Despite a slowdown in U.S. retail and consumer M&A activity in Q2/13, consumer sentiment and retail sales trends remain positive, along with strong corporate balance sheets and availability of private equity “dry powder,” which should help trigger M&A activity during the second half of 2013, according to PwC’s U.S. retail and consumer deals insights Q2/13 report.

In Q2/13, there were a total of 21 deals worth $50 million or more in the retail and consumer sector, accounting for $5.4 billion in deal value, a 49% decrease in volume and 90% decrease in value from the 41 deals worth $40.5 billion during the Q2/12. The decrease in deal activity is primarily a result of the lack of large deals in Q2/13 compared to the prior year, during which time there were several large deals. There was only one mega deal (worth more than $1 billion) in the second quarter, as opposed to a trend of four successive quarters with five or more mega deals. Sequentially, deal activity in the retail and consumer sector declined, with the middle market also seeing declines, partially due to the lingering effect of the abnormally higher deal volume during Q4/12 due to the impending fiscal cliff, along with the several mega deals seen in the first quarter of 2013, according to PwC.

“Coming off the heels of one of the largest retail and consumer deals in history in the first quarter of 2013, the declines we saw in the second quarter will likely be temporary as the pipeline for deals resets from the flurry of activity we’ve seen in the last few quarters,” said Leanne Sardiga, partner and PwC’s US retail & consumer deals leader. “The second half of 2013 looks promising for M&A activity in the industry given the recent pick up in businesses starting to come to market for sale, although price expectations and seller timelines continue to be a challenge.”

Private equity (PE) activity was slightly above historical levels in Q2/13, as PE buyers continued to invest in the retail and consumer sector, comprising 24% of deal volume and 38 percent of deal value, which is relatively consistent with historical averages of 27% and 30% respectively. The apparel, footwear and accessories sub-sectors remained active, representing 20% of PE deal volume, which is above the 15% average seen over the last five years.

The trend towards omnichannel retailing continues to contribute to deal activity in the sector as retailers look at opportunities to transform their business and capabilities, focusing on innovation. Key activity in the omnichannel space in the second quarter included several acquisitions of ecommerce retail service companies. PwC expects to see increased activity in this area as investors see opportunity to gain a competitive advantage through technology for data analytics.

Retail and consumer IPO activity continues the momentum seen in the first quarter, far outpacing levels seen in 2012. Total proceeds in Q2/13 were $2.1 billion, up 161% from Q2/12 and up 18% from Q1/. Average deal size continued to increase in the second quarter as well, with an average deal size of $345 million for the six IPOs completed in the quarter. According to PwC, in the overall IPO markets, R&C had the largest one-day average returns of any sector.

PwC’s U.S. retail and consumer deals insights is a quarterly analysis based on data for transactions with a disclosed deal value greater than $50 million, as provided by Thomson Reuters through June 30, 2013, and supplemented by additional independent research. Information related to previous periods is updated periodically based on new data collected by Thomson Reuters for deals closed during previous periods but not reflected in previous data sets.

To read the full PwC news release, click here.