There was a sharp rise in cross-border corporate acquisitions last year, despite Britain’s economic woes.
According to research by financial adviser Grant Thornton, the figure has more than doubled in the last two years – with 228 acquisitions of UK companies made by foreign corporates in 2011, compared with only 112 in 2009.
Furthermore, 70% of the deals Grant Thornton advised on in the second quarter of 2012 were cross-border and had a combined transaction value of €379.8m (over £300m).
Lyceum Capital and Cass Business School’s UK Growth Buyout Dashboard also recently published research revealing that there were 14 exits in Q2, compared to just six in Q1.
The most popular exit route was secondary deals, with nine completed, followed by five exits to strategic trade buyers.
Geoff Davies, head of corporate finance at Grant Thornton, said: “Despite current economic woes, the UK is still a highly attractive market.
“There has been some good activity with the emerging markets, but traditional buyers such as the US and mainland Europe are also still very active.
“Overseas corporates are becoming increasingly experienced in buying UK businesses and with a sale process.”