Domestic corporate buyers dominate South East M&A activity in 2024
Corporate buyers dominated M&A activity in the South East. Trade buyers were responsible for 97.6% of transactions involving high-growth companies in 2024, an increase from 95.7% in 2023.
Conversely, professional investors, such as private equity firms, saw a decrease, accounting for only 2.4% of total transactions in 2024 (7 deals), compared to 4.3% (10 deals) in the previous year. This decline likely reflects higher borrowing costs and tax changes that have affected private equity activities.
In 2024, domestic investors dominated M&A activity involving high-growth companies in the South East, representing 82.4% of transactions, an increase from 80.8% in 2023. In contrast, in a year dominated by key elections worldwide, US investment experienced a decline, accounting for only 4.1% of deals in 2024, continuing the downward trend from 11% in 2020 due to global uncertainties and UK Brexit-related challenges including changes in regulatory environments. Additional investments in the South East region originated from Germany and France in 2024, each contributing 1.4% to the overall deal activity.