Member Article

Leeds law firm predicts further rise in Yorkshire deals activity after 14% increase

Yorkshire saw a marked improvement in transactions in 2013, and Leeds law firm Addleshaw Goddard has predicted this will only increase.

According to the latest research from Experian Corpfin, 365 merger and acquisitions were completed last year, an increase of 14% on 2012.

The value of deals in the region also increased, from £2.57bn in 2012 to £2.95bn last year.

Addleshaw Goddard said the upturn in deal activity pointed towards increased confidence amongst business owners, advisors and funders, including private equity players.

Yunus Seedat, Addleshaw Goddard’s head of private equity, said: “The increased number of deals transacted in the Yorkshire region in 2013 is extremely encouraging.

“We expect manufacturing to continue to be a key driver of M&A activity this year. The manufacturing sector continues to be attractive to private equity players who are spotting opportunities to add value.

“Coupled with the continuing economic recovery, renewed optimism and better access to funding growing businesses across many sectors will undoubtedly be the target of buyers in 2014.

“Indeed, Addleshaw Goddard is seeing a strong pipeline of activity levels across a full range of deal size, sectors and markets.”

According to the research, the manufacturing industry was the principal driver of deal volumes in Yorkshire during 2013, accounting for more than 43% of all transactions by target activity.

The next most active sectors were professional and business activities.

Addleshaw Goddard’s private equity team advised on a number of major deals in 2013 including the management buy-out of Leeds-based Allied Glass and NorthEdge Capital’s £25.5m investment in Fine Industries, a Teesside-based manufacturer of chemicals.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .