The steep drop in the price of crude oil created significant instability and uncertainty across the sector, and traditionally-run organisations have had to make strategic adjustments and difficult decisions amid the crisis. Despite the recent challenges facing the Oil & Gas sector, the energy industry as a whole remains the most active sector within M&A, with dealmakers predicting that activity is set to rapidly accelerate over the next 12 months.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the sale of Creative Cars and Couriers to Mach 1 Couriers.

Some businesses engage in M&A activity to increase their capabilities in R&D or to leverage manufacturing operations. Others wish to increase their market share or gain a competitive advantage. Some need to diversify their products and services while others seek to cut costs. In some cases, it’s a change of leadership which leads down the M&A route, while other companies need investment simply to survive. However, one often-overlooked reason for becoming involved in mergers and acquisitions is to enable companies (or a company) to achieve growth in the future.

Rumours will typically run wild when M&A is on the horizon, which can create an atmosphere of fear and unsettling instability within an organisation. We take a look at the challenges facing businesses when trying to keep a potential deal under wraps, why timing is everything when it comes to a deal announcement and the tactics businesses can use when controlling their M&A story.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce that a deal has been agreed for the sale of Spectra Care Group to Octopus Investments Limited.

Benchmark International has successfully negotiated the sale of TREC Corporation (dba TREC Global) to Inergex Holdings LLC.

The technology sector has long dominated M&A media coverage, with some of the most recognisable brands sparking the public’s interest with mega-deals grabbing headlines. Increasingly, these deals are focusing on one of the next big battlegrounds for technology companies: the cloud.

A month is a long time in business and nothing has demonstrated this as much as games giant, Nintendo. Just a few weeks ago we discussed the £11.1bn that gaming phenomenon Pokémon Go had added to the value of Nintendo, with shares soaring by more than 86 per cent. Now, we are looking at quite a different story.

Benchmark International are pleased to announce that we have been named as the ‘International Corporate Finance Advisor of the Year’ by the 2016 Worldwide Financial Advisor Awards Magazine.

With Finding Dory set to be the blockbuster family movie of the summer, we are reminded of one of the most successful M&A stories from the last twenty years. Not only did Disney’s acquisition of Pixar Studios see the corporation’s luck start to turn, it also continues to provide a shining example of a successful post-acquisition strategy.

The UK and the EU might be in the throes of an acrimonious break-up that has sparked uncertainty in the business world and caused market instability, but there is apparently one sector that seems immune to the problems.

If you have children or know any young adults, you may have noticed them being even more engaged in their smartphones than usual. The reason is Pokémon Go – the gaming phenomenon that’s sweeping the world. Its popularity has added £11.1bn to Nintendo’s value within just one week and its share prices are at a six year high. We take a look at why Apps are making companies so profitable and attractive for investment.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce it has facilitated a sale between test equipment specialist, Acute Sales, and distributor of electrical products, Newbury Investments.

Acute Sales is the largest independent distributor of test equipment to UK electrical utility companies, specialising in the supply, repair and calibration of hand-held and portable electrical, high voltage, gas and environmental test instruments. It is also a provider of industry accredited electrical and health & safety training courses.

As Newbury Investments is a diversified group of companies supplying electrical products, the acquisition enables it to cross-sell Acute Sales’ products into its existing client bases.

Love it or hate it, sport is everywhere, not only featuring on the back pages of our newspapers, but also dominating the front pages too. The business of sport generates massive revenue – it is estimated the global sports industry is worth almost $600bn, so it is no wonder it has sparked interest from investors over recent years.

As the Brexit fallout clears from UK politics a new reality has set in. The new Prime Minister, Theresa May, has made it clear that the UK is still open for business. As if to emphasise that fact, only days after her official appointment, one of the UK’s largest and swiftest deals has been announced, demonstrating how the UK has maintained its attractiveness for investment from overseas companies.

Benchmark International is pleased to have advised on an agreed deal for the sale of Jet Environmental Systems to Wozair Limited.

Benchmark International is pleased to have advised on an agreed deal for the sale of Web Age Limited to Cloudstream Technology Limited.

Benchmark International is pleased to have advised on an agreed deal for the sale of Oakwood Technology Group Limited to Thermotech Solutions Limited.

Amid worldwide market uncertainty and unprecedented political upheaval, it’s reassuring to know that there is some good news in the world of mergers and acquisitions. We take a look at how FMCG M&A over the last year has brought strength to the market.

Benchmark International is pleased to have advised on an agreed deal for the sale of Freshwater Coolers Plc to Office Watercoolers.

Acting on behalf of Windsor Metal Specialties, Inc. dba Windsor Metal Finishing (“Windsor”) and its shareholders, global company sales specialist Benchmark International successfully facilitated the sale of Windsor Metal Finishing to CR Coatings & Logistics Management Group, LLC., (CR Coatings) a portfolio company of D’OrazioCapital Management, Inc.

There are few things the M&A market likes less than political uncertainty and, following the results of the EU referendum and Brexit shaking up global markets, there is more to come in the form of the upcoming presidential elections in the US.

Think healthcare M&A is on its way out in 2016? Think again.

The corporate industry world has borne witness to some of the mega deals being signed throughout the year. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced as $160 billion merger with Allergan. A deal that was, according to Bloomberg, “the largest ever deal in the history of healthcare industry and second biggest deal overall on record”.

In today’s environment of global competition, growth from within your company can only take you so far. One strategy is to expand through mergers and acquisitions, to enter a market or acquire innovation capability. It is risky as making a deal a success is one of the hardest tasks in business. So, how can you reduce the risks and increase the chances of carrying out a successful merger or acquisition?

In just six months, China has already beaten its outstanding M&A record in overseas deals from 2015. Last year, Chinese investors put forwards $111bn within foreign M&A deals and have, so far, spent $111.6bn in 2016.

For a long time, big data has meant big business. In the first quarter of 2016, big data alone accounted for an estimated 70 per cent of M&A activity, according to a survey conducted by EY.

Regardless of which way the referendum goes this week, an end to speculation over the UK's membership of the European Union could pave the way for significant M&A activity across the FTSE All-Share.

In a corporate merger or acquisition, it is imperative to make sure that both companies involved are on the same page in the early stages of the process. M&A is complicated and require costly resources, therefore it is important to know what each party is prepared to offer before proceeding with the transaction. One method to make sure that both parties are on the same page is to draft and produce a letter of intent (LOI), which outlines the deal points of the merger or acquisition and serves as a type of “agreement to agree”.

When making decisions, most people tend to go with their gut feeling rather than relying on the accurate data available. People will not like to admit this, but as humans we find it very difficult to remain 100% objective. Inevitably, emotions become a factor when running a business which is natural as you must have some form of passion in order to run a company and make it a success. Particularly when it comes to a potential deal being made, emotions can outweigh cold hard facts.

M&A within the tech sector saw a relatively slow start to 2016. However, analysts predict that the recent announcement of Microsoft’s intention to acquire professional social network LinkedIn for $26bn could trigger a tech M&A boom. So far, $209bn worth of deals have been announced, placing 2016 back on track to match last year’s record deal making.

With the tech industry in the midst of a takeover boom, Microsoft’s $26bn purchase of professional social platform LinkedIn could be a turning point.

It is true that the start-up businesses of today are likely to shape the M&A deals of tomorrow. In this blog, we take a look at the top industries for start-ups in 2016 and why investors should be keeping an eye on how these up-and-coming businesses develop.

Lack of Urgency - Now, while the parties to a merger or acquisition cannot exchange commercially sensitive information prior to being under common ownership, there is more than enough critically important, legally permissible prep work to keep an integration team occupied for a few months before day one. However, the majority of chief executives are unaware of this and wait for clearance from the regulatory authorities. Speed is essential in the M&A game.

For those who regularly engage in M&A, a large majority of them have begun to make technology-driven data analytics a crucial part of their toolbox, whether in the initial search for potential targets or other elements of the due diligence process. The term is one that is widely used for technology solutions to aid businesses interpret data as well as analyse business trends. Additionally, it provides a level of both sophistication and precision that was previously not there.

Activision recently completed its acquisition of King Digital, the company behind the highly popular mobile app Candy Crush Saga. $5.9bn was spent on an acquisition that is being deemed as a way of “accelerating Activision’s move into mobile gaming”. On paper this deal makes perfect sense, as both are highly successful and profitable. Complementary products and prowess, good income, what could go wrong?

As one of the world’s largest companies and home to what is arguably the most successful consumer electrical product of all time, Apple which has forged a name as a technology giant, comfortably sits on a cash stockpile of $233bn. So, what does a company in this position do to continue on their path to technology and media world dominance? Recent rumours have surfaced that Apple is seeking to expand their empire through the acquisition of original content, breaking specifically into the television market.

The merging of two companies can, in any instance, create a significant amount of upheaval, worry or concern for the parties involved. Successfully integrating two organisations without any teething issues is by no means a simple process and, according to professional services giant PWC, the flurry of activity surrounding a deal means that good communication is often overlooked.