Acquisition Insights
Find businesses worth buying — and understand them before you approach.
Commercial guidance for owners, groups and investors building an acquisition pipeline. General information only — not corporate finance, investment, legal, tax or valuation advice.
Acquisition strategy
How Do I Find Businesses to Acquire?
Finding the right business to buy is rarely as simple as browsing a catalogue. It requires a disciplined, two-track approach to sourcing.
How Companies Find Acquisition Targets
The most successful acquirers don't wait for deals to come to them. They build a proactive system for finding the right targets.
How to Define Acquisition Criteria
Without clear criteria, you will waste time on deals that don't fit. Here is how to define your acquisition boundaries.
What is an Acquisition Thesis?
An acquisition thesis is the 'north star' of your growth strategy. Here is what it is and why it matters.
How to Create an Acquisition Thesis
Moving from 'we want to buy something' to a formal acquisition thesis requires a structured approach. Here is how to do it.
How to Identify Strategic Acquisition Targets
Strategic acquisitions are about more than just profit. Here is how to identify the targets that will truly transform your business.
When Should an SME Consider Acquisition?
Acquisition isn't just for large corporations. For the right SME, at the right time, it can be the most effective route to scale.
Acquisition pipeline & target identification
How to Build an Acquisition Pipeline
A successful buy-and-build strategy requires a steady flow of opportunities. Here is how to build a pipeline that delivers.
How to Build an Acquisition Target List
A target list is more than just a list of companies for sale. It is a strategic map of your market's most valuable potential additions.
How Many Acquisition Targets to Identify?
Should you look at 5 companies or 500? Understanding the acquisition funnel is the first step to building a repeatable pipeline.
How to Prioritise Acquisition Targets
Identifying targets is easy; knowing which ones to pursue first is where the strategy happens. Here is how to prioritise your acquisition pipeline.
How to Monitor Acquisition Targets
Identifying a target is only the beginning. The real value is found by watching for the signals that suggest a strategic opening is approaching.
Building a Repeatable Acquisition Pipeline
One acquisition is a project. A pipeline is a strategy. Here is how to build a repeatable engine for growth.
The Role of Technology in Acquisition Sourcing
Acquisition sourcing is no longer just about who you know. Technology now allows you to see the whole market in real-time.
Where to Find Businesses for Sale
If you are ready to acquire, you need to know where the deals are listed. Here is a guide to the UK M&A landscape.
Off-market acquisitions
How to Find Companies Not for Sale
The best businesses are rarely 'for sale'. Here is how to find the high-quality off-market targets that everyone else misses.
How Off-Market Acquisitions Work
Off-market acquisitions are different from traditional business sales. Here is how to navigate the process effectively.
How to Find Off-Market Businesses to Acquire
The best businesses to acquire are rarely the ones currently for sale. Here is how to find the hidden opportunities.
Why Owners Sell Off-Market: The Seller's Perspective
Selling a business is a deeply personal and commercial decision. For many, the 'off-market' route offers a level of dignity and control that an auction cannot.
How to Approach a Business Not for Sale
Approaching a business that isn't publicly for sale is a delicate commercial process. Here is how to do it without scaring the owner or overpaying.
How to Approach an Owner About Buying Their Company
The first conversation determines the tone of the entire deal. Get the approach wrong, and the door may close forever.
How to Identify Succession Opportunities
The lack of a clear successor is the number one reason SMEs come to market. Here is how to spot the signal before the 'for sale' sign goes up.
Finding Owners Approaching Retirement Respectfully
Succession is a sensitive topic. Here is how to identify potential succession opportunities and initiate contact with founders approaching retirement.
Buy-and-build
What is a Buy-and-Build Strategy?
Buy-and-build is a growth strategy that combines organic improvement with a series of targeted acquisitions to create a larger, more valuable group.
How Buy-and-Build Growth Works
Buy-and-build growth is a disciplined process of consolidating a market to create value through scale, efficiency, and multiple arbitrage.
Which Industries Suit Consolidation?
Not every industry is suitable for a buy-and-build strategy. The most attractive sectors are highly fragmented with clear opportunities for scale-based efficiency.
