Sales, MERGERs and Acquisitions UK

A sale, merger or acquisition is likely to be one of the most important corporate decisions you will make. These decisions need to be well thought through, planned and executed in a fashion that mitigates and manages your downside risk.

Buyers need to undertake an analysis of their target firm, weigh up the commercial risk of the deal, understand how it could create additional value and then how to integrate the business. Vendors need to consider security over their consideration payments and how their clients and staff will be treated and serviced going forward.

We can guide both buyers and sellers through the M&A process.

Our M&A Services cover:

• Sell-Side Assignments
  Clients need support throughout the sale process. We act on behalf of our clients, representing and advising them throughout the sale of their practice/business, which includes: identification of the most appropriate acquirers; preparing teaser and IM packs on our client; putting in place NDA’s; and working with our client through the sale process and negotiations up to completion.
  

• Buy-Side Assignments
  Clients seeking to expand via M&A find value in using us to identify potential acquisition opportunities for them. In many cases, our client has already identified the location and/or business type they are interested in acquiring and having understood this criteria, we undertake a full market mapping exercise, which eventually boils down to a handful of appropriate targets. To ensure these are the most appropriate firms for our client we will meet with each of the parties to ensure we profile their business, on behalf of our client, and sound them out on their own aspirations and interest in being acquired or merged in with another business. We make the respective introductions to our client and work with them in bringing one or more of these targets to a successfully completed transaction.
  

• Mergers
  Often pure mergers are very difficult to agree between professional service firms. We have, however, been successful in working with businesses that have evaluated the merits of a merger and we have guided them through the process. This includes an initial detailed planning stage, working through the best practices to adopt from both businesses and how these would be implemented, as well as undertaking a formal valuation of both business in order to identify equity value and apportion this across the shareholders.
  

• Umbrella Mergers
  These arrangements are becoming more popular and are half-way between a sale and a merger. These provide all the benefits of remaining independent in an ownership sense, but still being able to portray yourself as a larger practice to clients under a different brand, offering additional services and skill-sets. We work closely with a couple of these umbrella firms, who have been very successful in bringing together smaller firms and helping with training, IT, staff retention and marketing. All easier to achieve with critical mass and under the guise of a larger firm.
  

• Customised Research
  We continuously undertake market research. We work with all sizes of firms, from top 10 accounting and legal firms to smaller regional practices, seeking information on acquisition opportunities based on location, client sector, skill-sets and or specialist client services. Undertaking this research allows us to stay ahead, but also provides real-time solutions for our clients.
  

• Headhunting
  We undertake headhunting assignments for firms seeking individuals or teams in general practice (accounting or legal), or within a specific discipline.