M&A
Loxam and TVH sweeten bids for Lavendon
Loxam SAS has upped its offer Lavendon Group to 260p per share from 250p after rival bidder TVH Group sweetened its offer for the equipment rental company to 251p per share.
BP to buy Woolworths fuel business
Oil giant BP has agreed to buy the Australian fuels business of Woolworths Ltd for AUD1. 79bn.
Boohoo.com to buy Nasty Gal assets
Online fashion retailer Boohoo. com has entered into an asset purchase agreement to buy certain intellectual property assets from retailer Nasty Gal Inc – which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US in November – for $20m.
Actelion, Johnson & Johnson in exclusive talks
Swiss biotech group Actelion has entered into exclusive negotiations with Johnson & Johnson regarding a possible strategic transaction.
Coca-Cola to buy Africa bottling business from AB InBev
Coca-Cola has reached an agreement with Anheuser Busch-InBev to buy the Belgian Brewer’s 54. 5% equity stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa for $3. 15bn.
Linde, Praxair agree on merger of equals
Germany’s Linde AG and US rival Praxair have agreed to a merger of equals in a deal that will create a $65bn industrial gases company.
Allergan to buy Acelity's LifeCell for $2.9bn
Biopharmaceutical company Allergan has agreed to buy Acelity’s regenerative medicine business, LifeCell, for $2. 9bn in cash.
Rite Aid to sell 865 stores to Fred's Inc for $950m
Rite Aid, which is currently in the process of being bought by Walgreens Boots Alliance, has agreed to sell 865 Rite Aid stores to Fred’s Inc for $950m in cash.
Electra's Espiris sells Innovia for $1.13bn
Private equity outfit Electra, said on Tuesday its portfolio manager Epiris had sold Innovia Group, a manufacturer of speciality films and substrate for polymer banknotes to CCL Industries for an enterprise value of $1. 13bn.
Lloyds to buy MBNA credit card business for £1.9bn
Lloyd's Bank said it was buying credit card business MBNA from Bank of America for £1. 9bn.
Fairfax Financial to buy Switzerland's Allied World for $4.9bn
Canadian insurer Fairfax Financial has agreed to buy Swiss insurer Allied World Assurance for $4. 9bn in cash and stock.
Danone's takeover of WhiteWave Foods gains European clearance
Paris-based yogurt maker Danone’s $10. 4bn takeover of US organic food company WhiteWave Foods, its biggest deal in a decade, was approved by the European Commission on Friday.
Sanofi looking to spend CHF 30.5bn on Actelion
Reports emerged on Friday that French drugmaker Sanofi was in advanced talks to acquire Swiss peer Actelion, with the possibility of a deal being announced within a week.
CMA clears Severn Trent acquisition of Dee Valley
The Competition and Markets Authority has cleared Severn Trent’s acquisition of Dee Valley Group.
Lonza to buy Capsugel for $5.5bn in cash
Swiss pharmaceutical manufacturer Lonza Group has agreed to buy US capsule products maker Capsugel for $5. 5bn in cash from KKR.
Punch Taverns surges on two takeover offers, one from Heineken
Shares in Punch Taverns rocketed on Wednesday after the pub operator confirmed it has received two takeover offers, one from Patron Capital Advisers on behalf of Dutch brewer Heineken and the other from Emerald Investment Partners.
Johnson & Johnson ditches talks with Actelion; Sanofi said to be in frame
Shares in Swiss biotech group Actelion tumbled on Wednesday as Johnson & Johnson withdrew from discussions regarding a potential transaction.
NMC Health to buy Al Zahra Hospital for $560m
UAE-based healthcare provider NMC Health announced the proposed acquisition of Al Zahra Hospital in the Sharjah from Gulf Medical Projects for around $560m.
Asahi to buy some AB InBev beer brands for $7.8bn
Japanese brewer Asahi has agreed to buy Anheuser Busch InBev’s beer businesses in five countries in Central and Eastern Europe for $7. 8bn.
UBM to buy Allworld Exhibitions in $485m deal
UBM has agreed to buy privately-owned Asian exhibitions company Allworld Exhibitions for a cash consideration that values the business at $485m in a deal that is expected to be immediately enhancing to earnings in 2017.