Mergers and acquisitions in East Anglia ‘have dropped by nearly 50 per cent’

Posted 06/10/2010

Fewer companies in East Anglia may be willing to take part in mergers and acquisitions at present, according to new research.

A study by Experian found that this kind of business activity had dropped by 46 per cent in the third quarter of 2010 compared with the same point in 2009, the Eastern Daily Press reports.

The value of transactions made during the period was also found to have fallen from £1.1 billion to £84.77 million.

However, despite this, the total value of deals made in quarter three of 2010 increased by 45.3 per cent and East Anglia represented more than three per cent of all UK deals.

This could suggest mergers and acquisitions activity will increase in the next quarter and thereafter.

In July, the BDO 2010 Mid-Market Corporate M&A survey found that nearly 80 per cent of companies are looking to make acquisitions over the next five years.