GlobalData has announced the latest Financial and Legal Adviser League Tables, which rank advisers by the total value and volume of merger and acquisition (M&A) deals they advised on in the retail sector during Q1-Q3 2026.
Financial Advisers
Morgan Stanley and Diligent Capital top M&A financial advisers in retail sector during Q1-Q3 2026
Morgan Stanley and Diligent Capital were the top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) financial advisers in the retail sector during the first three quarters (Q1-Q3) of 2026 by value and volume, respectively, according to the latest financial advisers league table by GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform.
An analysis of GlobalData’s Deals Database reveals that Morgan Stanley achieved the leading position in terms of value by advising on $11.8 billion worth of deals. Meanwhile, Diligent Capital led in terms of volume by advising on a total of nine deals.
Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Despite registering a year-on-year decline in the total value of deals advised by it, Morgan Stanley emerged as the clear winner by value, outpacing its peers by a significant margin. It was the only adviser to surpass the $10 billion mark in total deal value during Q1-Q3 2026. Involvement in a deal valued at around $9 billion for Circle K Polska’s acquisition of Zabka Group was pivotal in placing Morgan Stanley much ahead in terms of value.
“Meanwhile, Diligent Capital occupied the top position by volume but faced close competition from Performance Brokerage Services.”
Evercore occupied the second position in terms of value, by advising on $3.3 billion worth of deals, followed by Wells Fargo with $3.2 billion, Daiwa Securities Group with $2.2 billion, and JPMorgan with $2 billion.
Meanwhile, Performance Brokerage Services occupied the second position in terms of volume with nine deals, followed by Clearwater with six deals, Morgan Stanley with five deals, and Rothschild & Co with five deals.
Legal Advisers
White & Case and Baker McKenzie top M&A legal advisers in retail sector during Q1-Q3 2026
White & Case and Baker McKenzie were the top mergers and acquisitions (M&A) legal advisers in the retail sector during the first three quarters (Q1-Q3) of 2026 by value and volume, respectively, according to the latest legal advisers league table by GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform.
An analysis of GlobalData’s Deals Database reveals that White & Case achieved the leading position in terms of value by advising on $9.9 billion worth of deals. Meanwhile, Baker McKenzie led in terms of volume by advising on a total of 11 deals.
Aurojyoti Bose, Lead Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Baker McKenzie was the only adviser to hit a double-digit deal volume during Q1-Q3 2026. It registered notable growth in the number of deals advised by it, which helped its ranking by volume rise from 28th position during Q1-Q3 2025 to the top position during Q1-Q3 2026.
“Similarly, White & Case saw its ranking by value improve from 15th to the top position. There was more than a two-fold jump in the total value of deals advised by White & Case, primarily driven by its involvement in a deal valued at around $9 billion for Circle K Polska’s acquisition of Zabka Group.”
Alston & Bird occupied the second position in terms of value, by advising on $2.7 billion worth of deals, followed by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett with $2.6 billion, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune with $2.4 billion, and A&O Shearman with $2.2 billion.
Meanwhile, White & Case occupied the second position in terms of volume with nine deals, followed by A&O Shearman with eight deals, Mayer Brown with seven deals, and Latham & Watkins with seven deals.
