Private Equity - Proceeding with caution in Central Europe

After an all time high in 2007, Deloitte’s Central European Private Equity Confidence Index has reached a low point. However, Central Europe is still expected to continue to be one of the key focus points for many PE funds.rnrnGarret Byrne, M&A Transactions Services leader for Deloitte in Central Europe, said that “Despite the hopes of some a few months ago, Private Equity activity and sentiment in Central Europe has reached a five year low point in line with other global markets and lack of liquidity in the banking market”. Some PE funds are sitting on the sidelines while others are prepared to do equity only deals and wait for the debt market to come back for refinancing. Portfolio management is now a key focus. rnrnDespite the overall current lack of optimism and cautiousness, private equity sees Central Europe positively as one of the regions which will be less hit by a global economic downturn. “Many private equity professionals in Central Europe see the current environment as a great opportunity and believe that seeds sown in 2009 may reap great rewards,” added Byrne. The corollary of this of course is that seeds sown in 2008 may need constant nourishing in order for them to flourish. This is confirmed by the findings of Deloitte’s latest Central European Private Equity Confidence Survey.rnrnSigns of distress are seen and felt in virtually all aspects of leading economies. Hopes for quick recovery are tampered by locked credits and a stagnant interbank market. Unprecedented volatility in international equity markets forced European equities to reach new lows.rnrnDespite the completely changed M&A landscape, positioning of leading PE funds in Central Europe is still strong with funds available to invest, however largely in a stand-by mode waiting for entry multiples and seller expectations to curtail and for the debt markets to come back. rnrnThe Romanian economy has started feeling the effects of the global financial turmoil and as such many Romanian companies, in the absence of alternative financing sources, start entertaining thoughts about inviting outside investors participating in their share capital.rnrn“Even though expectations of the sellers are not yet fully aligned to those of potential investors, we believe that a new wave of consolidation will take place in Romania, in a number of sectors, resulting in a more mature, realistic and competitive market place,” predicted Antonis Ioannides, Transaction Services Partner in Deloitte Romania. rnrnPotential investors, he said, will be far more demanding in the months and years to come, paying increasing attention to, for example, quality of earnings, working capital management and internal controls but also quality of management and corporate governance. With investors becoming more and more sophisticated in their acquisition approach, sellers will also need to learn how to prepare and present themselves in order to maximize shareholder value.rn“We advice our clients to re-evaluate assets, because values of a few months ago, might not necessarily be reflecting current market values,” Ioannides continued. “From now on cash flow, working capital management, reporting and forecasting processes will be the focus of attention. Business strategies will need to focus on operational excellence. All the above will make the selling of a business a far more complex and demanding process, whereby, sound and experienced advisors will be essential.”rnrnAs a result, vendor preparation (vendor assistance) will have to be thoroughly planned and effectively implemented by sellers, providing prospective investors with full visibility of value drivers of their business, enabling them to make fully informed decisions, while deriving maximum value for the current shareholders.rnrnPrivate equity players pinpointed three key reasons for the current slowdown as uncertainty in the markets, limited funding and time needed for sellers to adjust to new multiples and expectations. Market players currently face concerns about the gap between the point when buyers are legally committed and when ultimate payment of money takes place.rnrnOn a brighter note, Byrne continued, historically in downturns there are more opportunities to create value for players who have available funds and can enter the market of low valuations and forced sales where cash is king. Strong companies may face a once in a life time opportunity to secure dominant market share at reasonable pricing levels. rnrnCorporate divestitures are expected to be a hot topic in the near future, while many large troubled groups will aim to divest non-core assets at potentially lucrative prices. The majority of deals should fall into the mid-market deal size range.rnrn“The current PE model may have to adapt, or rather step back, to the model used in the early 2000’s – buying at comparatively low multiples, focusing on improving operations, bringing in expertise, realising synergies and selling on again, rather than relying on a leverage based model,” said Byrne. To a large extent, this correlates with the overall shift of investor focus from new acquisitions to portfolio management, which will require more managerial and industry expert skills to survive the storm in the short run.rnrnOnce