A series of mergers and acquisitions have been announced by North West businesses over the last seven days.
The likes of TalkTalk, AO and the billionaire Issa brothers are among those to have been involved.
Below, BusinessLive has rounded up 19 of the biggest deals from across the region from the last couple of weeks we feel you should not miss.
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If you have a new deal that you would like featured in our next round up, please e-mail jon.robinson@reachplc.com.
TalkTalk
Broadband giant TalkTalk is eyeing a sale of its business-to-business division in a deal that could be worth over £200m.
First reported by Sky News, the Salford-headquartered company is looking to offload TalkTalk Business Direct, which sells directly to 90,000 customers.
If a deal is agreed, TalkTalk’s wholesale platform would continue to provide connectivity. Oakley Advisory is understood to be handling the process.
AO
The investment giant founded by a donor to the Conservative Party has increased its stake in AO.
Odey Asset Management has upped his holdings in the Bolton-headquartered online electricals retailer from 22.2% to just over 24%, according to new filings with the London Stock Exchange.
The firm is the largest institutional investor in AO and has a larger stake than founder and CEO John Roberts.
Zura Bio
A Cheshire biotech start-up has raised $65m after floating in New York.
Zura Bio, which specialises in developing drugs for immune system disorders, is led by Dr Someit Sidhu and has merged with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) JATT acquisition corp to complete the deal.
The funds raised will go towards its research and development pipeline.
Oldham RLFC
A consortium led by former player and coach Mike Ford has taken ownership of Oldham, the rugby league club have announced.
The ex-Great Britain international has partnered with local businessman Mick Harrington to complete a deal they hope will secure the long-term future of the part-time outfit.
The development comes after recent confirmation the Roughyeds will return to playing at Oldham Athletic’s Boundary Park from next season, a factor that was crucial in the takeover.
In The Style
In The Style's £1.2m sale to a private equity firm in a bid to avoid collapsing into administration has been completed.
The Salford-headquartered fashion brand's move had been narrowly approved by shareholders at the end of last week.
The operating company, In The Style Fashion, has been bought by Baaj Capital LLP.
Unbound Group
The parent company of Hotter Shoes has revealed talks with a knitwear and jersey brand over a near £7m takeover deal.
WoolOvers Group is behind the proposed £6.8m deal for Skelmersdale-headquartered Unbound Group.
It is offering 10.5p per share which would represent a premium of approximately 162.5% to its closing price on March 27.
Manchester Giants
British Basketball League team Manchester Giants are "exploring offers from prospective third-party investors".
The league has confirmed it is inviting offers from potential buyers "who can help redevelop the franchise in the long term both on and off the court".
The move comes after Miami-based investment firm 777 Partners backed the league with £7m in December 2021 in return for a 45% stake.
Issa brothers
The billionaire Issa brothers have made an offer which they hope will help get Asda's £600m deal with the Co-op approved.
The businessmen, along with their private equity partner TDR Capital, have proposed selling 13 petrol stations in a bid to persuade the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to back the deal.
The CMA update comes amid reports that the billionaire Issa brothers are eyeing up a potential takeover of major fast food chain Subway.
Northern Gritstone
British Patient Capital has made a £30m investment in a raise from Northern Gritstone, the company focused on university spinouts and R&D-intensive businesses across the North of England.
The investment will be used to unlock growth for university spinouts from across the North, in particular from the University of Manchester.
British Patent Capital, a commercial subsidiary of the British Business Bank, is the largest domestic investor into UK venture capital and venture growth capital.
The investment takes Northern Gritstone’s raise to c.£250m in ordinary share capital, sitting alongside a base that includes M&G and Greater Manchester Pension Fund, with other institutional investors expected to follow later this year.
The Accounts Company
Accountancy and business advisory firm Haines Watts has expanded its footprint in the North West following the acquisition of The Accounts Company.
Based in Salford, The Accounts Company is an established firm of accountants and advisors which specialises in business planning, cloud technology and growth.
