News
Bell Gully tops M&A rankings for third successive year
Bell Gully has been named New Zealand's leading mergers and acquisitions law firm for the third consecutive year.
Thomson Financial figures released today show that in 2005 Bell Gully completed 52 deals worth in excess of $US7.5 billion. Thomson's figures also reveal that while total M&A deal value in Australasia declined slightly by 0.3% the number of deals in the region went up 3.1%.
"Neither a high Kiwi dollar or constant talk of an economic slump has slowed down the local M&A market," said Bell Gully corporate partner Brynn Gilbertson.
"We are seeing a significant inflow of private equity into New Zealand from cash rich Australian superannuation funds," said Mr Gilbertson. "I see this trend very much continuing in 2006 and that suggests the M&A market will remain buoyant."
Bell Gully has the largest corporate team in New Zealand and in 2005 acted on some of the region's biggest deals including:
- Acting as NZ counsel for Woolworths (Australia) on the funding and cross-border structuring aspects of its acquisition of Foodland Associated Limited’s New Zealand supermarket business.
- Advising Graeme Hart's Rank Group on its dairy products asset swap with Fonterra and on the funding aspects of its takeover of Carter Holt Harvey.
- Advising Independent Newspapers Limited on its merger with Sky Network Television.
- Advising Carter Holt Harvey on the sale of 94,300 hectares of its forest estate to Rayonier and Deutsche Asset Management.
"To top the M&A market for a third successive year highlights the depth and breath of the talent we have among our team and we thank our clients who helped us achieve this result," said Mr Gilbertson.
For more information, please contact:
Brynn Gilbertson
Department Leader - Corporate
