Bell Gully tops first quarter M&A league tables

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Press release – Wednesday 12 April 2017

Bell Gully tops first quarter M&A league tables

Bell Gully has topped the three major international league tables for mergers and acquisitions in the first quarter of 2017, extending the market-leading position the firm held in 2016.

Thomson Reuters' Mergers and Acquisitions Review, Bloomberg's Global Mergers and Acquisitions Market Review and Mergermarket's Mergers and Acquisitions League Tables all named Bell Gully as the highest-ranked New Zealand law firm based on first quarter deal activity by value. The firm was ranked within the top 10 firms in Australasia by four out of six measures of merger and acquisition activity.

"These results continue to demonstrate the outstanding work and dedication of the staff and partners across our corporate team," said Bell Gully Chair Chris Gordon. "Our clients put their confidence in us to help them complete successful transactions, and we consistently do so."

Thomson Reuters credited Bell Gully with advising on more than US$505 million (NZ$730 million) of deals in the first quarter. Bell Gully advised:

• HNA Group on the acquisition of asset finance business UDC Finance for NZ$660 million from ANZ,

• Bapcor on its NZ$351 million takeover of Hellaby Holdings, and

• Downer New Zealand on its agreement to acquire the construction, infrastructure and project management businesses of Hawkins from the McConnell Family.

All three reviews show that merger and acquisitions activity across the Asia-Pacific region has decreased in the first quarter compared to the same period last year. However, local mergers and acquisitions activity has remained robust. "New Zealand is still showing relatively strong economic growth and stability compared to the rest of the world, and we remain an attractive investment destination," said Chris.

ENDS

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