Services img Buying a business

Many companies identify that organic growth alone will not necessarily achieve an increase in shareholder value sufficiently quickly. However, with time as a valuable asset, combined with a lack of expertise and experience, all too often, the corporate acquirer cannot manage to complete a transaction. In addition, the majority of corporate acquisitions are less successful than the acquirer thought they would be. The most common reasons are:

  • The acquisition strategy was flawed or too vague

  • The approach to potential targets is “scattergun” and inefficiently managed, often due to a lack of resource

  • The buyer is bullied or seduced into over paying for the business or, puts the wrong deal structure and incentives in place

  • Post deal intergation is poorly thought out and poorly executed.

If you are looking for proactive assistance with acquisitions, Succession Corporate Finance will:

  • Advise you on fine tuning your acquisition criteria. Acquirers should be considering issues like relevant market segment, geography, size of business, key financial criteria and a view on management continuity

  • Make the initial approaches to the target companies. We will advise you on who should be contacted, how they should be approached and how to present yourself as serious and credible.

  • Screen the target businesses and arrange for you to meet the most relevant companies to assess them in detail

  • Advise on valuation parameters and deal structure including earn outs and incentive payments

  • Lead the negotiations with the vendors (or their advisers) and draft formal offer letters and Heads of Agreement

  • Project manage the transaction through to legal completion, liaising with your legal advisers and due diligence team.

These value added services are as relevant for a UK corporate seeking to expand their operations or an international buyer looking for a foothold in the UK. In fact we are often asked to provide “execution only” advice where the acquirer has already had initial discussions with one or more parties to ensure the deal completes.

  • If you do not need proactive corporate finance advice but would like to share your acquisition criteria with us so that we can contact you if we are working on any relevant vendor mandates, please contact us or submit your confidential acquisition criteria here.

  • Please be assured, we only act for clients on a retained basis so we will not use your acquisition criteria for any purpose other than contacting you if we have a relevant opportunity.