James Pratt is a Director with Teneo in London, having joined Teneo as part of its purchase of Deloitte’s UK Restructuring business.

James specialises in proving M&A solutions to clients facing challenging, complex or business critical issues where specialist situational expertise and experience is key to delivering the optimal outcome.

He is CFA exam qualified and has 5 years of experience in the team, focussing on;

• Accelerated M&A (“AMA”) – providing M&A solutions to both buyers and sellers in a truncated timetable, typically due to a pending liquidity shortfall, utilising insolvency as a delivery mechanism where required;
• Non-standard M&A – where there are specific challenges and constraints to value realisation but not necessarily a short-term liquidity issue; and
• Strategic advisory – strategic M&A options advice and contingency planning including AMA planning

Selected Project Experience

• Arcadia Group (Administration AMA, Retail) – lead sell side M&A adviser. Sale of all of the Group’s 7 brands to leading “pure play” retailers (ASOS, Boohoo and City Chic Collective)
• Victoria’s Secret (Administration AMA, Retail) – lead sell side M&A adviser. Facilitated successful JV between L Brands and Next plc
• Individual Restaurants Group (AMA, Restaurants) – lead sell side M&A adviser. Sale of the business and assets, including all 31 of the Company’s trading sites, to the senior leadership team of Iceland Foods
• Clarks (Strategic advisory, Retail) – strategic adviser. Strategic options for the Company’s global operations including supporting with negotiations with stakeholders and project managing its capital refinance
• Karen Millen Fashions (AMA, Retail) – Lead sell side adviser. Successful “pre-pack” sale of brand to online competitor (Boohoo)
• Gourmet Burger Kitchen (AMA, Casual Dining) – Lead sell side adviser. Successful “pre-pack” sale to strategic buyer
• Intelligent Energy Plc (Advisory, Clean Energy). Adviser to the board and lead sell side M&A adviser – solvent sale of the business to a connected party
• Regis / Supercuts (Administration AMA, Consumer Products) – Administrator. Sale of a chain of UK based hair dressing salons
• Oasis and Warehouse (AMA, Retail) – lead sell side M&A adviser. Sale of brands via administration
• Vital Ingredient (AMA, Casual dining) – Lead sell side adviser. Successful “Pre-pack” sale of business and assets
• NWR Karbonia (AMA, Mining) – Lead sell side adviser. Succesful “Pre-pack” sale of the business and assets to Prairie Mining Group
• Project Tailor (Strategic advisory, Retail) – adviser to the company on contingency planning including preparation for an AMA process
• Project Kansas (Strategic advisory, Retail) – assisted the company with AMA planning as a plan B to support in their progression of plan A
• Project Blue (Strategic advisory, Healthcare) – Strategic adviser – M&A options for a large UK hospital group
• Project Able (Strategic advisory, Recruitment) – Strategic adviser – M&A options for a complex recruitment group
• Other clients include Links of London, Poundworld and Parragon Publishing