News
M&A deals continue to dominate
The New Zealand market is continuing to sustain high levels of merger and acquisition activity, according to the latest Thomson Financial figures.
Thomson Financial has just released its 2007 half year M&A results which show a dramatic increase in the value of announced deals across Australasia. While Australia accounts for most of rise, New Zealand has also contributed, with NZ$4.9 billion of announced deals in the first half year, compared with NZ$4.6 billion on the same period in 2006.
Brynn Gilbertson, the partner heading up Bell Gully's corporate practice, says the figures reflect the fact that M&A remains a consistently dominant feature of the business environment.
"Across Australasia we've seen announced deals for the first half of 2007 top NZ$85 billion, nearly double the figure for the same time last year.
"The trend is similarly upward solely on this side of the Tasman - we've seen a consistent rise in the total dollar value of deals in the last three years."
Across Australasia real estate was the most active sector in the first half of 2007, overtaking energy and power which led the market in the first half of 2006.
Thomson Financial measures M&A activity and ranks the activity of legal advisors and investment houses. Bell Gully is one of only two New Zealand law firms ranked and the only New Zealand firm ranked for announced deals across New Zealand and Australia in the first half of 2007.
Bell Gully has advised on some of the most significant deals in the last six months including:
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Fletcher Building's acquisition of US-based Formica Inc.
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Ironbridge's takeover of CanWest MediaWorks (NZ)
- Web-based accounting software company Xero Live's IPO and NZX listing.
Bell Gully has also been ranked in Bloomberg's 2007 second quarter global legal mergers and acquisitions rankings. In Asia-Pacific, the firm is ranked eighth for announced deals and second in deal volume. In Australasia, the firm is ranked fifth by deal count in announced deals (any involvement) and second by deal volume in announced deals.
For more information, please contact:
Brynn Gilbertson
Partner
