![\"Unilever](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1912-unilever1.jpg\")
\t\tUnilever was in the biggest UK M&A deal of the first half.\t<\/p>\n\t\t\tWednesday 09 September 2026 2:11 am
\n\t\t\t\t\t\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Updated:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\t\tTuesday 08 September 2026 4:54 pm\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\tUnilever was in the biggest UK M&A deal of the first half.\t<\/p>\n
The value of UK merger and acquisitions<\/a> more than doubled in the first half of 2026 as foreign buyers capitalised on sluggish valuations to pick off some of Britain\u2019s most valuable companies.<\/p>\n Takeovers worth some \u00a3124bn were struck in the first six months of the year, up 107 per cent year-on-year from \u00a360bn in the same period of 2025, according to a new report from PwC.<\/p>\n This was despite the total number of deals dropping 13 per cent to 1,301. The top 10 transactions made up nearly two-thirds of the total value, with takeovers of Unilever\u2019s food division, Schroders, Beazley topping the list.<\/p>\n \u201cMore capital chasing fewer deals has become the defining feature of UK M&A,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n Unilever\u2019s \u00a333.4bn sale of its food division to Mccormick towered above the pack, and helped lift the value of consumer markets deals by 486 per cent.<\/p>\n The merger was revealed in April but quickly faced shareholder backlash from Unilever shareholders over concerns the process was being \u201crushed<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n Fears of City market exodus<\/p>\n The London Stock Exchange has faced a flurry of takeovers that have stripped the market of some of its biggest names in recent years.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tRead more<\/p>\n \t\t\tLondon pensions firm eyes more deals after HSBC and Lloyds takeovers<\/a><\/p>\n American investment firm Nuveen\u2019s \u00a310bn swoop for Schroders shocked the City after the asset manager\u2019s chief had previously rebuffed speculation of a sale.<\/a><\/p>\n Swiss insurer Zurich\u2019s \u00a38bn bid for Beazley and US food manufacturers Ingredion\u2019s \u00a32.7bn play for Tate and Lyle are also both set to lead to delistings.<\/p>\n As of 1 September, announced acquisitions of UK-listed public companies topped $132.5bn, according to figures from the London Stock Exchange Group. This was nearly triple the $48.2bn in the same period last year.<\/p>\n Last Wednesday, a trio of London-listed firms all accepted bids from foreign buyers, sparking rallying calls for action from officials.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Takeovers of FTSE 250 firms Bodycote and Gamma Communications, as well as energy company Capricorn, topped \u00a33bn helping extend the record raid on the City.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is increasing competition for companies, capital and talent and we need to play to win. Complacency is not a viable option,\u201d Charles Hall, head of research at Peel Hunt, told City AM following the news.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tRead more<\/p>\n