UK mid-market recovers but caution at year-end

While activity for deals valued between £5-150m soared to 92 transactions worth £2.1bn in the first half of the year, the momentum could not be maintained.

In the second half of 2010, deal volume fell 25% to 69, while total deal value slipped even further, down 54% to just £970m. Significantly, H2 deal value was even lower than in the same period of 2009, down 32%. This is perhaps unsurprising, given the UK saw negative GDP growth in the final quarter of 2010. Continuing economic uncertainty, public sector cutbacks and rising unemployment will put a dampener on economic recovery and investor confidence.

London saw the bulk of deal activity once again, though other regions witnessed the biggest recovery compared to last year. The South performed particularly well in the smaller deal bracket of £5-50m, with deal volume surging 30% to 30 deals, while the North also recorded a significant increase to 29 transactions.

Download the latest unquote" Regional mid-market barometer, in association with LDC, from our research centre.

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• Topics
• UK / Ireland
• LDC
• Mid-market buyout