M&A News

• Compass Group is set to acquire a majority stake in Dutch catering firm Vermaat from Bridgepoint, valuing the company at $1.8 billion. Financial Times

• Sanofi, the French pharmaceutical giant, will acquire UK biotech firm Vicebio in a deal worth up to $1.6 billion, structured through cash and performance-based earnouts. TechCrunch 

• Flywheel Energy is reportedly close to purchasing ConocoPhillips’ Oklahoma assets in a transaction valued at $1.3 billion. Bloomberg 

• Blackstone has acquired a controlling stake in network automation company NetBrain, with the deal valuing the firm at $750 million. Bloomberg 

• Generous Brands, backed by Butterfly Equity, is acquiring kombucha maker Health-Ade in a deal valued at $500 million. Bloomberg 

• Spanish infrastructure firm Nostrum is seeking to raise up to $468 million through the sale of a 60% stake in its data center assets. Financial Times 

• Carlyle has agreed to acquire a majority interest in IT consultancy Adastra, in a $400 million deal including debt. Financial Times 

• Italian bank UniCredit has withdrawn its takeover bid for rival Banco BPM, ending months of negotiations after failing to gain regulatory support. Financial Times 

• Amazon has struck a deal to acquire Bee, a startup developing wearable AI-powered personal assistants. Bloomberg 

• Amancio Ortega’s family office, best known for founding Zara, is acquiring a 49% stake in UK-based PD Ports from Brookfield. Financial Times 

• Utmost Group, backed by Oaktree, is exploring the sale of its UK life and pensions business as it eyes a potential London IPO. Bloomberg