As growth through organic means slows across the UK mid-market, owner-managed businesses are turning to acquisitions as a strategic lever, to secure supply chains, achieve scale, or diversify revenue. This article explores the structural, funding and tax considerations driving this trend, and how disciplined integration and multi-advisory coordination have become critical to ensuring that acquisitions create, rather than merely purchase, value.

Valuing a private business is both an art and a science. Beyond EBITDA multiples, this article examines alternative methodologies, from discounted cash flow to capitalised earnings and asset-based approaches, and their relevance across sectors. It also considers how working capital adjustments, normalisation, and forecast credibility affect valuations in the current interest rate climate, providing an analytical framework for assessing fairness and defensibility in mid-market transactions.

The success of a business sale is often determined long before heads of terms are signed. This piece explores how pre-transaction structuring, including group reorganisations, share class planning, and timing of asset transfers, can materially influence tax exposure, eligibility for reliefs such as BADR and SSE, and overall deal value. It outlines the practical steps sellers should take to protect value, mitigate friction, and ensure exit readiness.