We are delighted to announce we have taken the top spot in a league table of the most active corporate finance advisers in the South West.
With 209 recorded transactions in 2018, 46 of which were in the South West region, Hazlewoods is number one in the latest Experian M&A report.
The Experian report announced that, despite economic uncertainty, it was a bumper year for the UK M&A market, with an upturn of 2.3% on the number of transactions announced in 2017. Trade acquirers are continuing to make acquisitions to consolidate growth, whilst Private Equity firms continue to seek quality investee companies to deliver returns on capital.
In the 12 months to 31 December 2018, Hazlewoods Corporate Finance team advised on a record number of deals with a combined value of £851 million, an increase in both volume and value on the previous year, leading to an expansion of the Corporate Finance team to 30.
Corporate Finance Partner, Paul Fussell, said: “The volume of completed deals shows that the market is holding up well against a backdrop of uncertainty around the nature and timing of Britain’s departure from the EU. Current signs are that business activity is set to continue, with the number of enquiries indicating that 2019 will be another strong year.”
The South West M&A market remained strong last year, accounting for 6.6% of all deals nationally in 2018. Last year a total of 498 transactions were completed in the region with a value of £5.2 billion.
To read the full United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland M&A review from Experian, click here.