Is now the time to get your show on the road?

If you have been contemplating selling your business you may be wondering if now could be a sensible time to bite the bullet! If so, you will undoubtedly find the following information helpful.

The prospects for selling a business (on a goodwill & fixed assets basis) or a company (via a shares transfer) have improved very significantly during the last few months. Enquiries from prospective purchasers have almost doubled since last October and this is not just from people already in the market prior to that time but also from a raft of new entrants. These include :-

• those who have been made redundant (or fear redundancy)
• people who want to improve their incomes and standards of living and believe business ownership will provide them with that opportunity
• individuals from around the world who are looking to relocate to the U.K. (people who view our country’s prospects as good, whilst the majority also recognise the current exchange rates as being reasonably attractive)
• investors who seek to achieve much higher returns on their capital, without high risk involvement (including many who are seeking to de-risk some of their existing investments) and consider ownership of well established, profitable going-concern businesses to be a realistic way to achieve that aim, especially those with good management structures in place
• increasing numbers of entrepreneurs looking to make acquisitions, whilst the M & A market has also picked up appreciably (having made the fastest start to a year since 2008) – lots more companies are looking to expand or diversify their operations at this time.

The increased level of activity is also resulting from :-

• the U.K.’s escape from the clutches of the EU but with a trade deal now in place (plus the fact that, despite early days hiccoughs, we have started to take economic advantage of the many and varied opportunities that this has unleashed, both at home and around the world – with trade deals with several countries outside the EU already agreed and many others in the process of being negotiated).
• the anti Covid-19 vaccination rollout programme which is now well underway and which will surely lead to the gradual lifting of restrictions throughout the year, thereby producing a significant economic rebound.

and

both of which have, at long last, produced light at the end of the tunnel and started to relieve a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty. Consequently, optimism (not to mention a degree of excitement) is increasing apace, as a result of which, the business transfer market is most definitely experiencing a resurgence and is continuing to become ever more buoyant. Therefore, there can be little doubt that with so many green lights now appearing, this is indeed an extremely good time for people who want to sell their businesses to take advantage of the very favourable current market conditions. So, could there possibly be a better time to get your show on the road?

If you would like to discuss how Beardsley Theobalds can you help to achieve your selling objectives please do not hesitate to give us a call.

Roger MundyManaging Director, Beardsley Theobalds – the specialist business transfer agency