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Transactions UK
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May 14, 2024
PE Trust Eyes German Fiber-Optic Growth With £19M Stake
Oakley Capital Investments said on Tuesday that an associated fund will buy a majority stake in German broadband platform and planner Vitroconnect for up to £19 million ($23.8 million), as the U.K. company seeks to cash in on Germany's move to fiber-optic internet.
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May 14, 2024
Freshfields Guides Uber In Food Delivery Biz Buy For $950M
Uber said Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire food delivery business Foodpanda in Taiwan from Delivery Hero, a German operator, for $950 million to complement its Uber Eats food delivery unit in one of the biggest international deals in the Asian country.
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May 14, 2024
Logistics Investor Tritax Sells Swedish Assets For $35M
Tritax EuroBox PLC said on Tuesday it will sell a warehouse in Gothenburg for 385 million Swedish kronor ($35.5 million) to repay debt and free up cash for reinvestment.
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May 14, 2024
UK Considers Fixes To Utility's £89M Water Biz Deal
Britain's antitrust authority said on Tuesday that it could accept solutions set out by the Pennon Group to alleviate competition concerns about the utility company's proposed purchase of a rival operator for approximately £89 million ($112 million).
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May 14, 2024
Anglo American To Offload Vital Assets As BHP Lays Siege
Anglo American PLC said Tuesday that it plans to sell or spin off its diamond, platinum and coal assets in a corporate restructuring aimed at boosting value for shareholders, as the British mining giant fends off a £34 billion ($43 billion) takeover bid from Australian rival BHP Group Ltd.
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May 13, 2024
Irked Autonomy Judge Vents On HP Fraud Trial's Slow Pace
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer on Monday blasted lawyers for the government and two former Autonomy Corp. PLC executives in a criminal fraud case over the trial's slow progress, saying he's "annoyed," but also "complicit" because he "did not take more of a controlling posture."
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May 13, 2024
Online Slot Machine Co. Games Global Scraps $254M US IPO
Games Global, a developer of online betting and casino games, pulled its plans for an initial public offering Monday, citing market conditions, just one day before the U.K.-based company expected to raise about $254 million in a U.S. listing.
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May 13, 2024
JP Morgan Battles Viva Wallet Founder Over Buyout Value
J.P. Morgan International Finance Ltd. urged a London judge Monday to reject a payment company's "nonsensical" case over the investment bank's option to buy out its partner's stake in a joint venture fintech business.
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May 13, 2024
Anglo American Rebuffs Improved £34B BHP Takeover Offer
British miner Anglo American PLC said Monday that it has rejected a revised £34 billion ($42.7 billion) takeover bid by Australian heavyweight rival BHP Group Ltd., saying that the increased offer "significantly undervalues" the company.
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May 13, 2024
Real Estate Giant Buys 6 Student Housing Blocks For £184M
PGIM Real Estate said Monday that it has bought six college student property blocks in the U.K. from the developer, Unite, for £184 million ($230 million), as the U.S. property investor looks to profit from growing housing demand from universities.
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May 13, 2024
Simpson Thacher-Led EQT Bids $1.5B For Wind Energy Biz
European private equity giant EQT said Monday that it has offered to acquire wind energy developer OX2 for approximately 16.35 million Swedish krona ($1.5 billion) in a deal guided by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, Gernandt & Danielsson and Vinge KB.
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May 13, 2024
Skadden Guides Squarespace On $6.9B Go-Private Deal
Squarespace Inc. said Monday it has agreed to a $6.9 billion buyout by private equity firm Permira, with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP serving as lead counsel to the website building company and at least six additional firms guiding the various parties.
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May 13, 2024
Biz Adviser FRP Buys UK Risk Manager For £8.4M
FRP Advisory said on Monday that it has bought commercial finance and risk manager Hilton-Baird for approximately £8.4 million ($10.5 million) in a cash and shares transaction, as the U.K. business consultancy eyes greater European expansion.
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May 13, 2024
French Retailer Casino Sells 10.15% Stake In Renewables Biz
French retail chain Casino said on Monday that it has sold its 10.15% remaining stake in renewables company GreenYellow SAS for €46 million ($50 million) to Ardian, a private equity company, and state-backed investment bank Bpifrance.
