- The M&A lead advisory team across East Anglia and the Midlands completed 189 deals in 2021. This was an increase of 70% on 2020, accounting for 43% of overall corporate finance transactions across the firm
- An overwhelming 91% of transactions across the regions involved private equity (PE)
- In total, BDO LLP completed 435 corporate finance deals with a combined value of £46 billion in 2021
- Globally, BDO advised on 2,020 deals with a total value of $129bn in 2021. This was a 39% increase in deal volume from 2020 and 3x uplift in deal value.
BDO LLP has advised on 189 corporate finance deals across East Anglia and the Midlands in 2021, with the firm completing more than 400 corporate finance deals nationwide last year totalling £46 billion.
Transactions which involved private equity accounted for an overwhelming 91% of the deals completed, as the regions continued to rebound following the disruption of 2020.
Regional deals, which were up 70% on transactions in 2020 and accounted for 43% of overall corporate finance transactions across the firm, spanned a wide range of sectors. Healthcare & education was the dominant sector by value and volume across the regions, as well as technology & media and retail & consumer.
High-profile deals included the investment by Livingbridge into Cambridge based technology business Real VNC; the MBO of Norfolk based packaging business Southgate Global backed by Rutland Partners; and the sale of Suffolk based GAH to Swedish technology investor Sdiptech.
In the listed space, BDO continued to establish itself as the leading AIM adviser and reporting accountant for IPOs, with the market ripe with IPO opportunities as another avenue of fundraising for corporates.
John Gethen, M&A director at BDO in East Anglia, said: “The regional marketplace has remained very much open for business in 2021, as highly scaleable businesses have continued to pull on the purse strings of eager investors, with private equity funds, in particular, happily pouring funds into exciting and fast-growth sectors.
“With a strong deals pipeline across the firm for 2022, there’s little sign of market activity dying down, or investor appetite waning any time soon. For ambitious businesses, this presents a perfect opportunity to accelerate their growth plans and capitalise on exceptional market conditions.”
There has been strong activity across the UK as businesses continue to rethink their ambitions and go for growth. In total, BDO LLP has completed 435 corporate finance deals with a combined value of £46 billion in 2021. Globally, the firm advised on 2,020 deals with a total value of $129bn in 2021. This was a 39% increase in deal volume from 2020 and 3x uplift in deal value. More than half (57%) of BDO’s 2021 deals were cross-border.
Vinod Patel, Transaction Services Director at BDO East Anglia, said: “2021 has been a remarkable year for dealmakers and activity has been underpinned by the resilience and ambition of the UK’s entrepreneurial businesses. Our private equity experience meant we were well placed as activity in the UK market in 2021 reached levels not seen since before the global financial crisis. We’ve seen exceptional deal values and volumes across sectors including technology and media, which continues to be one of the fastest growing areas of M&A activity for the firm.”