History. 1 of 4 cases. Wincanton got court approval 15 days after its vote; RPS took 77 days, Spectris 97, and Meggitt closed almost a year later.
Hunch. Bodycote itself expects the deal to take effect only in the first three months of 2027, after regulators approve it (Bodycote, 28 Sep 2026).
The court approval market resolves on Bodycote's announcement on the London Stock Exchange news service that the court has approved the deal: YES if that happens by 21 December 2026. If the vote fails the market resolves NO, and Reuters and BBC News reports are the backup.
We looked for cases where the board of a British company backed one buyer's offer, a rival bidder then formally dropped out before the shareholder vote, and takeover rules stopped the rival coming back. We found four since 2021 with official records. In each one shareholders said yes at the vote, and the buyer did not raise its price.