Mergers and acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions represent critical milestones in the growth trajectory of any business. Whether you are navigating complex cross-border transactions, acquiring strategic assets, or planning a strategic exit, our corporate team can guide you through the whole process, explaining the risks – and how to mitigate them – and the potential opportunities to achieve your business growth objectives.

Maximising opportunity, minimising complexity

Penningtons Manches Cooper’s M&A team partners closely with clients, providing clarity and confidence at every step. We ensure transactions are executed efficiently and effectively to achieve your commercial goals. Our proactive, solution-driven approach ensures that clients can fully realise opportunities and seamlessly manage challenges, setting the stage for sustainable business growth and long-term success.

Our corporate team has considerable experience of advising clients on M&A transactions including both public and private company share and business/asset acquisitions and disposals. A significant proportion of our M&A work is on higher value cross-border transactions where we work collaboratively with local counsel who are well-known to us, whether through our non-exclusive membership of Multilaw and the European Law Group or otherwise.

We act for a broad range of clients on M&A transactions including entrepreneurs, family businesses, SMEs, charity and not-for-profit entities and large multinational corporates. Our lawyers have particular expertise in M&A transactions across several key sectors including the technology, life sciences, property, social housing, retail and fashion sectors.

To provide the best advice, our commitment begins at the earliest planning stages, supporting clients in strategic transaction structuring, which includes comprehensive tax planning and post-acquisition integration. We also offer robust guidance through complex regulatory landscapes, advising specifically on competition law and other pertinent regulatory compliance issues.

The Penningtons corporate team is outstanding – creative, diligent, highly responsive, always focused on working efficiently and effectively on behalf of clients – a delight to work with.

From preparing heads of terms and letters of intent, through meticulous legal due diligence and disclosure processes, to drafting comprehensive transaction documentation, including critical elements such as tax deeds, our attention to detail ensures clarity and confidence in every transaction.

Post-completion, we continue to support clients with all necessary formalities and practical integration matters. This includes providing ongoing strategic and operational counsel designed to facilitate smooth transitions and maximise transaction benefits. As a full service practice, our team is also able to draw on the expertise of our wider specialist teams across the firm to advise on M&A matters, including our commercial, employment, IP/IT, pensions, real estate and tax teams.

How we help our clients

Transaction planning, including tax structuring and post-acquisition integration planning

Regulatory issues, including competition law

Business/asset sales and purchases

Share sales and purchases

Heads of terms/letters of intent

Legal due diligence/disclosure

All transaction documentation, including the tax deed

Post-completion formalities and support

Useful resources

Doing business in the UK

Directors’ duties: role and responsibilities

They are an excellent firm with a hands-on and commercial focus, which is important in corporate finance transactions. Always willing to help and provide constructive advice, they always go the extra mile.

Leading corporate practice with an international presence and strong cross-border capabilities.

Very knowledgeable team that knows different market sectors well, which is important in the case of M&A projects.

The team stands out with its rapid responsiveness, problem-solving approach and business savvy . They are commercially results-orientated, which means deals are done simply and quickly with no unnecessary complications.

Has a proven track record of success in handling complex and high-stakes legal matters. The team has a deep and broad knowledge of the legal landscape, both locally and globally.

Recent work highlights

Fintech leader’s acquisition

Advising Seedrs, Europe’s leading online private investment platform, on its completed acquisition by global organization Republic for US$100 million.

Acquisition of media group

Representing New Era Music Company, a global record label and media company, on its acquisition of Defected Records Ltd and all of its group companies, through a new group holding company, Optimum Defected Holdings Limited.

Medtech acquisition

Advising Echo Healthcare Inc, a US medtech company, on its strategic cross-border acquisition of virtual learning platform Immersive Interactive.

Cross-border acquisition

Acting for California-based Clubspeed LLC, one of the world’s leading venue management software companies, on its recent cross-border acquisition of UK based Resova.

IT sector acquisition

Advising the shareholders of leading IT service management provider Alemba on its acquisition by Volaris Group, headquartered in Canada.

HVAC acquisition

Representing the Carver Group on its acquisition of Powrmatic Limited, which specialises in commercial and industrial heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

UK acquisition

Advising SOCOTEC UK, the UK’s leading provider and a key European player in testing, inspection and certification services, on the acquisition of Quadrant Building Control and Shore Engineering.

Bank acquisition

Advising the shareholders of Birmingham Bank on its acquisition by global digital home ownership platform Better.

UK media acquisition

Representing West Midlands-based Claverley Group Limited on its acquisition of London-based B2B media marketing business Lyonsdown.

Life sciences acquisition

Advising the shareholders of Delta Hat, a life sciences and healthcare company providing health economic modelling, on its acquisition by US-based Petauri, backed by Oak Hill Capital.

Biopharmaceutical sector acquisition

Acting on the acquisition of a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on cancer therapeutics, in a complex cross-border transaction involving a US acquirer.

Multiple automotive acquisitions

Representing the third largest distributor of passenger and commercial vehicle parts to the independent automotive aftermarket in Europe on over 35 acquisitions in the UK and Ireland in the last three years.