Birmingham Post

£2.6bn buyout moves reflect bouyant market

- Tamlyn Jones

THE West Midlands has seen the highest number of management buyout deals since 2011 – and the highest average deal value since 2007.

There were 22 deals in 2017 in the region, up from 14 in 2016, with the average value up from £36.9 million last year to £119.5 million in 2017.

The total value at £2.6 billion is the third highest since records began in 1985.

The preliminar­y figures are based on data published by the Centre for Management Buyout Research (CMBOR) at Imperial College Business School, sponsored by Equistone Partners Europe and Investec Specialist Bank.

The research reveals there were 16 buy-ins and six buyouts, reflecting a trend since 2005 where the number of buy-ins has consistent­ly exceeded the number of buyouts.

High-profile deals in the West Midlands included the acquisitio­n of Punch Taverns by Patron Capital in a deal valued at £1.8 billion, the purchase of Kiddermins­ter-based Brintons Carpets by Argand Partners and Equistone Partners Europe’s majority investment in Birmingham-based technology-led marketing company Inspired Thinking Group. Manufac- turing once again dominated the field with eight deals in 2017, up from six in 2016, followed by four deals in technology, media and telecommun­ications and three in business and support services.

Reflecting the Punch Taverns transactio­n, leisure had the highest sector value with manufactur­ing coming in second at nearly £500 million. The West Midlands saw a small decline in the number of exits from 17 in 2016 to 14 in 2017.

Secondary buy-outs were the most popular exit route with nine deals recorded in 2017 but trade sales were down from nine in 2016 to four in 2017.

Nationally, there were 181 deals recorded in 2017, down from 188 in 2016, but with deal values nearly doubling from £11.8 billion to £23.8 billion in 2017. Average deal sizes were up at £131.5 million, back to their 2007 peak, and the second half of 2017 was particular­ly strong.

Phil Griesbach, partner at Equistone Partners Europe’s Birmingham office, said: “The Midlands has had an excellent year and, while it was dominated by a single deal approachin­g £2 billion, the core market up to £100 million was particular­ly buoyant, with 19 of the 22 deals in that bracket.

“We have had a busy time since the summer and expect 2018 to pick up where 2017 ended, with a good number of quality businesses expected to come to the market.”

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