David Fort, managing director of Haines Watts Manchester, said: "The acquisition is a brilliant opportunity to bring our Haines Watts offering to the great city of Salford, whilst expanding our geographic presence across the River Irwell and simultaneously connecting with the thriving business community in Salford."
Wealth at Work
Liverpool-based financial wellbeing and retirement specialist Wealth at Work has acquired employee engagement and pension communication firm Design Consulting.
Trading as Landscape, the agency is based in Southwark, London.
Following the deal , Landscape acquired London-based creative agency MakingGiants, formerly known as Ferrier Pearce.
Property Alliance Group
Development and investment vehicle Pitalia Real Estate and Property Alliance Group have formed a new 50/50 joint venture partnership.
Following the acquisition of Lowton Business Park in Wigan last year, Pitalia has now taken a 50% equity stake in Lowton Alliance Ltd - a new special purpose vehicle initially formed by Alliance.
Pitalia and Alliance, with the support of a debt facility from Close Brothers, will be delivering a refurbishment of the multi-let site, which will include upgrades to its sustainability credentials through the potential installation of solar PV.
Housr Living
Manchester-based property technology start-up Housr Living has secured £620,000 in funding to bolster team expansion, functionality and growth across the UK.
The company was founded by friends Harry Panter and Ben Clayton who met at university in 2021.
The seed funding will allow Housr to bring development in-house ahead of the launch of the updated version of the app.
Funding has come from a variety of sources including Bachmanity Capital, and various angels including David Evans, Ian Tyler, Steve Thornhill, Barry Brown, and others.
Smithfield Murray
The Manchester office of Endless has completed an investment in North West based Smithfield Murray.
Headquartered in Trafford Park, Smithfield Murray is a supplier of prepared raw poultry to retail and food service manufacturers, which in turn supply international, national and regional retailers and food service companies.
Endless backed the existing management team and founding shareholders Damien Murray and Martin Grady, who will continue to lead the business.
NorthEdge
Manchester-based private equity firm NorthEdge has completed a primary MBO into Cezanne HR, a UK provider of flexible, cloud-based human capital management (HCM) software and payroll services.
NorthEdge has backed Cezanne co-founder and CEO Alberto Gabbai, John Hixon, chief operating officer and their team.
Mr Gabbai said: "The partnership with NorthEdge marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Cezanne HR. NorthEdge’s support will give us more strength, financially and otherwise, to accelerate our growth towards becoming the leading provider of cloud-based leading-edge HR and payroll solutions to the UK market."
The Translation People
A translation and language services provider in Liverpool has completed its latest acquisition.
The Translation People's deal for Edinburgh-based Sure Languages is its first following its investment from Mobeus Equity Partners in January.
The company will retain its original trading name and all sales and project management staff.
Warehouse Box
A logistics company which provides fulfilment services for e-commerce businesses has secured a £200,000 loan from NPIF – Mercia Debt Finance, which is managed by Mercia and is part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.
The funding will enable Manchester-based Warehouse Box to expand its capacity by completing the fit-out at its current warehouse in Wigan and to create three new jobs in the coming months.
Warehouse Box works with online retailers ranging from smaller local businesses to big overseas companies which need warehouse space in the UK.
The Regenda Group
The Regenda Group, a Liverpool-based regeneration organisation which includes M&Y Maintenance and Construction, has acquired Ecogee Ltd.
Ecogee, is an energy, retrofit and construction specialist providing green solutions for local authorities, social housing providers and private developers.
Originally established in 2012 the company was set up in response to the Government’s energy efficiency programme, to tackle fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions.
Key Digital
Managed services provider Key Digital has been acquired by Franking Sense, with Benchmark International acting as lead adviser.
Established in 2010, Key Digital is a specialist in digital transformation, document workflow, print technologies, and IT services.
Franking Sense is a UK supplier of managed print, franking, mailroom, and document processing solutions with offices in Manchester, London, Glasgow, and Wrexham.
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