Benchmark International is pleased to have advised on an agreed deal for the sale of Melpass Limited to Vil Holdings Limited.

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated the transaction between Component Technology, Inc, dba CTI Aviation for 100% sale to Monroe Engineering.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the sale of Pocketbond Limited to Bachmann Europe Plc.

Benchmark International has successfully negotiated the sale of Conarc, Inc. (“Conarc”) to Swiftcurrent Holdings, Inc. (“Swiftcurrent”), an affiliate of ESW Capital, LLC ("ESW"). The transaction represents the conjoining of two best-of-breed solution providers.

Based in Alpharetta, Georgia, Conarc develops and sells client management software solutions used in a variety of industries including finance/accounting, real estate, healthcare and insurance. Conarc’s flagship content collaboration software product, iChannel, was built from the ground up by the Conarc development team, allowing the company the flexibility to offer a multifaceted solution with the ability to customize features to client specifications. Additional programs within the Conarc suite of products include a customer relationship management solution, workflow module, a file management system and multiple finance and accounting database products.

For nearly 20 years, Conarc has been committed to finding innovative ways to connect people, businesses, and ideas. With a current presence throughout the United States and Canada, Conarc remains dedicated to continuing improvement and growth.

Based in Austin, Texas, Swiftcurrent is part of the ESW Capital group (www.eswcapital.com) and is specifically focused on acquiring and growing industry-focused business software companies. ESW buys, transforms, and runs mature software and technology companies. By taking advantage of its unique operating platform, ESW revitalizes its acquisitions for sustainable success while making customer satisfaction a top priority. ESW and its affiliated companies have been in the enterprise software space since 1988, and the group includes notable brands such as Trilogy, Aurea, Versata, and Ignite Technologies.

Benchmark International’s Tyrus O’Neill acted as the lead on this transaction and was successful in pinning down the needs of both parties involved, “This is one of those transactions where the parties were truly a good fit right from the start.” O’Neill stated, “On behalf of Benchmark International, we are thrilled to have been able to work alongside our client, Conarc, in this transaction. Chet Joglekarhas built a tremendous suite of software solutions and we believe it is a perfect fit for Swiftcurrent.” Senior Associate, Sunny Garten, added, “We have really enjoyed working with our client, Chet Joglekar, and would like to take this opportunity to wish both parties the best of luck moving forward.”

Conarc, Inc. CEO and Founder, Chet Joglekar, stated, “Benchmark International’s hands-on approach during all aspects of the transaction process was fundamental in our successful deal closing. Benchmark’s industry knowledge and relationships proved to be highly valuable as they assisted us in identifying a buyer that fits our innovative culture and provides Conarc with the resources necessary to continue the company’s trajectory of rapid growth.”

During his Budget speech to Parliament last week, Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, unveiled a major shake-up of corporate taxes including lowering the main rate companies pay to less than half the rate levied on firms in the United States.

Benchmark International has successfully negotiated the sale of Original Impressions LLC (“Original Impressions”) to Postal Center International, Inc. (“PCI”).

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the sale of CH4 Gas Utility & Maintenance Services Limited to Smart Metering Systems Plc.

“People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories and magic.” Seth Godin - American author, entrepreneur and marketer.

Cleveland, Ohio, February 24, 2016 – SCG Partners is pleased to announce that it has acquired the assets of an additional commercial landscape company in Florida and is actively seeking additional acquisitions in the landscape maintenance industry throughout the Southeastern US.  Financial terms of the transactions were not disclosed.

Benchmark International has advised on the successful sale of Stevenson Grantech Limited to Trend Technologies.

Benchmark International has advised on the successful sale of The Springboard Consultancy Limited to not-for-profit organisation, The Instructus Group.

2015 M&A activity has officially come to an end and the final results are in: it’s been a record-breaking year across the border, particularly for the Pharmaceutical industry.

