According to new research, UK-based companies carried out more mergers and acquisition activity over the course of 2013 than any other European country.
While 106 deals over the value of £610 million were finalised last year, 30 of them involved UK companies, the research, from professional services firm Towers Watson and Cass Business School, found. In contrast, countries such as Germany carried out just six M&A deals, with the Netherlands recording only seven deals over the course of 2013.
One area of M&A activity which did see a decline was the mega-deal sector, which includes deals worth more than £6 billion. Just four of these deals were struck over the course of last year, with none being announced in the last six months of the year, the first time such a thing has happened in three years.
Steve Allan, M&A practice leader (EMEA) at Towers Watson, told The Telegraph: “The UK has always been a major player in the European M&A market but this year we have seen that dominance really assert itself, both in terms of deal volumes and share price performance for acquiring companies.”
The M&A sector is tipped to improve further over the course of this year as the European political and economic backdrop continues to strengthen and growth forecasts follow an upward curve.