Last week I was in Scandinavia and I had the pleasure of meeting with a number of Nordic-based M&A professionals from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

Betfair’s IPO will provide an interesting case to compare with Ocado but there are two substantial differences that should mean the Betfair IPO becomes the more successful.

Evidence would suggest that the BRIC countries could be responsible for helping 2010’s deal numbers look a little more respectable.

The idea of nipping from the picturesque beaches of Thailand over the road to a Tesco isn’t my idea of paradise.