Report: 279 M&A transactions worth €11.2 bln in 2016

According to the Emerging Europe M&A Report 2016/17 compiled by DNB, there were 279 merger and acquisition transactions in Poland last year, worth €11.2 billion combined. “The biggest number of such transactions was in the real estate and construction sectors, as well as in production, services and telecom branches,” the report said, adding that compared with 2015 figures, the number of M&As declined, while their value has gone up. “There was a number of huge assets on the market last year, which attracted potential global investors, not just the local ones. The biggest and most talked about acquisition last year, was the takeover of Allegro Group by Cinven, Permira and Mid Europa funds worth $3.2 billion,” the report said. Other big transactions, included PZU takeover of Bank Pekao and Kompania Piwowarska being sold to Asahi Group. For this year, experts predict lower volumes of M&A transactions. “The situation should return to normal this year, with mid-level transactions being on the rise, with local and regional investors making the purchases instead of the global players,” Piotr Biernacki from DNB said. The report listed e-commerce, telecoms and FMCG sectors as the ones with the biggest M&A potential.