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Worldwide mergers and acquisition activity will hit £2.4 trillion ($3.2 trillion) next year, as deal-making is elevated on an increasing global economic tide, according to recent forecasts. Investors are feeling “increasingly confident” due to a spike in global trade and GDP development across most of the world, according to research by law firm Baker McKenzie and consultants Oxford Economics. 2018 will mark a “cyclical peak” for numerous macroeconomic and financial deal drivers,… Read More
Benchmark International is pleased to announce that a deal between Levy Brothers & Knowles Limited (LBK) to NNZ has been agreed. LBK Packaging has been established since 1831 and as one of the UK’s leading independent packaging suppliers, they offer a full range of flexible packaging products from their bases in Liverpool and Glasgow. LBK’s packaging is compliant with all EU food packaging regulations, and their experienced sales team is always on… Read More
Benchmark International is pleased to announce the sale of Topcrete Limited (inc Allen Concrete Limited) to SigmaRoc for a total deal value of £17.1m (including assets extracted by the sellers totalling £4.6m. SigmaRoc Plc is an AIM listed company that invests in and operates new and existing construction material assets, in places where opportunity is greatest. Chairman David Barrett said: “We are very pleased to welcome Allen Concrete to the SigmaRoc… Read More
ROC Northwest are a residential care, domiciliary care and educational care service provider for young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, learning, physical disabilities and complex needs with associated challenging behaviour and young people with SEBD. Community inclusion and participation enhance and enrich young people’s lives both educationally and socially. ROC offer exceptional, individual quality environments that put young people at the centre of the programmes they operate. Speaking about the deal, Benchmark… Read More
RPC, the international design and engineering company, has cited recent acquisitions in the last financial year as key factor in its profits more than doubling. Established in 1991, the UK-based specialist in polymer conversion in packaging and non-packaging markets has spent in excess of £1.3 billion on acquisitions since December 2015, which grew revenues by 67 per cent to £2.7 billion in the year to March 31. Recent acquisitions of French bottle-top… Read More
A Manchester-based M&A specialist has expanded into South Africa with the opening of an office in Cape Town. Benchmark International already has a significant presence in both the UK and North America, with its original Manchester base having been joined by offices in Oxford, New York, Tampa, Austin and Nashville. Its Cape Town office will be headed up by Andre Bresler and Dustin Graham. Bresler, South Africa managing director, said: “This is a… Read More
American computing giant Microsoft continues to expand its acquisitions of Israeli-based software companies, with a reported $100 million deal for cybersecurity start-up Hexadite. Founded in Tel Aviv and now based out of Boston MA, Hexadite deals in cyberattacks and mitigating damage to systems through machine learning, which helps its clients increase productivity and reduce costs. The software can easily be added to existing firewall solutions, making it simple for Microsoft to integrate… Read More
According to a recent report, UK companies are braced for a surge in deal-making this year, as executives prepare their businesses for life away from the European Union. Accountancy juggernaut Ernst & Young found that 51% of UK firms expect to actively pursue mergers and acquisitions within the next 12 months, a rise of three percent from October 2016, but slightly lagging behind the global figure of 56%. Despite the backdrop of… Read More
After several weeks of speculation, it has been announced that global lab testing specialist Exova has accepted an all-cash takeover from its industry rival Element Materials Technology Group. The deal, worth a reported £620 million, will see Element pay £2.40 per share to all investors in Exova. This represents a 10.7 per cent premium to the stock’s closing price on March 24 before Exova entered into discussions with potential buyers. It was… Read More
Phillip Hammond of the British Conservative Party has delivered his first budget, outlining the governments plans for both the economy and public finances. We at Benchmark International have put together a summary of all this, highlighting the most important points and explaining just what kind of impact they will have on the average taxpayer. As of April 2017 – new announcements: Package of measures to give some relief to small businesses who… Read More
The announcement in December of last year that Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox was positioned for a full takeover of Sky was hardly one of the most popular deal announcements of 2016, and most certainly the least surprising. The £11.7bn bid has proved to be a contentious one, and Murdoch and co. have now reached one of their first major hurdles in the deal process in the form of competition authorities. Fox… Read More
Sky has reached an agreement on the terms of a full takeover from Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox. The deal has been met with controversy since rumours first began circulating, however both parties have now agreed that Fox will pay £11.7bn for the 61 per cent stake in Sky that it does not already own, valuing the FTSE 100 company at £19bn. The acquisition will combine Fox’s film and television influence with… Read More
Benchmark International is pleased to announce that a deal has been agreed for the sale of Headland Services Limited to OASIS Group. Based in Devon, Headland Services Limited provides storage of confidential archive material, confidential data & document destruction services, throughout the south west for a wide range of high profile organisations, including charities, legal firms, universities & colleges. The company’s services extends to confidential shredding, the installation of confidential shredding cabinets,… Read More
Siccar Point Energy, an exploration and pipelining company based in Aberdeen and backed by private-equity, have pulled off a significant deal to acquire OMV’s North Sea interests. The $1bn deal is estimated to be the largest for the offshore energy industry in the UK, following the severe drop in crude prices. This is the second significant deal of the year that the highly acquisitive firm has made in the North Sea. The… Read More
October was a fantastic month for Benchmark International and we are proud to announce that our teams in the UK and US have completed deals with an overall, combined transaction value of $160,000,000. With 60 deals completed in the UK and US across Q1, 2 & 3, there are no signs of slowing down as we continue to successfully manage mergers and acquisitions on our clients’ behalf. The Deals: Warkentine Inc. (DBA Computer RX) to… Read More
Despite uncertainty surrounding Britain’s decision to leave the European Union in June, the British Fintech sector continues to grow and a flurry of M&A activity made last month one of the sector’s busiest months yet. The surge we saw in August comes on the back of what was a somewhat disappointing period directly following the Brexit vote. In July, only one deal of more than £100m in value was announced, in comparison… Read More
The reported record levels of profit generated in the global recruitment sector in the last few years has worked as a catalyst for high levels of M&A activity. The great news for recruitment is that this appetite looks set to continue as we approach the final quarter of 2016. Unsurprisingly, recent deals that have made the headlines have come from the major players in the market. August saw Randstad reveal its plans… Read More
Benchmark International is pleased to announce that a deal has been agreed for the sale of LTC Services Limited to Russell Taylor Group. Formed over 14 years ago and based in Blackburn, Lancashire; LTC Services Limited have grown to become a trusted employment and recruitment consultant. The company specialise in helping individuals getting onto the recruitment ladder and in permanent employment. Founded in 2005, Russell Taylor Group Ltd has been growing steadily,… Read More