68.7 billion acquisition of game developer Activision Blizzard Inc.
May 07, 2025
$13B Omnicom, Interpublic Deal Faces UK Enquiry

Britain's competition watchdog said Wednesday that it has decided to take an initial look at the approximately $13 billion merger of U.S.-based marketing communications giants Omnicom and Interpublic, as the mega-deal faces scrutiny in the U.S. as well.
May 07, 2025
Intellica Acquires Pensions Consultancy Cosan

Pensions technology consultancy Intellica Ltd. said on Wednesday that it has bought rival Cosan Consulting Ltd. in a bid to boost resources to address the challenges faced by the retirement savings sector.
May 07, 2025
FD Technologies Weighs £542M Approach From US PE Firm

British technology firm FD Technologies said Wednesday that it is likely to accept an approximately £541.6 million ($723.9 million) possible takeover offer from U.S. private equity firm TA Associates Management LP.
May 07, 2025
SoftwareOne Crosses Threshold In $1.4B IT Consultancy Buy

Swiss cloud technology company SoftwareOne Holding AG said Wednesday that it will be able to move ahead with its $1.4 billion takeover of Crayon Group after 91.6% of shareholders in the Norwegian company backed the deal.
May 07, 2025
Swedish Homes Developer In $10M Deal For Property Rights

JM AB said on Wednesday it has bought building rights for a residential development outside Helsinki for 99 million Swedish kronor ($10 million) after the Swedish housing developer recently reported a drop in revenue.
May 07, 2025
Accounting Firm MHA To Buy Baker Tilly Unit For €24M

Accounting company MHA PLC said Wednesday that it plans to buy the southeast Europe subsidiary of tax adviser Baker Tilly in a cash and shares deal worth up to €24 million ($27.3 million) as it eyes growth in the region.
May 07, 2025
Veolia To Take Ownership Of Water Manager In $1.75B Deal

French utility giant Veolia said Wednesday that it will buy the remaining 30% stake in its water management subsidiary from Canadian investment group CDPQ for $1.75 billion in a move to simplify its corporate structure.
May 06, 2025
Uber Paying $700M For Majority Stake In Turkey's Trendyol GO

Uber Technologies said Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire an 85% stake in Turkish online food and grocery delivery platform Trendyol GO for $700 million in cash, as it looks to strengthen its position in a fast-growing food and grocery delivery market.
May 06, 2025
Knights Continuing Expansion With £16.6M Birkett Long Buy

Knights Group Holdings PLC said Tuesday that it has struck a deal to acquire Birkett Long's law firm and financial advisory business for up to £16.6 million ($22.2 million) to continue its expansion in southeast England.
May 06, 2025
Polymers Firm Synthomer To Offload Chemistry Biz For £30M

Polymers specialist Synthomer PLC said Tuesday it has agreed to sell its inorganic chemistry business William Blythe Ltd. to the subsidiary's management team and investment firm H2 Equity Partners for £30 million ($40 million).
May 06, 2025
Lenz & Staehelin-Led Swiss Yarn Biz To Buy Rival For $864M

Swiss yarn manufacturer Rieter said Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire local rival Barmag for approximately 713 million Swiss francs ($864 million) to expand its natural and synthetic fiber business.
May 06, 2025
Freshfields-Led Fintech Alpha Snubs Bid From Payments Biz

U.K. financial services provider Alpha Group International PLC said Tuesday that it has "unanimously rejected" a takeover offer from Corpay Inc., an American business payments company.
May 06, 2025
Gallagher Boosts Turkish Operations With Aspera Buy

U.S. insurance giant Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. said Tuesday that it has acquired boutique Turkish broker Aspera to support its growth plans in the region, which it described as a "strategic insurance hub" between Asia and Europe.
May 06, 2025
Latham Leads DoorDash's £2.9B Bid For UK's Deliveroo

DoorDash said Tuesday that it has agreed to buy Deliveroo PLC in a £2.9 billion ($3.9 billion) transaction, making the rival food delivery business the latest group with a London Stock Exchange listing to be potentially taken over by a U.S. company.
May 06, 2025
AB Foods In Talks To Sell Kingsmill To Hovis Owner

Associated British Foods PLC said Tuesday that it is in talks to sell Allied Bakeries, a move that could lead to a kneading together of two leading bread brands.
May 02, 2025
Law Firm Can't Ax €213M Action Over Claim Form Blunders

A London court ruled Friday that an asset manager can amend its €213 million ($241 million) professional negligence claim against the London arm of an international law firm, as it would be unjust to strike out the action merely because the claim form had been prepared with "a remarkable lack of care."
May 02, 2025
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

This past week in London has seen Premier League football club Newcastle United FC sue the owner of the land next to its stadium, Laurence Fox face a defamation claim by TV presented Narinder Kaur and a further sexual assault claim filed against actor Kevin Spacey.
May 02, 2025
SPAC Pineapple Power Plans To Buy Australian Mining Co.

U.K. blank-check company Pineapple Power said Friday it has agreed to acquire Buffalo Battery Metals in an all-share transaction, in a deal giving the Australian mining company entry to London's main stock market and exploiting a rising demand for commodities.

Expert Analysis

What EU Changes To Dual Distribution Mean For Franchises

Following the European Commission’s adoption of the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation and accompanying vertical guidelines regarding dual distribution, which took effect this month, franchisors should examine their flow of information to and from franchisees to determine whether it must be restricted, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.
How ESG Matters Are Influencing M&A Due Diligence Trends

With a proliferation of environmental, social and governance-related regulatory developments and a desire to comply with best practice, ESG matters have become an increasingly important area of focus for both clients and advisers in M&A transactions, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.
Changes To UK Competition Rules Will Extend CMA Powers

Recent amendments to U.K. competition and consumer law regimes introduce changes to merger control and antitrust investigations that will result in the speedier resolution of cases and greater autonomy for the Competition and Markets Authority, say Bill Batchelor and Aurora Luoma at Skadden.