Ernst & Young: Mergers and acquisitions down to USD 3 billion in Romania in 2010

The merges and acquisitions market in Romania stood at around USD 3 billion last year, down 20 percent from the USD 3.5 billion in 2009, according to an estimation from Ernst & Young Romania in its most recent Mergers & Acquisitions barometer. Transaction values were disclosed only for 46 percent of the deals closed in Romania during this period. During 2010, 106 deals were concluded in Romania, a 5 percent decrease in the number of deals, compared to 2009. The trend was in line with CEE countries, which witnessed a decrease of 22 percent from 2009 to 2010. Only four deals were inked at a price higher than USD 100 million, which was similarly to 2009, according to E&Y. The main investing countries were Germany and France, while domestic and strategic investors dominated the market. The most attractive industries were retail and wholesale, along with manufacturing. The study found that in 11 deals, the buyers came from Germany, while France generated seven deals. Hungary brought five deals, while Austria and Uk, four deals each. The four largest deals in Romania included the takeover of investment fund Europolis Invest by CA Immo International, a deal worth USD 363. Second in line came the takeover of Euroweb Romania by Turk Telekom, a deal of USD 264 million. editor@romania-insider.com