OREANDA-NEWS. June 02, 2011. PwC can reveal in its latest Branching Out Annual Report that there were 385 deals struck in 2010, up 4.6% on 2009 but total value has fallen to USD 12.7bn this year against last year’s USD 18.7bn. Average deal value also plummeted 29% to just USD 68.2million. This is less than half the value recorded circa five years ago, reported the press-centre of PwC.

For the first time ever since data capture began in 2003, Europe delivered the largest share of deal value, with USD 4.6bn, or 36% of the total USD 12.7bn FPP deal value. While worldwide deal value dropped 32% on last year, European deal value nearly trebled from USD 1.7bn to USD 4.6bn. Key to the consolidation turnaround was the UPM-Kymmene’s USD 1.1bn purchase of Myllykoski and Rhein Papier which was the trigger the European markets had been waiting for. Myllykoski was Europe’s 4th biggest producer of newsprint and magazine paper.

Clive Suckling, Global FPP leader at PwC said:
“After years of waiting, the time does appear to have come at last for consolidation in the paper industry in Europe. We would expect Europe to follow the trend already well established in North America towards a consolidation of capacity across the major paper grades to enable better supply side management in line with market demand.

Private equity (PE) accounted for 22% of total FPP deal value in 2010 and more than half (56%) of converter deal value. Although 2010 was a low year in terms of numbers of PE-backed deals, just 56 deals down from 107 last year , some larger transactions ensured the USD 1.8bn low point in 2009 was bumped up to USD 2.8bn in 2010. This boost was aided by PE coming up with the biggest deal of 2010 with UK PE firm Candover Investments’ sale of Europe’s largest private labels nappy producer, Ontex, to TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners.

Alexei Ivanov, partner, forest, paper & packaging industry leader PwC Russia, said:
"We expect deal momentum to pick up in 2011 and into 2012. Although economic fortunes remain mixed, confidence is returning. This will mean more consolidation in North America on top of the drive in Europe. It will also mean more deals to secure fibre supply and downstream especially it will mean deals to secure growth via geographic diversification and the repositioning of product and operational portfolios.