42 deals were completed in the first quarter of 2025.
The surge in deal activity – nearly doubling the 28 transactions completed over the same period in 2024 – was largely driven by an influx of M&A work in the financial services (FS), facilities management, and fire safety sectors.
In the last 12 months, the firm has advised on 40 transactions involving FS business alone, with rising cost pressures and market volatility increasing the number of companies exploring consolidation.
Deals announced so far in 2025 have included the merger of financial advisory firm Lowes Quantum Limited with wealth manager Saltus, creating a single entity with nearly 400 employees and an asset portfolio worth £8.5bn.
Kirsty Adamson, partner at Weightmans, said:
"Businesses across key sectors are prioritising security and consolidation in an uncertain economic environment. We’re seeing more and more firms look to pool resources and increase resilience by merging with like-minded entities with complementary offerings.
“For financial services firms, the market is changing so quickly – capital requirements being where they are mean firms need scale, quickly. We’re also seeing rapid digital transformation in a sector that is by-and-large at the forefront of AI adoption – mid-sized outfits are finding they need to invest more than they can afford to, just to keep pace, and merging with other firms in a similar position is one way to redress the imbalance.”
The quarter also saw London-headquartered OCS acquire fellow facilities management business Maxim FM, the company’s sixth acquisition in just 18 months, and UK Fire and Safety Limited become part of the Midwich Security Group.
Graham Conway, managing director of Maxim FM, said:
“Joining the OCS Group marked an exciting new chapter for us – one that enables us to tap into the Group’s extensive resources, scale, and expertise to further enhance the innovative and sustainable solutions we provide. Our advisers on the deal at Weightmans were instrumental, providing expert guidance and making a complex process as seamless as possible.”
The fast start to 2025 follows a record-breaking 2024 for Newcastle corporate team, during which 132 deals were completed - an 11% increase on the previous year and the highest ever number of deals completed by the team in a 12-month period.
