Are you ready for the challenges of distressed M&A in the UK post-COVID-19?
As COVID-19’s effects linger, the UK faces a spike in distressed M&A from the Autumn. These times offer a mix of high risk and chances. For those looking to invest or buy, now’s the time to plan. This means being wise about financial risks and developing solid risk assessment plans.
Dealing with distressed M&A is tough. There’s seldom enough info or guarantees. Buyers have to quickly spot main issues and big risks. Fortunately, Burges Salmon experts can help. They offer advice on pensions, laws, and more. Their experience is key for a deep dive into risks and for making smart buying plans.
Buying distressed assets means you must think about deal setups, checks, promises, and laws. Making a deal as a solvent company or through a formal insolvency scheme changes what you might owe. In the UK, going for asset deals in these situations is often safer. It helps lessen unknown risks and dodge old debts.
Success in distressed M&A is all about careful risk checking. You need to be good at dealing with the many money, work, and law challenges. Get this right, and your deal could pay off.
Introduction to Distressed M&A in the UK
Distressed mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are becoming key in the UK’s investment scene. This happens as businesses hit hard financially and need quick changes. Even with the pandemic, M&A is thriving, offering both challenges and chances. For those eyeing distressed assets, understanding these trends is vital.
Strategic buyers, focused on reshaping or cutting non-essential parts, might not be very active. Instead, financial investors with big cash reserves are expected to jump in.
The scene for buying distressed companies is especially promising in retail, manufacturing, and transportation. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the new National Security and Investment Act 2021 keep an eye on these deals. But, buying under distress comes with its own set of risks. Mainly, buyers might face more liabilities and risks like wrongful trading. This is due to less chance for full checks before buying and fewer promises from the seller.
When it comes to buying distressed businesses, timing is everything. Investors need to choose if they should buy before insolvency to avoid chaos. Or, they should buy assets later on. This timing is crucial. It affects the amount of trouble the new owner might face and how they deal with the old company’s debts.
The usual investigation before buying (due diligence) is shorter here. It means looking at just the key points. These include money issues, legal matters, top workers, and how the business handles social and environmental issues.
Firms like Burges Salmon are a big help here. They guide buyers through the many hurdles of buying under distress. This includes understanding how to deal with pensions, laws, and ensuring jobs are safe. They also help in making the due diligence process effective. This is crucial in quickly looking at a business’s situation during a financial crisis.
Great examples of buying out of distress in the UK include JD Sports getting Go Outdoors and Boohoo Group adding Karen Millen and Coast to its brand. These success stories show that navigating distressed M&A is doable in the UK’s ever-changing investment scene.
Key Considerations in Distressed Transactions
In the distressed M&A process, focusing on the deal’s structure is crucial. This affects how fast the deal happens, how certain it is, and if insolvency rules apply. Thinking about this helps everyone involved work quickly and wisely.
Doing due diligence is harder when time is short, as in distressed M&A. So, buyers might not get much assurance from sellers. Using W&I insurance or offering incentives to the management can help lower risks.
Dealing with rules and laws is key. The UK’s CMA and laws like the National Security Act, Enterprise Act, and Insolvency Act influence how deals go down. Understanding these laws is vital because they can affect big company mergers and deals across borders.
What the board does is also crucial in these deals. They must balance the need for cash against the law and the rights of the company’s owners or lenders. This careful juggling act helps avoid bad handling of the company, protecting the board from being sued.
With more distressed M&A deals expected, especially as government help decreases, various business sectors will see chances for deals. While some big companies might hold back, others with lots of money might jump in. This makes being very careful in the deal process even more important.
Structure and Approach in Distressed M&A
Structuring distressed M&A deals is crucial. It greatly affects success and value for all involved. The UK’s post-pandemic economy may see more distressed deals. So, strategic planning for these deals is more important than ever.
When it comes to buying distressed companies, there are big hurdles. Info might be scarce and deal terms may not feel secure. This is even more challenging for deals focused on buying assets to avoid debts. Yet, buying just the assets can help limit risks.
But, working through the legal and practical issues of buying distressed companies is tough. Things like pensions, rules, and checking the company are complex but key. Choosing to buy shares from a still solvent company can be smarter than asset deals. This protects more value.
Sometimes, going through an official debt-handling process is unavoidable. This step can help manage debts better. It allows for legal or agreed ways to share the losses. Getting the right advice is crucial. It helps make a plan that really works.
In the end, the right overall strategy for complex M&A deals is key. With the end of some government help, distressed deals might pick up. So, it’s vital to have a plan that accounts for all challenges. This is the way to make successful deals, even in a tough market.
Due Diligence and Warranties in Distressed M&A
In distressed M&A, time is short for proper due diligence. Buyers often have to work with very little, sometimes unreliable information. Different from usual M&A deals, there might not be many warranties or guarantees. This is especially true in deals with companies in insolvency. In these cases, it’s vital to fully understand the debts and risks of the company being bought.
When companies sell their assets, it gives buyers a chance to choose what they want. This approach also simplifies the process of moving ownership rights and dealing with any outstanding issues. Even so, buyers must still check the details through due diligence. This step is crucial for smooth staff handovers and for not hurting other people or businesses. Getting extra cover from the current management through warranties can lower the risk for the buyer.