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May 13, 2024
BetCity Says €850M Buyout Was Good Value Despite Inquiries
The former owners of online sports betting operator BetCity admit that they breached some of the terms from Entain's €850 million ($920 million) buyout, but have argued that the gambling giant knew of the investigations and failed to seek a better deal.
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May 13, 2024
Advertising Agency Group Snubs £26.8M Offer From Rival
The Mission Group PLC said Monday that its board has rejected an "opportunistic" offer of £26.8 million ($33.6 million) from an advertising rival, Brave Bison Group PLC, because it "significantly undervalues the group and its prospects."
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May 10, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
The past week in London has seen Playtech file an intellectual property claim against online casino company OnAir Entertainment amid allegations of corporate spying, a broadcast equipment company sue its former owner amid allegations he conspired to inflate a customer’s finances, and aerospace company Vertical Aerospace hit a manufacturer with a claim following a test flight crash. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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May 10, 2024
UK Opens Probe Into Thermo Fisher's $3.1B Olink Buy
Britain's competition watchdog said it is opening an inquiry into Thermo Fisher's $3.1 billion bid to buy Swedish biotech firm Olink Holding AB over competition concerns, according to an official notice issued Friday.
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May 10, 2024
Medical Tech Biz To Raise £6M In Equity
Medical technology company Genedrive said Friday it is looking to raise a total of approximately £6 million ($7.5 million) in equity through different offerings by selling its shares at a big discount.
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May 10, 2024
Digital Platform Xtribe To Go Public Via $141M SPAC Merger
Technology-driven marketplace company Xtribe PLC, advised by Cozen O'Connor PC, has announced plans to go public via a merger with Haynes and Boone LLP-led special-purpose acquisition company WinVest Acquisition Corp. in a deal that values Xtribe at an implied equity value of $141 million.
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May 10, 2024
Climate Control Co. Favors Apollo-Backed €392M Buyout Bid
European climate control specialist Purmo said on Friday its board intends to recommend its purchase by a special purpose vehicle indirectly owned by U.S. private equity giant Apollo Global Management and Rettig, a Finnish investment company, for approximately €392 million ($422 million or £337.5 million).
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May 10, 2024
Burges Salmon Steers £100M Pension Deal For Rathbones
Insurer Canada Life said it has completed a £100 million ($125.1 million) buy-in with the pension schemes of investment and wealth management company Rathbones Group PLC, in a deal steered by Burges Salmon LLP.
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May 10, 2024
Building Materials Biz To Return Further $300M To Investors
CRH PLC on Friday rolled out a new chunk worth up to $300 million of its ongoing share repurchase program as the construction materials manufacturer seeks to reduce its outstanding share capital and to reward investors.
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May 10, 2024
London SPAC To Buy AI Biz Cykel In £19M Deal
London-based blank-check company Mustang Energy PLC said Friday that it has agreed to acquire artificial intelligence software developer Cykel AI PLC for approximately £19.2 million ($24 million) in an all-share deal after months of negotiations.
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May 10, 2024
Sanofi, Novavax Sign $1.2B Deal For One-Shot COVID, Flu Jab
Sanofi and U.S. vaccine developer Novavax Inc. said on Friday that the French pharmaceutical company has bought a co-exclusive licensing agreement worth up to $1.2 billion, part of a collaboration to create a combined global COVID-19 and influenza shot.
Expert Analysis
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Series
My Favorite Law Prof: How I Learned To Argue Open-Mindedly
Queens College President Frank Wu reflects on how Yale Kamisar’s teaching and guidance at the University of Michigan Law School emphasized a capacity to engage with alternative worldviews and the importance of the ability to argue for both sides of a debate.
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New Clarity On Directors' Creditor Duty In Insolvency Context
The recent case of BTI 2014 v. Sequana, the first to consider the creditor duty at U.K. Supreme Court level, provides directors and insolvency practitioners with significant guidance on how close to insolvency the company needs to be for the creditor duty to be engaged, say attorneys at Shearman.
