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Mergers & acquisitions

Today

Alinta Energy operates Loy Yang B in Victoria, one of the country’s biggest coal power plants.

KKR taps advisors, preps multi-billion dollar bid for Alinta Energy

KKR’s dealmakers have hired investment bank Barrenjoey for advice and have spent the past two months working on a proposal for Alinta Energy.

  • 1 hr ago
  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Potentia Capital founder Andy Gray and managing director Tim Reed.

Swedish giant Epiroc among bidders for Potentia’s Micromine

Micromine is 2025’s biggest tech deal to cross Street Talk’s desk so far. It is also one that Potentia’s warring co-founders, Andy Gray and Tim Reed, hold the closest to their hearts.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Left to right: Sigma Health Care CEO Vikesh Ramsunder with  Chemist Warehouse founders Sam Gance, Jack Gance and Mario Verrocchi.

Here’s why Chemist Warehouse is really worth $32b

As Chemist Warehouse celebrates the $32 billion marriage with Sigma, it’s clear how vital the retail chain’s culture will be to the deal. Here are the secrets of that culture. 

  • James Thomson

Yesterday

Loscam has previously attempted to hive off its Australian business via Goldman Sachs and UBS.

Bye bye, Brookfield: US giant exits Loscam Asia Pacific auction

It is unclear who, if anyone, is still active in the auction after Brookfield’s departure.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Telstra’s Vicki Brady says the AI revolution needs the right infrastructure.

Telstra mulls putting its $200m data centre business on the block

The telecoms giant has asked investment banks for their best ideas on what to do with the assets amid heightened demand for AI-adjacent infrastructure.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
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Jack Gance, chairman and co-founder of Chemist Warehouse.

Eyes on franchisee sell orders ahead of Chemist Warehouse’s ASX debut

Short interest in Sigma has ticked up from under one per cent last year to a three-year-high of  5.62 per cent at February 6, the most recent data available.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Charlie Shahin has become the third largest shareholder in ASX-listed Vitura, and how has an 11.4 per cent stake. He helped bankroll the purchase of a medicinal cannabis company, Candor Medical.

Billionaire family backs Vitura’s purchase of medicinal cannabis firm

The ASX-listed company will acquire Candor Medical, a telehealth consultations provider, with the backing of wealthy businessman Charlie Shahin.

  • Simon Evans

This Month

Advent Partners-owned Integral Diagnostics made a significant bolt-on acquisition last year with diagnostic imaging facility DiagnostiCare.

Advent eyes quick radiology flip with PEP on the scene

PEP is understood to me in talks to buy Advent Partners’s Imaging Associates with Sayers Group on the scene to advise.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Foiling is an offshoot of surfing.

Making waves: Glow Capital invests in water sports electrification biz

Foil Drive is Glow’s second deal this year, and comes after it last month picked up a stake in cosmetics contract manufacturer Delta Labs.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
SG Fleet listed on the ASX in 2014.

PEP lines up $800m debt package for SG Fleet bid

It comes as the PEP, advised by Barrenjoey and Citi, waits on the independent expert report and proxy reports before a scheme vote expected to be called in March.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Perpetual Chairman Tony D’Aloisio with Perpetual CEO Bernard Reilly prior to the Perpetual AGM in October.

KKR set to rejig $2.2b bid for Perpetual; board calls meeting

Perpetual’s directors have been summoned to a board meeting scheduled for late Tuesday, as KKR prepares to rejig a $2.2 billion bid that was stung by a hefty tax bill.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
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Sam Altman immediately rebuked Elon Musk’s OpenAI buyout plans.

Musk probably won’t take over OpenAI, but investors should still worry

Elon Musk’s attempts to buy OpenAI is the latest in a flood of potentially market-shaking events, which make the fortunes of the world’s biggest companies anyone’s guess.

  • Paul Smith
FIRB exemptions for new wind and solar farms are also taking longer.

FIRB go-slow on China approvals hindering capital flows

Closer scrutiny of Chinese investment in Australia’s energy transition is also slowing the development of new wind and solar farms, lawyers say.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith and Ryan Cropp
Preston Hammersley from Indian Pacific Funds.

Anything less than $5 for Insignia is opportunistic, says shareholder

Indian Pacific’s Preston Hamersley told Street Talk he finds himself in a bittersweet position as bids for the ASX-listed wealth manager rain down.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Simon Marrison, head of financial sponsors ANZ at Citi, has been sweet-talked across to another firm by a former colleague.

Citi’s head of sponsors resigns; heads to Rothschild

Marrison was among Citi staffers elevated to managing director in December after a solid 12-months.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
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Morgan Stanley has been a traditional investment banking blue blood.

Morgan Stanley loses crown as chief Goldman Sachs rival

Both JPMorgan and Evercore generated more financial advisory fees last year, marking a change in the Wall Street guard.

  • Joshua Franklin and Sujeet Indap
ProTen is among Australia’s top chicken producers.

Cockfight! Roc battles rivals for Aware’s $1b-plus chicken farmer

The bidder mix suggests property-rich poultry players have been engulfed by the ever-expanding boundaries of “core-plus infrastructure” in Australian M&A.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Austria’s Novomatic, to whom a 92-year-old Len Ainsworth sold a majority stake in the ASX-listed Ainsworth Gaming Tech, is back in the frame.

Pokie machine maker Ainsworth close to paying out for shareholders

Ainsworth has revived takeover talks with its largest shareholder, Austria’s Novomatic.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Liontown Resources’ Kathleen Valley lithium mine, for which Zenith built a hybrid offsite plant.

Morrison lobs bid for $2b-plus Zenith Energy

Morrison, KKR, EQT Partners and Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners have submitted first-round bids for the remote power specialist.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
A major theme this year is expected to be the gold majors raising funds to pursue juniors – including the likes of Vault Minerals, Predictive Discovery and Spartan Resources – with producing assets and explorers will raise to ramp up their drilling activities.

Rising small cap miners hit the road with NDRs amid gold price boom

Fund manager sources who spoke to Street Talk say they anticipate capital-raising activity will pick up this year.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/mergers---acquisitions-1mpf