Merger transactions up 70%, but deals down

MERGER transactions notified to the Competition Authority were up 70% last year, but the number of deals fell back to 2003 levels.

A report from McCann FitzGerald found that media, food and agriculture were the most active sectors in 2010.

Partner with McCann FitzGerald’s Philip Andrews said 2010 was a mixed year for Ireland’s M&A activity. “While, on the one hand, we have seen a 70% increase in notifications, this follows a record low in 2009 and takes us back to 2003 levels when 47 deals were notified to the Competition Authority. Compare this to 98 deals in 2006.