M&A activity hits £141bn

THE total value of British mergers, acquisitions, flotations, rights issues and share placings soared by 29 per cent to £141 billion in the first half of the year, according to a report published today.

The jump was driven by an increase in the number of deals worth £1bn or more, with 24 such transactions taking place, 16 of which involved foreign firms buying UK assets, such as Chinese giant Bright Food’s acquisition of Weetabix.

The volume of deals fell from 2,339 in the first half of 2011 to 2,084 in the opening months of this year, mirroring a world-wide trend, according to credit reference agency Experian, which compiled the latest figures. In Scotland, the total value of deals leapt to £10.8bn from £5.9bn, with the number of transactions rising to 176 from 171.