Major decline in value of mergers and acquisitions

Despite major moves in the supermarket sector, with Metro (operator of the My Market chain) acquiring Veropoulos outlets and Sklavenitis stepping in to rescue Marinopoulos, the number of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) diminished considerably in Greece last year, according to the Ernst & Young M&A Barometer 2016 for Central and Southeast Europe.

It showed that the 33 M&As in Greece in 2016 had a total value of $1.27 billion, down $500 million from 2015, when 28 M&As took place with a total $1.77 billion exchanging hands.

Only 14 M&As exclusively involved Greek companies.