EQT raises its Intertek bid to £9.7 billion, escalating the contest for the FTSE 100 testing and certification group

EQT has increased its takeover proposal for Intertek Group, the FTSE 100 quality assurance and testing services company, to £9.7 billion, according to reports cited across multiple PE intelligence sources. The revised offer follows EQT's earlier £11 billion approach — which Intertek's board rejected — and represents a recalibrated bid likely reflecting negotiated price discovery and updated market conditions following weeks of Iran-war-driven equity volatility. Intertek provides testing, inspection, and certification services across consumer goods, chemicals, and industrials, sectors in which quality assurance demand has proven defensive. The company has previously emphasised its standalone strategic credibility. At £9.7 billion, the transaction would rank among the largest European take-private attempts of 2026. No advisers have been named in the available sources. A deal of this scale would require CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) review under the UK's mandatory merger control thresholds, and potentially parallel filings in EU and other jurisdictions given Intertek's global footprint. The EQT platform continues to deploy capital from its latest fundraising cycle, and the Intertek bid reflects the firm's focus on high-quality, cash-generative business services assets that carry predictable revenue through long-term client contracts.

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