Five healthcare deals in five months for Azets in the North East

June 20th 2023

Azets has continued its momentum across the first five months of 2023 with five transactions across healthcare in the North East, signalling an M&A trend in the sector.

Deals included:
• Sale of Care Homes for Adults with Disabilities to Swanton Care backed by Apposite Capital in January 2023.
• Acquisition of Thorncliffe Care by Hark Group in February 2023
• Sale of Cambridge Research Biochemicals to Biosynth AG backed by KKR in April 2023
• Acquisition of Thorncliffe Home Care by Hark Group in May 2023
• Acquisition of GT Vision by Northumbrian Medical Supplies in May 2023

Despite well-publicised external factors derailing confidence in many areas of healthcare, Lee Humble, Corporate Finance Partner at Azets has noted an array of factors that can determine the viability and profitability of transacting in the sector.
Lee Humble commented:
“2022 was a more challenging year for the Healthcare sector as a whole: with many operators recovering from staffing shortages and the retraction of legacy COVID-related funding. Activity in the sector is driven by the presence of consistent recurring revenue underpinning strong margins, with well-rated providers benefiting from interest from a multitude of buyers and investors.”

“Together with a generally fragmented market we are tipping the sector to be a prime candidate for consolidation - fuelled by increasing demand from a number of consolidators, many of whom benefit from Private Equity support. This has made our flurry of activity in 2023 even more satisfying with more to come in the approaching weeks.”

Mike Williams, Associate Director at Azets, added: “We have been delighted to advise so many clients across the many facets of healthcare in achieving their desired outcomes recently ranging from maximising value to cementing legacy and protecting cultures. We are confident this activity will continue into the coming periods with a strong pipeline of corporate and private equity-backed transactions in the sector being a key consideration as we continue to grow the Azets team.”

The Azets Corporate Finance team achieved a record year in 2022 following a period of high-value transactions, a record that is expected to be surpassed again in 2023 after an exceptional first five months.