Thornhill advised the board of Westerlin Industrial Group, a listed industrials company, on its recommended cash offer from a strategic acquirer, in a transaction valued at approximately £1.2bn. The deal is among the largest public takeovers in the industrials sector to complete this year, and was approved by the requisite majority of Westerlin shareholders before being cleared by all relevant competition authorities within the anticipated timetable.

The transaction required Thornhill's M&A team to coordinate merger control filings across several jurisdictions in which Westerlin's operations are based, working alongside local counsel to manage differing procedural requirements without disrupting the overall deal timetable. The firm's Competition and Pensions teams also advised on aspects of the transaction affecting the target's regulatory position and its defined benefit pension scheme.

Richard Ashworth, who led the Thornhill team advising the board, said: "This was a transaction that moved on a demanding timetable, and the board wanted certainty at every stage of the process. We're pleased the deal completed on the terms originally agreed, without material amendment."