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Wood Group likely to agree takeover by Middle Eastern firm Sidara

The new wave of interest from abroad in snapping up º£½ÇÊÓÆµ assets has continued, with engineering and consulting firm Wood Group likely to recommend a takeover by Middle East-based Sidara

Wood Group Kenny pipelaying activities in the North Sea

London-listed engineering and consulting firm Wood Group said it is likely to recommend a takeover by Middle Eastern-based privately owned company Sidara sparking another potential delisting from the London Stock Exchange.

Wood announced on Monday that Sidara, previously known as Dar Al-Handasah, had shown interest in purchasing the group through a 35p per share proposal, as reported by .

The bid has yet to become formal, with Sidara granted until 25th August 2025 to submit an official acquisition offer.

Should the buyout proceed, it would represent another damaging departure from the London Stock Exchange.

Recent months have witnessed overseas giants target British bargains, as analysts highlighted the undervaluation of º£½ÇÊÓÆµ equities.

Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), cautioned last month: "There is this question around how attractive º£½ÇÊÓÆµ companies have become, particularly to US buyers."

Wood's bruising start to year

To enable the potential acquisition, Wood Group and Sidara are advancing a refinancing approach under their "commercial alignment," which seeks to extend Wood's debt maturities and bolster its financial standing.

The arrangement encompasses granting Wood an extended timeframe to repay existing debts – through prolonging them until 2028 – and supplying $250m in fresh funding from Sidara.