Q4 I QUARTERLY HIGHLIGHTS
Insights to help you adjust your strategic vision and create value beyond the deal
The COVID crisis has taught us that now, more than ever, a thorough review and adaptation of a company’s overall strategy (and M&A strategy) is key to its survival.
Against a backdrop of continuing disruption resulting from the pandemic, we witnessed record M&A activity in the last quarter of 2021 – and this is set to continue well into 2022 with high deal volumes, fierce competition and no shortage of motivated buyers and sellers in the market.
This surging demand and increased competition makes it necessary to be as well-informed as possible, so you can act quickly when opportunities arise that tick the boxes to support your overall strategy.
If you are a business owner or CEO looking for additional support, we have the professional resources to enable you to position your company for growth.
Today, we want to share with you how we have collaborated closely — across borders, teams, industries and markets — to help entrepreneurs and companies get a grip on the current situation and reach their full potential.
Global deal highlights
BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICES I PRIVATE EQUITY I Triple deal creates leading French IP law firm
Oaklins’ team in France acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Ipside’s shareholders, led by chairman Christophe Cornuejols. This included negotiating with the shareholders of Santarelli and Brevalex about the merger, and finding a new PE firm willing to replace the existing one, as well as the right lenders to finance these multiple transactions. The team structured and executed a process to address these challenges, leading to a successful transaction within four months. Read more.
TMT I The largest remaining independent book publisher achieves a robust valuation and secures company legacy
One of Oaklins’ TMT teams in New York acted as the exclusive financial advisor to the seller in this transaction. WPC was the largest independent publisher that had not yet been acquired by one of the bigger publishing houses. Read more.
PRIVATE EQUITY I TMT I Creating the European champion in the IoT market
Oaklins’ team in Germany acted as advisor to the sellers. The team’s knowledge of the company and a personal relationship with the founders and Afinum, from the previous buyout process in 2017, were crucial in successfully closing the transaction in a short time frame. Read more.
AUTOMOTIVE I PRIVATE EQUITY I TMT I A fast track to leadership in SaaS solutions for the automotive industry
Oaklins’ team in Italy advised the buyer in this transaction, from the initial scouting of opportunities to the negotiation with the seller, while the team in France introduced Bee2Link, which was eager to grow through acquisitions in southern Europe. Another success story grounded in the cooperation between Oaklins’ teams. Read more.
FINANCIAL SERVICES I Going global to deliver a broader set of payment solutions
Sentenial Group and its open banking brand Nuapay, a leading end-to-end payments platform specialized in account-2-account transactions, have been sold to EML Payments. The preparation phase was key for the Oaklins Cavendish team, based in the UK, to ensure that they had a thorough and detailed understanding of the business and the open banking market. Read more.
CONSUMER & RETAIL I International investment in Poland’s cosmetics e-commerce sector
Oaklins’ team in Poland advised Hubert Góreckithe (founder and owner of SHOKO Sp. z o.o.), identified potential investors and led the transaction process until closing. Oaklins’ team in Germany identified and approached the buyer and worked closely with them throughout the process. Read more.
TMT I Building a portfolio to meet sales teams’ needs
Oaklins’ team in Australia is pleased to have acted as corporate advisor, joint lead manager and underwriter to Bigtincan on its recent transaction. Read more.
TMT I Getting ahead in the sustainable green building revolution
Oaklins’ team in the Netherlands acted as the exclusive sell-side advisor to the shareholders of Vabi, supported by Oaklins’ team in Sweden. Read more.
CONSUMER & RETAIL I PRIVATE EQUITY I Perfect alignment between UK’s largest independent home services company and global franchisor
Oaklins Cavendish, based in the UK, advised Pimlico on the sale to Neighborly. The team gained a thorough understanding of the business through a comprehensive preparation stage. This enabled them to position Pimlico as a trusted premium brand with a highly differentiated customer proposition, all underpinned by robust financial and market fundamentals. Read more.
FOOD & BEVERAGE I PRIVATE EQUITY I Leading pinsa producer on the verge of international expansion
Oaklins’ team in Italy acted as the exclusive financial advisor for the sellers in this transaction. The private shareholders of Pinsalab S.r.l. have sold the company to Deutsche Invest Capital Solutions GmbH. Read more.
Global insights publications, events and articles
INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY & COMPONENTS I Robotics report
AN UPDATE ON THE M&A MARKET: Our latest Robotics report explores how this new reality is playing out in areas such as warehousing and material handling, which particularly favor collaborative robots (cobots), and consumer electronics. M&A activity has benefitted from this situation, and 2021 saw a rise in transactions compared to 2020. Read more.
