IFM Investors to Acquire Majority Stake in UK Ports in Deal Valued at £10 Billion

Key Facts

CPP Investments is selling its 33.9% stake, while OMERS is selling 30.0%, according to an OMERS Infrastructure announcement. The agreement will put ownership of the UK ports group in the hands of a fund managed by IFM, following the exit of the two investors that have held the stakes for years. The parties did not disclose the financial terms. The valuation of the group at more than £10 billion was reported by The Loadstar, citing the Financial Times, and is not a confirmed value for the deal.

The deal matters because of the scale of ABP’s role in UK trade and infrastructure. The company operates 19 facilities and handles about 25% of the UK’s seaborne trade, according to the shareholders’ joint announcement. The announcement said the group’s facilities provide essential gateways for trade and support more than half of Britain’s offshore wind capacity. That gives the buyer a majority stake in assets tied to goods flows and the energy sector’s infrastructure, while details of IFM’s plan for managing the investment were not disclosed in the statement. The announcement described the group as the UK’s largest ports group.

The sellers presented the deal as the end of a long-term investment and an opportunity to redirect capital. The head of infrastructure at CPP Investments said the sale represents “an attractive opportunity to realize value from our long-term investment and recycle capital into new opportunities.” CPP acquired its stake in ABP in 2015, while OMERS bought its stake in 2006, according to the announcement. The announcement did not state the original investment value or the expected return for either seller. On the buyer’s side, IFM’s global head of infrastructure said the investor is owned by Australian and British pension funds, and that the deal reflects a commitment to directing pension capital into UK infrastructure.

ABP’s chief executive said attracting investment from an IFM-managed fund represents “a strong endorsement of our business, our people and our strategy.” The agreement comes as UK Department for Transport data point to differing performance among cargo types at ports during 2025. Container tonnage rose 10% compared with 2024, while liquid bulk tonnage fell 2% and dry bulk cargo 3%. Across the major ports network, Grimsby and Immingham accounted for 11% of tonnage in 2025; they are important freight hubs within ABP’s network. These figures provide a mixed operational backdrop for the sector, without the deal announcement linking the agreement to changes in cargo volumes.

The deal is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the first half of 2027, according to OMERS Infrastructure. Alongside these steps, the Department for Transport issued a statement on 6 July 2026 about the proposed revised text of the National Policy Statement for Ports, setting a parliamentary scrutiny period of 21 working days after it was laid. The department said port development is important for growth, energy security and the energy transition, and that the policy framework supports the sector’s response to changing market demand. Among upcoming UK dates, HM Treasury confirmed the Budget will be delivered on Wednesday 28 October 2026. The Office for National Statistics also set 18 November as the date for its next inflation data release, after consumer price inflation stood at 3.5% year on year in September, compared with 3.1% in August.