Acquisition activity in the global food sector was hot during 2015 and is expected to remain strong in 2016.  Two such examples of acquisitions in the sector last year include the announcement of the megamerger between AB InBev and SABMiller at £71bn - a deal expected to be formally completed early this year - with AB InBev reportedly selling a number of bonds to finance the takeover. The second quarter of 2015 saw the acquisition of British chocolatier, Thorntons, by Italian family-owned company Ferrero, which saw the latter acquire a 70% stake for £70 million in a deal that valued the entire group at £132 million.

International M&A expert, Benchmark International, has successfully assisted with the sale of G.B. Access Limited (G.B. Access) to Ashtead Plant Hire Company Limited (A-Plant).

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the sale of Berriewood Wholesaler LLP to VioVet Limited.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the successful sale of Keypak Limited to Rowley Regis-based Select Hardware Limited.

2015 was a thriving year for global M&A activity, with the first six months seeing record deals worth more than $1.8 trillion. However, recent reports have suggested that 2016 has the potential to put that figure in the shade.

Benchmark International has successfully advised on the acquisition of Hertfordshire-based CRS Electronics to Chemigraphic, one of the UK's largest product support and system integration businesses, in a deal for an undisclosed sum.

Benchmark International has successfully negotiated the sale of A H Mertons, a long established group of family-run opticians to Holmfirth-based Valli Group.

International M&A specialist, Benchmark International, has successfully negotiated the sale of Coating & Moisturizing Systems, Inc. (“CMS”) to Grace Harbor Group, Inc. and Osceola Capital Management, LLC.

International M&A specialist, Benchmark International, has successfully negotiated the sale of Sea Level Marine to the Rheinhold & Mahla Group (R&M).

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the successful sale of Rembrand Builders Merchants Limited to Rembrand Timber Limited.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the successful sale of Devon-based Logo Design Limited. The deal was closed in November 2015 and saw the company acquired by a Private Investor.

In the high-stakes world of M&A, discretion is the one of the most important elements, as all parties involved are under an ethical and contractual obligation to keep details private until the time is right to announce the deal. During this period, acquisitions are often given cryptic codenames to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the successful sale of Lancashire-based ROC North West Limited, a provider of residential care and education, to CareTech Holdings in a deal worth in excess of £11m.

In a previous post, we discussed the year of the megadeals and explored the motivation behind these acquisitions. Although 2015 has seen historical M&A movement, several big players are still indicating their intentions to undertake the next wave of M&A activity.

2015 has seen some of the biggest deals in the history of mergers and acquisitions: Coca-Cola, Shell, Visa and many more have all contributed to what is being referred to as “The Year of the Megadeal!”

Alongside our success on behalf of clients, Benchmark International is immensely proud to announce that Roger Forshaw, Associate Director, has won the ‘Rising Star’ award at the annual JCI Manchester Young Talent Awards.

It is with great pride that Benchmark International announces winning Technology Deal of the Year (Over $250M to $500M) at the 14th Annual M&A Advisor Awards. The winners were announced at the annual gala held at The New York Athletic Club in New York on November 17, 2015.

Several significant deals have been completed across a range of industries this year prompting analysts to predict that there will be more big deals to come before the year is out.

Benchmark International is delighted to announce the successful sale of Newcastle based XL Graduate Placement to South Yorkshire headquartered Nicholas Associates Group, in a deal for an undisclosed sum.

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The latest report from Deloitte shows that mergers and acquisitions are playing a key role in sustaining a company’s position on the Fortune 500 list. The study hypothesises that Fortune 500 dealmaking activity has come about as companies on the list increasingly compare the risk and return of a perspective M&A deal against the odds of delivering value via other strategies (e.g. investing in-house in innovation to develop a new product or deploying resources to build “greenfield” capabilities in a new market) and, activity levels suggest that in many cases, pursuing M&A has shown to be a better bet.

Last week, a roundtable was held in Manchester at Sci-tech Daresbury, home to over 100 tech companies, to discuss how the North can innovate to achieve growth.