Maintaining momentum

Benelux has managed to weather the storm whipped up by the summer's credit crunch. Last year's results show the region's stability (91 deals in 2006 against 97 in 2007). The average deal value figures in 2006 exceeded those for 2007 (EUR300.5m against EUR149m), as did the total deal values (EUR27.4bn against EUR14.5bn). Yet much of this disparity is accounted for by the EUR8.7bn acquisition of VNU by a consortium of buyout houses in 2006 - so if we exclude this, last year doesn't look so bad after all