Cross-border M&A on the rise, new study finds
PULSE SURVEY – HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW ANALYTIC SERVICES: For all the recent talk about reshoring and localization, mid-market companies continue to emphasize global deals amid one of the most active M&A markets in memory. In a new Harvard Business Review Analytic Services study, sponsored by Oaklins, 55% of mid-market executives predicted a greater focus on cross-border deals in the wake of the pandemic. Read more.
BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICES I Sustainable M&A activity in the TIC market
TIC SPOT ON: Oaklins’ TIC specialist Arjen Kostelijk looks back over a positive year for the sector, in particular the second half of 2021. Various trends such as an increase in both regulations and sustainability awareness are behind this upward turn, which has had a significant effect on M&A activity. Read more.
CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING SERVICES I M&A and valuations in glass: 2021 review
GLASS PROCESSING & FINISHING SPOT ON: In the latest Spot On, our specialist Valērija Liege takes a look back at the past year and the closed deals announced within the flat and specialty glass industry. Read more.
M&A activity shows no sign of slowing down
MONTHLY DEAL ACTIVITY: In November 2021, we closed 40 transactions of which 31 were M&A deals and 9 were fundraising deals. The surge in deal activity is apparent in a large number of the industries we cover. Read more.
CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING SERVICES I Huge demand for housing and commercial spaces drives sustained growth of building products
BUILDING PRODUCTS REPORT: We delve into the most meaningful trends in both the residential and non-residential markets, which include a boom in consumer DIY and DIFM renovation projects and evolving usage demand for commercial spaces, alongside input from an array of industry experts. Read more.
Emerging from the pandemic with even more M&A
PULSE SURVEY – HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW ANALYTIC SERVICES: Rather than halting M&A activity, as some feared, the pandemic has led to one of the hottest M&A markets in history and increased the importance many companies put on using M&A to fuel growth and resiliency. That growth and strategic importance is expected to further increase according to a new Harvard Business Review Analytic Services study, sponsored by Oaklins. Read more.
CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING SERVICES I How ESG became key to the building materials sector
BUILDING MATERIALS SPOT ON: Environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations have long played a role in the building materials industry. However, where once they were regarded by many as nothing more than a regulatory burden, this tide has changed and ESG now plays a key role in the strategies of many companies, as our latest Building Materials Spot On reports. Read more.
Determine what your company is worth with the QuickValue Method
Our chairman, Reed Phillips, has created the QuickValue Method and written a book on the topic. His revolutionary approach to valuation together with the Oaklins Valuation Index helps owners and executives of midsize companies discover the value of their businesses. Read more.
High deal activity driven by digitalization and sustainability
MONTHLY DEAL ACTIVITY: In October 2021, we closed 27 transactions of which 20 were M&A deals and 7 were fundraising deals. We expect deal activity to continue the upward trajectory we witnessed throughout the year. Read more.
A new vision for how organizations can use M&A to adapt to a post-pandemic economy
PULSE SURVEY – HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW ANALYTIC SERVICES: COVID-19 not only impacted M&A by increasing the volume of deals to unprecedented levels, but it changed how and why deals are getting done. Start understanding these fast-changing dynamics and leverage M&A demand as a buyer or seller based on a survey of nearly 500 executives from across all geographies. Read more.
The pandemic exposed striking differences in companies’ abilities to withstand crises. Those with scale were far better positioned. Scale became a factor in everything from deploying new technology to addressing labor shortages and supply chain issues. As buyers pursued increased scale through M&A, many mid-market companies saw this as an opportunity to sell at record-level valuations.Joanna Herman, Partner, Oaklins, New York
LOGISTICS I Distribution ups and downs: an M&A boom, significant disruptions
DISTRIBUTION SPOT ON: This is a difficult moment for the distribution sector, with a range of issues causing problems to supply chains at both local and international levels, as our latest Distribution Spot On explores. Read more.
TMT I The role of IoT in our fast-changing world
WEBINAR RECORDING: A perspective on market changes and how this is driving strategic appetite and valuations. Listen to our panel as they share insights about the opportunities and challenges that entrepreneurially-led firms are encountering as they pursue and finance M&A transactions, expansion plans and growth opportunities across different IoT segments. Read more.
CONSUMER & RETAIL I Fashion’s art and science reinvented
CONTEMPORARY & ACCESSIBLE FASHION SPOT ON: We take a look at the market and explore some of the different trends and approaches being adopted as fashion looks to the future – with more casual clothing, investments in the second-hand market and the introduction of omnichannel strategies, companies are fully embracing their ‘new normal.’ Read more.
CONSUMER & RETAIL I FOOD & BEVERAGE I Pet food sector enjoys expansion
MARKET OVERVIEW AND M&A ACTIVITY: In our latest report on the pet food market, we look at the key drivers for growth as well as different challenges that have to be met. In addition, we provide an overview of both the major international players and various smaller and emerging businesses within niche markets. Read more.
