International investment bank Altium has completed a trio of deals in the UK, bringing its total for the year so far to 38.
In Q4 2013, the Manchester headquartered firm advised on deals including:
· The sale of online retailer ActivInstinct to JD Sports, to help the business extend its e-commerce and outdoor performance operations;
· The sale of Crewe-based healthcare provider Baywater Healthcare to mid-market private equity group Duke Street, from US-listed Air Products; and
· The sale of oil and gas recruitment company Mentor IMC Group to European-based VINCI Energies, to strengthen the firm’s network of contacts in the UK staffing industry.
An increasing number of transactions involved technology and e-commerce companies. Key local deals that Altium advised on were the acquisition of travel comparison site Icelolly.com by Palatine Private Equity; the GBP57.5m sale of software and IT services provider Ascribe Group to Bolton-based clinical software supplier EMIS Group; the buyout of Buoyant Upholstery backed by NVM Private Equity; the acquisition of Ultimate Finance Group by Renovo plc; and the sale of OilandGasJobSearch.com to Careerbuilder.
Phil Adams, chief executive at Altium, says: “2013 has been another good year for the group both in the UK and internationally. As the economy shows signs of improvement we expect more in the way of deal activity in 2014 and beyond. The recent appointment of Christopher Jones as managing director adds to our consumer team, as he brings with him a wealth of expertise in travel, leisure and e-commerce.”
