Brabners delivers third consecutive year of dealmaking growth

Our corporate team has seen its dealmaking activity grow by almost a third in the past year as it continues to support a broad range of national and international clients across the full business lifecycle.

31% increase in annual dealmaking values

Despite the UK M&A market experiencing a mixed year, we delivered a 31% increase in annual dealmaking values, having advised on more than £800m-worth of activity. Our team — which counts Peel Ports, NWF Group and Suez among its clients — supports businesses across the full lifecycle. 

As well as providing complementary deal advisory services through our specialist team of corporate finance accountants, our corporate team works with our full service offering to ensure that those preparing for sale are able to achieve maximum value and that those seeking to acquire receive transparent due diligence and full protections for the price being paid.

Our 50-strong corporate team — which is one of the largest in the North and has previously been recognised as among the UK’s most active by Experian — also saw deal volumes increase last year, advising on 188 transactions across our Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Lancashire offices (2023: 180). 

Consistently strong acquisitive demand

This makes 2024 the third consecutive year of growth for the team, as it continues to support the journeys of our clients to growth, success and sometimes to exit. Activity was driven by consistently strong acquisitive demand among larger firms, with the team advising global clients including Atlas Copco, Suez Group and Terminal Investment Limited on a number of transactions at home and abroad.

Deal volumes were also buoyed by improving sentiment across a number of the North’s strategic growth sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare and technology. In this arena, we advised on notable transactions including the sale of Compass CHC to Omni Partners as well as the sale of engineering services company BGEN to M Group Services for an undisclosed fee.

We also advised on 22 deals supporting the transition of firms to employee ownership, with clients including popular Liverpool-based restaurant chain Lunya and legal recruitment firm TRG. 

The corporate team’s leading role in the market contributed to our revenues surpassing the £50m mark for the first time last year as we entered into a new three-year strategy cycle.

Supporting businesses to develop and grow

Partner Ruth Hargreaves said: “Despite challenging market conditions, M&A activity remained buoyant in 2024 — and we’re pleased to see that reflected not only in the deal volumes we supported but also the increased value placed upon high quality businesses coming up for sale or strategic investment.

This was the case across the team’s presence in Liverpool, Manchester, Lancashire and Leeds where we supported businesses at all stages of their journey — from those looking to scale-up, capitalise in consolidatory sectors or transition to employee ownership to support succession planning. Critically, we’re seeing more and more clients coming to us earlier on their journeys to take advantage of our broader offer — be that our IP or employment teams or strategy workshops from our deal advisors — to prepare their business for growth or for sale. With plenty of funds looking to deploy pent-up resources and interest rates starting to ease, it’s key that these businesses have access to the services and support they need to develop and grow.

We look forward to building our relationships with existing partners and fostering new ones in the year to come as the corporate team continues to be a key pillar in our plans for client-centred, scalable growth.”