The value of mergers and acquisitions in Ireland fell 76.1 per cent to €8.2 billion last year from €34.3 billion in 2008, a new report said today.
The number of transactions fell 31.6 per cent, declining to 221 from 323, global information services company Experian said.
The quarterly figures were also gloomy. In the final quarter the number of transactions fell 26.2 per cent to 45 deals from 61 in the previous quarter. The value of completed deals fell significantly, declining 62.9 per cent from €3.5 billion in the third quarter of 2009 to €1.3 billion in the final three months of the year.
The largest deal recorded during the year was Warner Chilcott's acquisition of the global pharmaceuticals business of Proctor & Gamble in August for €2.2 billion.
On a Europe-wide basis, transactions fell 23.5 per cent, with only 10,905 deals compared to 14,250 in 2008. The value of transactions fell 30 per cent to €811.4 billion.
"The Republic of Ireland saw somewhat larger declines in deal volumes and values than were evident in Europe as a whole, comparing the full year 2009 with 2008," said Brian Rarity, Strategic Consultant with Corpfin.
"Clearly some regions have suffered more than others in terms of dropping deal values and volumes. Let us hope that 2010 will bring better news."
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