Member Article

Overseas investment in the North West skyrockets in H1

Investment into North West-based companies in the first half of 2017 has surged compared to the same time last year with inbound deals nearly trebling according to Deloitte.

Major acquisitions including Element Materials Technology BV £620m deal for Salford-based Exova Group have driven a total increase to £1.1bn up from £305m in 2016 according to Deloitte’s Cross Border Deals Radar.

The total number of transactions in the region were also up, rising to 25 from 21 last year which has seen the average deal value skyrocket to £46m, a near threefold increase year-on-year.

Deloitte registered deals from across the globe, but US firms were particularly active in the period, representing ten transactions in H1, with European businesses contributing nine deals and five coming from Asian companies

John Breheny, director at Deloitte in the North West, said: “These findings highlight that North West assets are still considered among the most valuable around the world, with a strong split of acquirers across Europe, Asia and North America.

“In particular, the US/UK deal corridor has proven to be extremely lucrative in recent years, and it is unsurprising that technology, media and telecoms businesses are those most frequently targeted – a sector in which the North West excels.”

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