Supreme acquires SlimFast UK & Europe —
Manchester-based Supreme PLC opened the week with the £20.1 million acquisition of SlimFast’s UK and European operations from Glanbia PLC. The deal, including £9 million in deferred consideration, brings one of the most recognisable weight-management brands under Supreme’s Drinks & Wellness division, which also houses Typhoo Tea and Clearly Drinks. SlimFast UK generated £25.5 million in revenue last year with an adjusted gross profit of £9.7 million.
For Glanbia, the sale trims exposure to a brand struggling against the rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. For Supreme, the acquisition is opportunistic — a chance to revive a legacy name through direct-to-consumer channels and manufacturing integration. It also underscores a broader mid-market pattern in UK consumer goods: smaller listed companies pursuing recognisable assets that can be revitalised through operational efficiency and brand renewal.
Marex expands into Europe with Valcourt acquisition —
UK-based Marex Group plc agreed to acquire Geneva-based Valcourt SA, a fixed-income market-maker with roughly 700 institutional clients spanning banks, wealth managers, and asset managers. The acquisition, subject to regulatory approval, broadens Marex’s reach in high-yield, subordinated, and sustainable debt markets while deepening its presence in continental Europe.
Valcourt represents another step toward building a full-spectrum institutional services model for Marex. The move highlights how UK financial businesses are seeking continental growth rather than domestic consolidation — an outward momentum that contrasts with the more defensive tone seen elsewhere in European M&A this year.
Redcentric offloads data-centre business for £127 million —
Redcentric plc announced the sale of its entire data-centre operation to Stellanor Datacenters Group Limited, backed by funds managed by DWS Group, for up to £127 million. The portfolio includes eight UK data centres with a combined capacity of 41 megawatts across London, Cambridge, and Yorkshire.
The transaction marks a decisive strategic refocus for Redcentric, freeing capital to reduce debt and concentrate on its core managed-services business. It also reflects a wider recalibration across UK infrastructure technology — companies pruning non-core assets to sharpen strategy in a market shifting toward cloud-first services and specialist hosting. For investors, it demonstrates that UK infrastructure assets remain in high demand among institutional buyers despite muted deal flow elsewhere.
Trustmarque and Ultima merge to form £1 billion IT group —
Two of Britain’s largest independent IT and managed-services providers, Trustmarque Group and Ultima Business Solutions, signed a definitive agreement to merge on 23 October. The combined business, expected to generate gross invoiced income approaching £1 billion and employ more than 1,000 people, will operate across public- and private-sector clients with a broad vendor ecosystem that includes Microsoft, Cisco, and IBM.
The merger reflects an accelerating trend in the UK technology-services market, where scale and integrated capability increasingly dictate competitiveness. Private-equity backing has fuelled much of this consolidation, creating a national tier of providers with the breadth to compete with global systems integrators. For both Trustmarque and Ultima, the merger is a play for resilience and relevance — an acknowledgment that scale, automation, and digital transformation expertise are now inseparable in the enterprise-services market.
LSEG sells 20 per cent stake in post-trade unit —
The London Stock Exchange Group confirmed the sale of a 20 per cent stake in its Post Trade Solutions division to a consortium of 11 global banks for £170 million, valuing the business at £850 million. The deal also adjusts revenue-sharing from its SwapClear clearing service, reducing the banks’ profit participation from 30 per cent to 15 per cent next year and 10 per cent from 2026.
For LSEG, this is both a monetisation and a strategic reset. The transaction unlocks value from its clearing arm while deepening institutional alignment with its banking partners. It also highlights a broader pattern among UK-listed infrastructure businesses — moving from pure ownership to collaborative partnership models as they balance shareholder return with long-term structural control.
Bottom line —
This week’s M&A activity underscored the deliberate, strategic tone defining the UK deal landscape. Rather than headline-grabbing takeovers, the market is being reshaped by targeted acquisitions, mergers, and asset sales designed to strengthen balance sheets and reposition businesses for future growth. Consumer goods companies are pursuing brand rejuvenation; financial and infrastructure players are rationalising holdings and expanding specialist capabilities; and technology-service providers are consolidating to build national scale.
In aggregate, these transactions illustrate an M&A market characterised by precision rather than volume — deals rooted in focus, capability, and partnership. With capital markets still cautious, UK companies appear to be writing a new playbook: using smaller, purposeful deals to achieve strategic transformation, often with global reach but local execution.
Key takeaways —
- Strategic repositioning dominates — UK companies are reshaping portfolios and capabilities through focused acquisitions, disposals, and mergers rather than large-scale takeovers.
- Mid-market momentum — Activity is strongest among mid-cap and private-equity-backed players, where agility and sector focus allow meaningful strategic moves despite market uncertainty.
- Global reach, domestic base — Whether expanding abroad or inviting international capital in, UK enterprises continue to operate as outward-facing hubs in global M&A activity.
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