Slater Heelis among North West’s most active dealmakers as values hit £181m

North West law firm Slater Heelis LLP has been recognised as one of the North West’s most active in 2016.

In the latest United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland M&A Review table from information services group Experian, the Manchester-headquartered company ranked 10th in the UK for deal volume after completing 21 transactions last year.

The value of the deals completed by Slater Heelis stood at £181m.

Some of the firm’s biggest transactions included the €45m deal for Polish biotech business Mabion, the multi-million pound sale of Aflex Hose Ltd and the £3m fundraising round for pharma company Blueberry Therapeutics.

Simon Wallwork, a partner in Slater Heelis’ corporate team, said: “The Manchester corporate finance community remained buoyant throughout 2016 defying fears that Brexit and Governmental changes could result in a slowdown in the deals completed.

“We have the market leading team in the North West of England for life sciences work with over 30 clients in this sector. We also act for a wide range of companies in the digital and telecoms sector and are prominent in the healthcare market for acquisitions and disposals.”

He added: “The team have a healthy pipeline of deals involving a range of businesses in the region and beyond in 2017 which we’re looking forward to completing.”

Slater Heelis’ managing partner, Chris Bishop, commented: “The corporate team has made huge progress over the past two years and this ranking is a testament to the skill and expertise within the team.”

According to Experian, 832 deals were announced by firms in the North West last year, up 5.6% from the 788 reported in 2015. It is the first time the figure has passed the 800 mark.

The value of the transactions in the North West was £13.6bn, which is 4.8% of the UK’s total deals value.

A full-service law firm, Slater Heelis has offices in central Manchester, Sale and Timperley.