RSM revealed as region's top dealmaker

RSM, which has offices in Preston, Southport and Manchester, has been revealed as the North West's top dealmaker for a third consecutive year.

The corporate finance team of the audit, tax and consulting firm helped close 29 deals in 2018, more than any other firm.

Recent deals include  precision engineering specialist Fylde CNC, which was acquired by the Venture Engineering Group.

Across the UK, RSM helped complete 154 deals, which was a six per cent increase over the previous year, and enough to claim third place in the national rankings.

Napthens, which is based in Preston and operates five further offices in the North West, ranked fifth on the North West list.

The figures were compiled by Experian report, which reported that the level of merger and acquisition activity in the North West remained strong in 2018, despite uncertainty. In total, there were 869 transactions recorded during the year, representing a 10.6 per cent increase in volume but deal value had fallen to £13.3bn which equals a 30 per cent decrease on 2017.

Ian Latham, RSM’s head of corporate finance in the North West, said: "We are delighted to achieve a hat trick as the most active deal adviser in the North West for the third year in a row. Through our deep understanding of key deal drivers and relevant sector experience, we have demonstrated our continued ability to deliver value for sellers and purchasers and drive successful transactions, overcoming the growing inherent uncertainty in the market. "The increase in deal activity this year highlights that investors continue to seek quality opportunities and the strong regional private equity market also enhances the funding options for mid-market businesses looking to grow both organically and through acquisition. Although we may see some economic uncertainty, strategic opportunities will continue to stimulate activity and we look forward to another successful year in 2019.’