More than £6bn of key financial deals around the North show the regional economy is continuing its recovery out of the worst effects of the pandemic.

EY’s North Strategy and Transactions teams acted on more than 20 completed deals worth a total of around £6.4 billion, in the first six months of 2021.

In Yorkshire, the team supported the acquisition of Assentis, a leading European software solutions provider, by Smart Communications, the sale of IG Industries and Brayford Plastics to ProAmpac, a US packaging company, the disposal of Nortek Air Management by UK buyout firm, Melrose Industries Plc, and was lead advisor to Berkeley DeVeer on their acquisition of Avant Homes.

Mark Clephan, Corporate Finance Partner at EY in the North, said: “The first six months of the year have demonstrated our continued success in advising on some of the region’s most significant deals. In Q1, we had a strong start to the year which has only been amplified further during Q2, advising on deals across the technology and e-commerce sectors.

“Looking forward, I expect deal volumes to remain high throughout 2021, as the economy continues to recover and grow. This more positive outlook, fuelled by COVID-19 restrictions lifting and the progress of the vaccine roll-out, will give a boost to regional economy, presenting further opportunities for the deals market.

Mark Allcroft, Strategy and Transactions Partner for EY across Yorkshire and the North East, said: “Across Yorkshire and the North East, we have supported on a number of deals across a range of industries including food and nutrition, packaging, and gaming. All of which demonstrate the diverse mix of businesses we have in this region and their desire to invest in grow.

“As anticipated, we have seen technology businesses perform well, which we expect to continue through the rest of 2021. The success we’ve experienced, in what is a hugely challenging environment, is testament to our team and I am extremely proud of all we have achieved.”

Other completed deals included providing financial and taxation due diligence on Radius’ acquisition of CanTrack and Modus Group, and Miss Group’s acquisition of MMD Networks and Seravo. In addition, EY performed financial due diligence on the sale of FourNet to Palatine, vendor due diligence on the sale of Applied Nutrition to JD Sports, advised on the debt raise for Dovehaven Carehomes and ABL re-finance for SpeedyHire Plc.