The crisis caused by COVID-19 led to a slowdown in private
equity deals in the first half of the year, as activity at many
companies ground to a halt due to lockdown measures across Europe.
As restrictions loosen, and economies and businesses re-open,
private equity M&A is building some momentum. However, much has
changed, particularly in directly-affected sectors, where private
equity buyers need to take a more forensic approach to due
diligence. Buyers must delve more deeply into target companies, as
well as their customers and suppliers, in order to uncover not only
the direct impacts of COVID-19, but also the potential secondary
effects of the crisis and management's response to-date.
