Latest merger trends in the retail sector in our region

Experts at PwC Retail & Consumer (R&C) analysed the performance of countries in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of M&A transactions, plus highlighted characteristic M&A trends in the food sector in 2011. According to Dealwatch, 2010 brought 9 percent more mergers and acquisitions (3,211 transactions), in the value of EUR 145 billion (up 116 percent!). The most active countries were Russia, Poland, Turkey and the Ukraine. Proportion of completed transactions: Russia – 31 percent, Poland – 18 percent, Ukraine – 13 percent. Analysis by the CEEMEA Business Group supports the above mentioned M&A trends and concludes that Russia, Poland, Turkey and the Ukraine were responsible for 86-87 percent of total completed transaction values. Mergermarket’s regularly published ‘Heat Chart’ showed that in 2010 the retail and food sectors were the second most active in M&A in Central and Eastern Europe (excluding Russia), with 121 transactions.