EMC’s Regional Corporate Finance Update | September

September 2025

Welcome to our corporate finance review for September 2025, where 36 deals have been reported here in the South-East. 

As we head into Q4, deal teams across the region are not anticipating the same spike in activity that we saw pre-budget last October. That said, the 26 November Autumn Budget remains a key target date for those already in process. 

According to the latest UK Report on Jobs from KPMG and REC, hiring activity in the South of England has seen a drop in recent months, with the region seeing the sharpest fall in job vacancies in the UK. This decline is linked to ongoing economic uncertainty and changes in National Insurance introduced this year. All eyes are on the Autumn Budget, with hopes the government will avoid measures that could further weaken the labour market and instead prioritise investment in workforce skills and stability.

We were delighted to support Shackleton in their recent transaction with Lee Equity partners, having advised on their initial investment by Sovereign Capital in 2021. The UK financial sector has continued to show strength with a surge in mergers and acquisitions recently. Inward M&A activity has picked up significantly, reaching over £19 billion in Q1 2025, nearly four times the previous quarter. This increase is said to be driven in part by strong overseas interest into the UK.

With the backdrop of Trump’s visit to the UK, the UK-US Tech Prosperity Deal has pledged a £150 billion investment boost, with significant contributions from major firms like Microsoft, Google, and Blackstone. Microsoft alone has committed £22 billion over the next four years. This deal is expected to create an estimated 7,600 jobs. The deal focuses on AI and tech infrastructure, with plans for new data centres and an AI supercomputer in the UK.

Here at EMC, we were pleased to announce our role as lead advisor to the shareholders of Rapidcare on their sale to Qufora Ltd, a Danish MedTech company and part of the Impilo portfolio. Rapidcare is a UK Dispensing Appliance Contractor specialising in chronic care home delivery. This deal builds upon an existing partnership, and strengthens Qufora’s UK presence.

Other stand out deals this month in the South-East include the £20m acquisition of Landguard Systems, a Hampshire-based radio systems manufacturer, by Roke Manor, and the Genuit Group’s acquisition of Davidson Holdings Ltd for £49m.