1813 Club and Premier Members
Region boasts buoyant year for acquisitions
A new survey by a Midlands-based accountant and business advisor has found that mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in the region has remained strong. The survey, by Smith Cooper,
found that 68 per cent of professionals and private shareholders expected activity to increase or remain unchanged during the next three months. This level of optimism is against a backdrop of economic uncertainty. Smith Cooper said that the
findings from the survey suggest that corporates and professionals based in the East Midlands are currently the most enthusiastic about future levels of M&A activity. This is in stark contrast to the
results yielded in the same survey last time, when the West Midlands was by the far more optimistic region. Smith Cooper said that 2017 had
been a buoyant year for dealmakers in the UK. Low interest rates, access to capital, a weakening currency and a pickup
Darren Hodson
in growth had combined to create a ‘flurry of activity’ throughout the year. The Midlands enjoyed the
biggest increase in deal activity in the UK, and was recently placed third in the UK and Ireland for value of deals completed. Smith Cooper corporate finance
partner Darren Hodson said: “The overwhelming response from our survey was that 68 per cent of
respondents expected deal volumes to increase or not to change, while a further 80 per cent anticipate either an increase or no change in the availability of UK debt. While sentiment has softened from our last survey, it still highlights how vibrant the M&A market is.
‘Business owners and professionals alike are more cautious about the prospects of M&A activity in 2018’
“However, it is clear that
business owners and professionals alike are more cautious about the prospects of M&A activity in 2018. This does not seem to be specifically in relation to Brexit nor availability of debt, where sentiment remains largely unchanged. It appears that this is down to prospects in the general economy.”
Multiple award wins for AFL Architects
AFL Architects, with offices in Birmingham, Manchester, London and Doha, has won a number of awards for its international project work and technical design achievements. In recognition of AFL’s significant
international growth in 2017, enabled by successes with clients in Turkey, Qatar, China and Turkmenistan, the practice has recently achieved 14th place in The Sunday Times SME Export Track 100 list. The firm has also won an Insider
International Trade award for excellence and innovation, and the Rising Star award at the Department of International Trade’s Greater China Awards. AFL director Stephen Stock said:
“These awards recognise that AFL is at a critical point in our growth as a business and our extension into the international business arena. The judges identified our key USP as a business – that of design excellence across the sports, health, residential and commercial sectors, and how the interlinking of these disciplines can lead to world-class innovation, particularly in the delivery of major sporting events and mixed use regenerative masterplans.”
April 2018 CHAMBERLINK 33
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