EUROPE - H1 buyout deal volume up in UK and France, down in Germany

Buyout deal volume in France and the UK in H1 2007 was up on the figures for both 2005 and 2006, although German volume has slowed this year against 06. According to preliminary data from Unquote"/Private Equity Insight, 102 deals have been completed so far in the UK, against 92 for the same period last year. France has witnessed a healthy first half, pushing the UK close on 88 deals compared to 75 in H1 06. Germany by contrast has slipped back from 57 in H1 06 to 44 this year, although this is still up from the 31 recorded in 05. With a number of huge deals completed in the UK in H1, including the Alliance Boots deal, Countrywide and Madame Tussauds, one could reasonably expect deal volume to contract as a result. On the contrary, these statistics reveal the depth of investable assets in the UK.