Deals
Mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and strategic transactions.
Apollo outbids Castlelake with £5.7bn offer for easyJet
Apollo has proposed a £5.7 billion all-cash bid for easyJet at £7.15 a share, overtaking Castlelake’s latest offer. easyJet said its board is minded to recommend Apollo’s proposal, but the deal still needs a firm offer by 7 August and must clear regulatory and shareholder checks.
French billionaire becomes Vodafone's largest shareholder with £4.4bn stake
Xavier Niel’s investment vehicle Vega has agreed to buy Emirates Telecommunications Group’s entire Vodafone stake for about £4.4 billion, making him the company’s largest shareholder once approvals are cleared.
Vodafone shares jump after Xavier Niel becomes largest shareholder
Xavier Niel is set to become Vodafone’s largest shareholder after his vehicle Vega agreed to buy e&’s 16.2% stake for about £4.4 billion, sending the shares sharply higher.
DCC founder attacks board over £5.7 billion takeover bid
DCC founder Jim Flavin has attacked the board for backing a £5.7 billion takeover bid from KKR and Energy Capital Partners, saying the offer undervalues the company and should be rejected.
Apollo makes surprise £5.7bn takeover bid for easyJet
easyJet says it has reached an agreement in principle with Apollo for a possible £7.15-a-share offer valuing the airline at about £5.7bn, and its board is minded to recommend the bid over Castlelake’s revised proposal. Apollo must still make a formal offer by August 7 and address EU ownership rules before any takeover can proceed.
Apollo launches £5.7bn bid for easyJet
Apollo has made a £7.15-a-share all-cash approach for easyJet, valuing the airline at about £5.7bn and displacing Castlelake’s earlier proposal.
Prologis presses Segro to open takeover talks before July 22 deadline
Prologis renewed its push on July 9 to get Segro's board into takeover talks over its £12.6 billion all-share proposal, keeping the bid in play ahead of a July 22 deadline.
Segro rejects Prologis bid and defends growth case
Segro has rejected Prologis’s £12.6 billion all-share approach and is defending its standalone growth case, while the US rival continues to press for talks ahead of a July 22 deadline under UK takeover rules.
Hugo Boss urges shareholders to reject Frasers takeover bid
Hugo Boss has urged shareholders to reject Frasers Group’s €38-a-share takeover offer, saying the bid is financially inadequate and undervalues its long-term growth potential.
Paramount stock tumbles on Warner deal worries
Paramount shares fell as investors focused on rising regulatory and legal risk around its proposed Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition. The company said the European Commission review runs to July 22 and denied that Oregon’s records request changes the closing timeline.
Hugo Boss urges shareholders to reject Frasers' €2.7bn takeover bid
Hugo Boss has told shareholders to reject Frasers Group’s €38-a-share takeover offer, arguing the bid undervalues the German fashion company and misses its medium- to long-term growth potential. The move escalates the control battle around Frasers’ roughly 26% stake and shifts the decision to investors.
Eurostar upgrades train order to cope with 55C summers
Eurostar has raised the heat tolerance for its new Alstom trains from 45C to 55C as it adapts its fleet for hotter summers and long-term service into the 2060s.
Ipsen says more acquisitions are coming after Kartos and Memo deals
Ipsen said it has more acquisitions in the works after agreeing to buy Kartos Therapeutics and Memo Therapeutics in deals that could total more than $2.55 billion. The French drugmaker said the two transactions deepen its oncology, rare disease and neuroscience pipeline and still leave it with financial firepower for more M&A.
Adani Ports to explain MSC stake acquisition to Kerala government
Adani Ports is expected to explain to the Kerala government its planned 49% stake sale in Vizhinjam port operator Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Ltd. to MSC Group arm Terminal Investment Ltd., after the state said prior approval was required for any ownership change.
India container manufacturing scheme aims for 10x rise in domestic capacity
India’s Container Manufacturing Promotion Scheme is aimed at lifting domestic container capacity tenfold to 7.5 lakh units a year, with a first made-in-India EXIM container unveiled and Maersk placing an order for 1,000 units.
Sonowal unveils first Made in India EXIM shipping container, Maersk orders 1,000 of them
India unveiled its first domestically made EXIM shipping container on July 3, with A.P. Moller-Maersk reportedly ordering 1,000 units as the government pushes domestic container manufacturing.
Boliden confirms talks over potential Nexa Resources stake
Boliden has confirmed talks with Votorantim over a potential purchase of its Nexa Resources stake, after WSJ Market Talk said the Swedish miner is exploring a controlling position.
Oil Nears Pre-Conflict Levels as Traders Watch Hormuz and Gulf Gas Risks
Oil futures stabilized near pre-conflict levels on July 2 as traders tracked resumed traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and fresh signs of stress in European gas markets tied to Gulf LNG supply.
Yara to Buy Texas Ammonia Plant for $1.3 Billion
Yara International agreed to buy a Texas City ammonia plant for $1.3 billion, adding a U.S. production asset now in commissioning and expected to reach full output by the end of 2026.
Adani Enterprises, Odisha govt sign pact for Rs 1.08 lakh crore aluminium plant with IHC
Adani Enterprises has signed an MoU with the Odisha government for a Rs 1.08 lakh crore greenfield aluminium project with Abu Dhabi-based IHC. Reporting says the plan includes an alumina refinery, smelter, downstream park and power plant, with major job-creation claims.
Getty ends Shutterstock merger after UK regulator demands divestiture
Getty Images is moving to terminate its $3.7 billion merger with Shutterstock after the UK Competition and Markets Authority required Shutterstock to divest its global editorial business. Getty said it was not obligated to accept the condition, even though the deal had already cleared U.S. antitrust review.
Takeda, InSilico strike AI drug-discovery deal worth up to $600 million
Takeda is reported to have struck an AI drug-discovery partnership with InSilico Medicine worth up to $600 million, with InSilico handling early discovery and Takeda taking on later development and commercialization.
South32 agrees to sell WA alumina assets to Alcoa in deal worth up to $5.6bn
South32 has agreed to sell its alumina, bauxite and aluminium assets in Australia, Brazil and South Africa to Alcoa for $3.1 billion in cash, about $1 billion in Alcoa shares and up to $750 million in contingent payments, with Alcoa also assuming about $750 million in liabilities.
French Shipping Company CMA CGM to Buy FedEx Supply Chain for $1.4 Billion
CMA CGM agreed to buy FedEx Supply Chain for $1.4 billion, a move that would expand its North American logistics footprint and is expected to close later in 2026 pending regulatory approval.