Buyers in distressed situations might only get basic promises from the sellers. To fill this gap, there’s a kind of insurance called Warranty and Indemnity (W&I) insurance. It lets buyers turn to the insurer if there’s a problem with the promises made. But, this insurance can be costly and might not cover everything. So, buyers and insurers often have to work hard to find a deal that suits both.
Tackling due diligence issues in distressed M&A calls for smart planning. Looking at the small number of guarantees and using W&I insurance can help. With a well-thought-out approach, buyers can reduce their risks. This way, they have a better chance to meet their goals, even in tough situations.
Regulatory and Legal Considerations
The tapering of Government support will make UK distress cases rise. This makes dealing with regulatory issues, like antitrust and foreign investments, very important in distressed mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has been tough on mergers during the pandemic. They watch closely over deals, especially as more M&A happens in tough economic times. This means companies need to know a lot about antitrust to do well in these situations.
Cross-border deals have extra challenges, with international investors needing to watch UK Government involvement, especially in health and security areas. The new National Security and Investment Act 2021 shows more control over such deals, making compliance and planning critical.
The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act greatly affects how businesses can restructure. Tools like Schemes and Restructuring Plans are key during M&A. The Act offers different options for struggling companies, needing a good understanding of the law for the best results.
Good corporate governance is very important in hard financial times. Directors must always think about what’s best for those who own or are owed by the company. With things getting more complicated, having wise leaders can prevent big issues related to bad trading and misuse of power.
Risk Assessment and Profiling
Evaluating investment chances in distressed M&A means looking closely at risk. Aon plc’s insights from over 6,000 projects worldwide in the last five years are very valuable. Airmic, with over 450 members, also highlights how important it is to check financial risks well in these cases.
When dealing with quick decisions in distressed deals, buyers must be quick. They often have very little information to go on. They use a careful strategy to find out about hidden costs and what problems might come after buying a company. Things like ongoing payments or potential extra costs to keep suppliers happy are crucial to look at.
Asset deals tend to work better in these tough buyouts to lower risks. But getting the okay from regulators can be tough. Groups investing money often do better than businesses buying to deal with these kinds of checks. They have to think about both the risks and the benefits of this when planning.
Those putting up the money can use special insurances to make deals safer. W&I insurance is a key example. It helps when there’s not a lot of protection in the original deal. They can also add in special bonuses to push the business to do better after recovering.
When buying from a failing business that’s going broke, it’s really important to check the risks well. Insurances like W&I, insurance for tax problems, or other unexpected costs are more and more popular in these situations. They help make sure deals are as safe as possible and smoothen out any hard talks.
UK Distressed M&A Risk Profiling
UK distressed M&A risk profiling needs careful review. This includes financial, strategic, and operational checks. Companies are using quick and effective due diligence to tackle the financial risks.
The team has great experience in troubled M&A deals. This helps them deal with complex situations.
They have managed fast M&A deals for various parties. For instance, when JD Sports bought Go Outdoors. Or when Boohoo Group got Karen Millen and Coast.
Looking at the big picture is key. The company uses its know-how in several areas to offer sound advice. This includes M&A, private equity, and restructuring.
They focus on finding smart solutions. For example, they might suggest loan-to-own deals or refinancing to cut risks.
In England and Wales, business failures are growing. There was a 14% rise in CVAs in October 2023 over the previous year. This means a lot of activity is expected and companies need good plans.
More and more, firms are turning to insurance to lower risks in tough M&A deals. Warranty and Indemnity (W&I) insurance and tax insurance are common. These insurances help keep deals going even when time and facts are scarce.
Risk Mitigation Strategies
In the fast-changing world of distressed M&A, it’s vital to have strong risk management plans. Synthetic W&I insurance has really changed things. It lets buyers move quickly in deals. They can avoid waiting for seller guarantees.
Tax and contingent risk insurance are now key for keeping assets safe. They protect against tax troubles during restructuring. This keeps the buyer safe from sudden costs. With more companies in trouble, these strategies are more important than ever.
Contingent risk insurance is also crucial for known legal issues. It offers a way to protect deals from falling apart. As deals with limited seller assurances are common in distressed M&A, these insurances are a lifeline.
To deal with risky M&A, it’s best to have a mix of insurances. Synthetic W&I alongside tax and contingent risk covers all bases. This full protection is critical for success in today’s market.
Conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic has had big effects on the economy. In the UK, we now see a lot of companies facing financial trouble. There are more insolvencies than before and a lot of them are using CVAs to try to stay afloat.
With so many companies in trouble, this is a time where investors can make a big difference. They need to be very careful when looking at these companies. This includes checking all the risks and making a solid plan. Experts think there will be more deals like this soon.
Buying companies that are struggling needs to happen fast. There’s not much time to think it over. This quick process can be risky for the buyers. But if they have good plans ready, like using special insurance, they can avoid some of these risks.
The problem of companies owing money is also growing. This makes choosing which companies to invest in even more important. Investors must be very focused to make the right choice.
When a company can’t pay its debts, there are ways to handle the situation in the UK. These ways can help the company get better or sell its assets. Investors and creditors both benefit when these processes are followed.
But, the process can be complicated due to many laws. Investors need to know these laws well. This helps them make smart decisions and be sure their investments will do well.
