Leicester accountancy firm named UK’s leading deals adviser

Accountancy firm Grant Thornton UK, which has its East Midlands office in Leicester, has been ranked as the UK’s number one financial adviser by volume, in the latest Experian MarketIQ M&A Review.

Nationally, the firm’s corporate finance team was involved in a total of 165 publicly disclosed deals, and 179 transactions overall, in the 2017 calendar year with a total transaction value of £5.5bn. This represents a 25% increase in the volume of completed transactions over 2016 for the M&A team, with an average transaction value of £31m.

Of these transactions, over a quarter (26%) were cross-border deals, highlighting the continued interest from international firms in gaining a foothold in the UK and the continued drive to develop international markets. One third (33%) of transactions involved private equity (PE) backing – an increase of 28% on the previous year – demonstrating the continued resilience of the PE market and the significant level of ‘dry powder’ for investment.

The Experian MarketIQ M&A Review also recognises Grant Thornton’s regional presence, placing the firm in second place for the volume of deals, with the Midlands’ team advising on a total of 28 transactions.

Mustafa Abdulhusein, who leads the East Midlands’ advisory team for Grant Thornton, said: “Whilst the overall deal market experienced some economic and political headwinds, 2017 was a very busy and exciting year for our team. The total number of deal completions in the UK market was down by up to 10%, but we delivered a 25% increase in the number of deals closed by our national Corporate Finance Advisory team. The level of liquidity in equity, debt and public markets and the continued appetite of international corporates for quality UK assets provides a strong underpin for deal activity into 2018.

“Our deal track record reflects the significant progress we are making in growing our market share and the quality of our mandates. The combination of our deep sector expertise, local relationships, international reach and a joined-up proposition across all aspects of the deal is really resonating in the market. We are entering 2018 on a very strong footing and are well positioned for further growth this year.”