42014429 - Horizons Q1 2022_v06

HORIZONS | BDO'S GLOBAL VIEWOF MID-MARKET DEAL ACTIVITY 61

LOGISTICSAND SUPPLY CHAINM&A LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN M&A BOUNCES BACK IN RECORD-BREAKING YEAR

JASON WHITWORTH PARTNER. M&A AND LOGISTICS & SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

SUZIE GOODFELLOW ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

jason.whitworth@bdo.co.uk

suzie.goodfellow@bdo.co.uk

Confidence returned to the Logistics sector, despite well-documented headwinds, as we saw a record year for UK M&A activity. Where 2020 was a year characterised by the impact of the pandemic, 2021 was a year which was shaped by its effects in many ways. The global Logistics and Supply Chain sector was certainly no exception. Thrown into the spotlight as global supply chain issues hit the headlines, the industry operated against an extremely challenging backdrop, with disruptions such as the global semiconductor shortages and the one-off effects of the grounding of the Ever Given in the Suez Canal, supplemented by more local factors such as fuel supply disruption, and the perennial issue of workforce shortages, particularly drivers. Yet, or maybe because of this, sector M&A deal-making activity continued apace. UK deal volume was already bouncing back at the end of 2020, and that momentum continued into 2021, with the highest levels of deal activity in the sector since our tracking began in 2015, with Q4 2021 being the busiest quarter yet.

UK LOGISTICS QUARTERLY DEAL VOLUME &VALUE 20152021

1000 1200 1400 1600

25

20

15

0 200 400 600 800

10

5

0

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Volume Disclosed value (£m)

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