Mergers & Acquisitions in January 2018
The highest value deal was the merger of British payment processing company Worldpay Group and Vantiv, their US rivals, in a deal worth £9.3 billion. The deal was planned and negotiated during 2017, with the final deal completed in January, in a bid to create a global payments powerhouse.
The new combined company will be called Worldpay Inc, and will trade on both the New York Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange. Co-chief Executive Philip Jansen said, ‘we expect our integration to be seamless for our clients and partners. With this new executive team, Charles [Charles Drucker, Co-chief Executive] and I look forward to creating and leading the world’s strongest global omni-commerce payments provider.’ This indicates the potential ease of transition for both companies, with their teams looking set to have a positive working relationship going forward.
Also, in another high value deal in January, Scientific Games Corporation announced their acquisition of NYX Gaming Group, in a deal valued at £408 million. The deal opens new opportunities within the gaming industry.
Scientific Games CEO said, ‘we will create a world leader in digital gaming and sports betting, a company with an unrivalled end-to-end product portfolio and an innovative driving force in the industry.’
Other high-profile deals included the acquisition of The Global Voucher Group, most commonly known for running MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, by GoCompare, and Refresco’s takeover of fellow soft drinks company Cott Beverages for £888 million.
For the first month of 2018, most sectors have seen large amounts of activity, from technology, to property, to the food and drink industry, the M&A activity in 2018 so far has been varied.
With high levels of activity across most sectors, and such an active start to 2018, now is an excellent time to begin considering progressing with a business sale.
You can use our free, online valuation calculator to determine the value of your company in today’s favourable market.