Survey Reveals Increased Acquirer Interest in Cross-Border Acquisitions
October 2005
The owners of even relatively small UK private companies can increasingly expect to have international buyers knocking at their doors - that is the conclusion of a new survey into the market for cross-border deals with values of between €5m and €150m.While Central and Eastern Europe are currently the areas of greatest geographic interest for international buyers and investors, the U.K. continues to stand out from the rest of Europe as the country in which they do most deals.
67% of the corporate executives and private equity professionals in the U.K., America, Continental Europe and Scandinavia who contributed to the survey are predicting an increase in mid market M & A activity – up from 55% when the survey was last undertaken by deal intelligence provider Mergermarket in April this year.
Even better news for shareholders: 49% of respondents believe that company valuations will increase over the next six months, with a further 38% predicting that values will stay the same.
Jeremy Furniss, partner at Livingstone Guarantee, says: “This survey is unique in its focus on the global mid-market and is in fact the only research to draw comparisons between corporate acquirers and the increasingly ambitious private equity community.
“The survey brings into sharp focus the factors that make Global M & A such a powerful advisory proposition for major corporates, private equity investors and successful entrepreneurs who think that their companies may be of interest to overseas buyers or backers.”
For further information on Global M&A and its partners visit www.globalma.com
A PDF of this survey can be downloaded free from this website. Please select publications, sector brochures.
Jeremy Furniss, partner
Tel: 020 7484 4703
Email: jeremy.furniss@livguarantee.com
