With Eurozone inflation trending upward again, consumer margins are under pressure across the board. The impact is visible: EMEA deal volume dropped from 338 in Q1 2025 to 254 in Q1 2026, a 25 per cent decline.
Deal activity is likely to remain subdued as financing conditions tighten and sellers delay processes. Though prolonged margin pressure may drive carve-outs of not-core businesses, creating opportunities for well-positioned buyers.
Deal activity in March involved 123 deals in total: that’s an increase of twelve deals year on year. A couple of the notable ones are:
- The acquisition of Unilever plc (Food business) by McCormick & Co Inc.
- Chocolatemakers being acquired by Hands Off BV.
- Dawn Food Products Inc being acquired by Puratos Group NV.
The most active sector (in number of deals) in March was Accommodation with 21 deals, as shown by
- Grupo de Empresas Matutes acquiring BLESS Hotel Ibiza, TRS Ibiza Hotel, and Grand Palladium Sicilia Resort & Spa (75 per cent stake),
- Plaza London Waterloo being acquired by PPHE Hotel Group Ltd, and
- NORDESTE Properties SOCIMI SA acquiring Melia Bilbao Hotel.
Several potential acquisitions and exits are also being explored. To name a few:
- Belgian company House of Coffee plans to pursue further acquisitions of Benelux peers
- Dutch private equity firm Capital A is exploring the sale of Netherlands-based menswear company Mr Marvis
Read more in the April edition of our newsletter
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