We have completed more than 65 corporate and M&A transactions since January 2025, with a combined deal value of approximately £3 billion. Deals were completed across a wide range of sectors, including financial services, technology, healthcare, real estate and human capital, and the team advised on an increasing number of private equity transactions, totalling over £300 million.
Some of the Corporate and M&A team’s most notable transactions this year include advising the Ultima group on its £1bn merger with the Trustmarque group, creating one of the UK’s largest IT services providers employing over 1,000 people. Against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions, the firm’s Defence M&A team advised on the merger of UK cyber innovator Amiosec Ltd and Australian digital defence specialist Penten Pty Ltd. The deal created PentenAmio – one of the largest global teams dedicated to secure classified mobile communications and AI-enabled defence for government and military organisations.
Beyond technology and defence, the team was particularly active in the food and drink sector, having acted for longstanding client Yeo Valley, the largest organic food brand in the UK consumed by over ten million households a year, on its acquisition of The Collective. The team also advised food procurement specialist allmanhall, on the creation of its new strategic partnership with Buyers Edge Platform, a global leader in foodservice procurement and technology. In addition, the team acted on a number of significant corporate real estate deals, including advising Tritax Big Box REIT on the £74.25m acquisition of Sainsbury’s distribution centre.
The firm continues to help clients realise their Net Zero ambitions across multiple sectors and has been engaged on some of the UK’s largest sustainable infrastructure transactions. We advised waste management company CIRQLR on all eight of its acquisitions, transforming CIRQLR into a £150 million turnover business capable of handling 600,000 tonnes of materials across 19 recycling facilities. The team also facilitated FirstGroup plc’s strategic investment in Palmer Energy Technology Limited and Oxford University spin-out, Brill Power, known for its advanced battery management technology. In the sustainable infrastructure sector, we also acted on a series of deals that secured our position in Clean Energy Pipeline’s 2025 Legal League Tables, ranking as the second most active law firm in clean energy M&A. Highlights include advising international client European Energy on the divestment of three UK solar parks and supporting BESS projects in Scotland for Asper Investment Management and Craydel Group, alongside major solar projects for Enray Power.
Much of our work this year continued to have an international focus with the firm working collaboratively with its global preferred firm network of independent firms to implement a variety of complex cross-border mergers and acquisitions for a range of clients. We have been engaged on projects across 33 jurisdictions, including continental Europe, the USA, Hong Kong, China, New Zealand and the Cayman Islands, all of which underscore Burges Salmon’s position as a trusted adviser for complex, high-value transactions in the UK and internationally.
