Midlands’ most active advisors revealed in Experian report

The Midlands experienced “robust” growth in M&A activity during 2024, according to the latest Experian M&A review

The Midlands saw 1,265 transactions, marking an 11% upturn from the 1,143 deals recorded in 2023 – this represented the highest number of transactions in the past decade.

This was reflected in deal value, which surged by 52% – from £8.3bn in 2023 to almost £12.6bn for 2024 – driven by an upturn in high-end deal activity.

The figures show there were two transactions valued at £6.6bn (Carlsberg’s acquisition of Britvic and Barratt’s takeover of Redrow), in comparison to a solitary deal worth £1bn recorded in 2023. Meanwhile, large deals remained steady, albeit with the value of those deals contracting to £4bn (a 9% reduction from £4.4bn in 2023). Corporate
bidders dominated the market in the Midlands, with acquisitions accounting for 73% of the market, with 924 deals – up from 2023, where 821 confirmed transactions represented a 72% share.

Legal adviser rankings

Financial adviser rankings:

Jane Turner, research manager, Experian MarketIQ, said: “After a subdued opening, our new figures show a welcome upturn in UK M&A activity in 2024, with stabilising interest rates and lower inflation fuelling an increase in strategic borrowing and deal volume accelerating as the year progressed. Businesses pressed hard to finalise transactions ahead of October’s Budget and heightened activity across a wide range of key sectors and metrics culminated in record-breaking deal volume in the final quarter.

“Meanwhile, a surge in high-value M&A continued throughout the year, with corporate bidders and private equity sponsors competing for top-tier assets, and we saw a string of public companies taken private in multi-billion-pound transactions – along with numerous big-ticket strategic deals in the financial services and telecoms space. Investment levels were also on the rise, especially in the UK’s booming technology sector, while on the sell-side, there were pleasing signs of stronger exit activity after a long lull.

“Looking forward, some uncertainties remain, and our initial figures suggest a relatively slow start to 2025. As ever, access to high-quality deal data remains of key importance in driving informed decisions – and lasting value – in the M&A space.”