reasonable confidence in the markets is re-established, M&A track will be gained again. One can expect deeper investigation of the potential deals with a focus on robust financial and commercial due diligence, and a going back to fundamentals when valuing targets. rnrnHighlights of the survey:rnrnEconomic ClimaternSigns of concern over economic climate expressed six months ago converged to zero improvement expectations in the short-term. 92% of respondents expect the overall economic climate to decline.rnrnDebt AvailabilityrnSwing in expectations regarding debt availability which was clearly visible during last year has come to haunt the CE market worse than ever with limited debt available at increasing margins.rnrnInvestors´ FocusrnParticipants focus on portfolio management with new investments left as second priority – a flashback to early 2003.rnrnSize of TransactionrnRemaining market activity is expected in small to mid-market deals with anticipated growth potential to be realised during coming periods. Small-cap deals with low levels of leverage seem to be the order of the day.rnrnMarket ActivityrnThe M&A market is largely in suspense in the short term, with speculation regarding recovery in Q2 or Q3 of 2009.rnrnInvestment EfficiencyrnNotable change in participant investment efficiency in short term is expected compared to previous periods. 40% of respondents expect performance of their financial investments to decline, while only 6 months ago not a single respondent responded pessimistically.rnrnInvestors´ ActivitiesrnUnsurprisingly, given current valuation levels, PE funds expect to be net buyers. Search for new and add-on investments at lower multiples prevail with the expectation that seeds sown in 2009 may lead to great rewards.rnrnNew Investments CompetitionrnMarket leaders and less affected high potential mid-market targets are expected to steal the investment interest spotlight in short term.rnrnRaising of new fundsrnThe fund raising environment for general partners will be very tough and will favour established players with good track records.rnrnNew Investments CompetitionrnSurvey participants expect competition to tighten in the short term. The fight is likely to concentrate around the less affected small and mid-market targets with growth potential and clear sector/market leaders, which are expected to keep their stronghold.rnrnFor more information or to download the Deloitte Central Europe Private Equity Confidence Survey please visit www.deloitte.com/ro/private-equity-confidence-survey.rnrnrnDeloitte Private Equity Confidence IndexrnrnThe confidence index is based upon answers received from private equity professionals focused on Central Europe. It is composed from answers to the first seven questions of the ten question survey.rnrnFor each period the average of positive answer ratios over the sum of positive and negative answers is computed. This average is compared to the base period, which in our case is spring 2003.rn rnrnrnAbout Deloittern“Deloitte” is the brand under which tens of thousands of dedicated professionals in independent firms throughout the world collaborate to provide audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, and tax services to selected clients. These firms are members of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a Swiss Verein (“DTT”). Each member firm provides services in a particular geographic area and is subject to the laws and professional regulations of the particular country or countries in which it operates. DTT helps coordinate the activities of the member firms but does not itself provide services to clients. DTT and the member firms are separate and distinct legal entities, which cannot obligate the other entities. DTT and each DTT member firm are only liable for their own acts or omissions, and not those of each other. Each DTT member firm is structured differently in accordance with national laws, regulations, customary practice, and other factors, and may secure the provision of professional services in their territories through subsidiaries, affiliates, and/or other entities.rn rnAbout Deloitte Central EuropernDeloitte Central Europe is a regional organization of entities organized under the umbrella of Deloitte Central Europe Holdings Limited, the member firm in Central Europe of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. Services are provided by the subsidiaries and affiliates of Deloitte Central Europe Holdings Limited, which are separate and independent legal entities.rnrnThe subsidiaries and affiliates of Deloitte Central Europe Holdings Limited are among the region’s leading professional services firms, providing services through more than 4,000 people in more than 30 offices in 17 countries.rnrnAbout Deloitte in RomaniarnIn Romania, the services are provided by Deloitte Audit S.R.L., Deloitte Tax S.R.L., Deloitte Consultanta S.R.L. and Reff & Associates SCA (jointly referred to as “Deloitte Romania”) which are affiliates of Deloitte Central Europe Holdings Limited. Deloitte Romania is one of the leading professional services organizations in the country providing services in five professional areas-audit, tax, consulting, financial advisory and risk services through almost 500 national and specialized expatriate professionals. rn