Mergers & Acquisitions in June 2016
The main talking point was the conclusion of Brookfield Property Partners’ acquisition of Center Parcs (UK) Group Ltd. The deal comes after the previous owner of Center Parcs, Blackstone, opted to sell the Nottinghamshire-based short-break holiday company rather than float it.
Although officially undisclosed, the Canadian investment group’s winning offer is believed to be around £2.4 billion, quadrupling the original investment made by Blackstone in 2006.
Center Parcs runs five holiday resorts throughout Britain, offering popular “activity breaks” which include sailing and horse riding alongside more relaxing spa packages. The business is expected to welcome more than 2,000,000 guests in 2016.
June also saw the £773.6m acquisition of LSE-listed Spirit Pub Company PLC by Greene King PLC.
Originally formed by Punch taverns in 1999, by 2013 Spirit Pub Company owned almost 800 branded, managed pubs throughout the UK and a further 452 leased pubs. Brands owned by Spirit include Chef & Brewer, Fayre & Square, Flaming Grill, John Barras and Original Pub Company as well as operating Wacky Warehouse and Good Night Inns.
The acquisition brings Greene King’s estate to over 3,000 pubs, making it the largest managed pub group in the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, a reported £512m deal saw Bright Food Group increase its stake in Weetabix Ltd from 60% to 100%, whilst ITV PLC acquired a 75% stake in Boom Supervisory PLC in a deal valued at around £65m