Member Article

I have spent the last few days in Paris with our colleagues from our international network – World Services Group. With professionals from more than 30 countries worldwide, it was a great opportunity to take the temperature of global M&A. Whilst Paris in spring is never to be sniffed at, a number of very positive themes emerged.

Confidence is growing across the globe - true, there remain a number of structural challenges but the same green shoots that have been taking hold in the UK over the last two years are now being seen across the world. Professionals are talking with real confidence about their volume of work and the appetite of acquirors to seek assets.

The UK remains an exceptionally attractive location for both buyers and sellers. The pre-eminent position of the UK has been hard fought and was again confirmed by the IMF this week. Colleagues from across the globe were keen to discuss both the appetite of UK plc to buy overseas but also were at pains to stress the appetite there is in their local markets for UK based businesses.

That funding is finally available - across the spectrum of banks, public markets and private equity funds there is an abundance of capital to support the right deals.

So, for the UK based business that is at a strategic crossroads, then the opportunities are plenty and varied. Strategic prices are there from trade players overseas just as they are in the UK. Equally for the ambitious expanding businesses, then the opportunities to expand are tangible. 

As I left my international colleagues to their weekends visiting the sites of Paris, there was a palpable sense of optimism.