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German Draft Bill Reflects Trend Toward New Antitrust Tools
A recently proposed amendment to the German Act against Restraints on Competition continues the trend in Europe to equip authorities with greater powers, shifting from a more traditional approach to a more extensive market protection tool, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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How COVID, Supply Chain Woes Are Fueling Air Cargo M&A
The pandemic has triggered a shift in the air cargo market, with supply chain issues and demand for expedited service attracting new investment — and M&A interest will likely continue, even as inflation and other factors damp enthusiasm, say Solange Leandro and Alison Weal at Watson Farley.
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What To Expect From A Simplified EU Merger Control System
The European Commission’s draft amendments to the EU merger control system, expected to be formally adopted shortly, reduce its administrative burden and expand the scope of the simplified procedure to additional categories of transactions, providing a welcome development for companies and their advisers, say Axel Gutermuth and Lukas Šimas at Arnold & Porter.
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How The Pandemic And UK Security Law Are Changing Deals
Deal makers must consider how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped the approach to material adverse change provisions in the U.K. and U.S., and how the new U.K. National Security and Investment Act regime will affect investors across the globe seeking to acquire material influence in a U.K. company, say attorneys at Covington.
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3 Foreign Investment Issues Affecting Cross-Border Deals
Now more than ever, managing the increasingly complex foreign direct investment considerations for successfully completing cross-border transactions requires parties to be attentive to the evolving regulatory landscape, particularly in the U.K. and EU, say Chase Kaniecki and William Dawley at Cleary.
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A Review Of The New UK Financial Services And Markets Bill
In revoking retained EU law and replacing it with U.K.-specific legislation, the new Financial Services and Markets Bill should mean a less cumbersome and more accessible regulatory regime than the existing patchwork of requirements, with provisions that address consumers’ concerns that they were not adequately protected, say attorneys at Ashurst.
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Tracking The Global Move Toward Tighter Mergers Scrutiny
The recent merger control case of Vivendi and Lagardère in France is indicative of a global trend of competition authorities applying stricter standards to concentrations and pursuing an increasingly aggressive enforcement agenda, particularly in the media sector, says Jérémie Marthan at White & Case.
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Dutch Merger May Promote Behavioral Remedies Across EU
A Dutch tribunal's recent clearing of the Sanoma-Iddink deal might further encourage merging parties in the EU to offer — and government agencies to accept — behavioral remedies, which was rarer when more emphasis was put on divestments, says Robert Hardy at Greenberg Traurig.
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Proposed Foreign Subsidy Regulation Has Political Overtones
The European Commission's proposed Foreign Subsidies Regulation aims to prevent subsidies that have a distortive effect on competition from being granted to foreign companies, but in directing it against governments that use companies to extend their influence in the EU, the implications are clearly political, say Lena Sandberg and Yannis Ioannidis at Gibson Dunn.
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Early Trends In UK National Security Reviews Of Transactions
The U.K.'s move to block an intellectual property deal between Beijing Infinite Vision Technology and the University of Manchester — the first such prohibition under the recently implemented National Security and Investment Act — is part of a growing body of published decisions that provides useful lessons on achieving prompt security clearance, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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Guidance Notes Offer Insight On UK National Security Regime
The U.K. government recently published long-awaited market guidance notes that add a greater level of transparency regarding the national security and investment regime, providing welcome guidance to businesses and their legal advisers on submitting transaction notifications, say attorneys at Cooley.
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Ruling On EU Commission Merger Reviews Signifies U-Turn
In validating the European Commission's new policy of using Merger Regulation Article 22 to review cases that do not qualify under the merger control rules of the requesting member state, the General Court has demonstrated that the EU is prepared to move the goal posts on well-established commission policy, say attorneys at King & Spalding.
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Where New UK And EU Vertical Agreements Rules Diverge
The lack of alignment between new EU and U.K. rules on vertical agreements is likely to present challenges to multinational businesses, and it would be prudent for legal advisers and companies to bear in mind the most stringent obligations of both, says Robert Bell at Armstrong Teasdale.