How to Identify Bolt-on Acquisitions
Identifying the right bolt-on is about more than just a low price; it requires a deep understanding of strategic fit and integration potential.
What is a Bolt-on Acquisition?
Bolt-on acquisitions are a staple of buy-and-build growth, but their success depends on more than just adding revenue. Here is what makes a bolt-on work.
Platform vs. Bolt-on Acquisition: Understanding the Difference
The distinction between a platform and a bolt-on is the foundation of a successful buy-and-build strategy. Knowing which one you are buying changes everything.
Build vs buy
Build vs Buy Strategy for Growth
Growth is a requirement, but how you achieve it is a choice. We break down the commercial logic of the Build vs Buy framework.
Build or Acquire a New Capability?
Should you build a new division from scratch or buy one that already works? The answer depends on your timeline and risk appetite.
Hire or Acquire: Growing Your Team and Skills
When you need to scale your workforce or add new skills, should you recruit individuals or buy a company? We look at the commercial trade-offs.
Acquire or Build Technology
The choice between building technology or acquiring it is a trade-off between total customisation and immediate speed to market.
Should I Acquire a Competitor?
Acquiring a competitor is the most common form of acquisition, but it's also the most fraught with risk. Here is what to consider.
Should I Acquire a Supplier?
Vertical integration can secure your supply chain, but it comes with significant operational and financial complexity.
Should I Acquire a Distributor?
Moving closer to the end customer through distribution acquisition can improve margins, but it requires new commercial capabilities.
Should I Acquire a Customer?
Acquiring a customer can guarantee demand, but it can also alienate your other customers and change your core business focus.
Acquire a Business to Add a Service
Adding a new service through acquisition is often faster and less risky than building a new capability from scratch.
Organic Growth vs Acquisition: Choosing Your Path
Is it better to grow from within or buy your way forward? The choice between organic growth and acquisition depends on your goals, capital, and appetite for risk.
Acquisition vs Channel Creation: Finding New Revenue
Should you buy an existing revenue stream or build a new one? Understanding the choice between acquisition and channel creation is vital for scalable growth.
Acquisition vs Partnership: Strategic Choices
Should you buy the company or just work with them? Choosing between acquisition and partnership is a decision about control, risk, and long-term commitment.
Target research
How to Research a Company Before Approaching
You only get one chance to make a first impression on an off-market target. Here is the intelligence you need before you pick up the phone.
What Information to Collect on Acquisition Targets
Knowing what to look for is the first step to knowing what a company is worth to you. Here is the pre-deal information checklist.
How to Research Privately Owned Businesses
Researching private companies requires a different toolkit than public markets. Here is how to build a commercial picture when data is limited.
What Makes a Good Acquisition Target?
A 'good' target isn't just a profitable one. It's one that fits your specific growth thesis. Here is how to define quality in an acquisition.
How to Assess Strategic Fit Before Due Diligence
Due diligence tells you if the numbers are real. Strategic fit assessment tells you if the deal makes sense in the first place.
What to Know Before Approaching an Acquisition Target
You only get one chance to make a first impression with a business owner. Here is the checklist of what you need to know before you reach out.
How to Compare and Prioritise Acquisition Targets
A long target list is a liability, not an asset. Here is how to filter and prioritise targets so you only approach the most valuable opportunities.
Assessing Customer Overlap in a Potential Acquisition
Is customer overlap a good thing or a bad thing? The answer depends on your strategy. Here is how to assess the overlap before the deal.
Evaluating Cross-Sell Potential in a Potential Acquisition
Cross-selling is the most cited synergy in acquisitions, but the hardest to deliver. Here is how to evaluate the real potential early on.
Balancing Geographic and Capability Fit in Acquisitions
Do you need a footprint in the North, or do you need a better software engine? Here is how to balance geography and capability in your search.
How to Identify Integration Risks Early in the Process
Most acquisitions fail during integration, not negotiation. Here is how to spot the red flags before you even make an offer.
What Acquisition Information is Public?
Before approaching a target, a significant amount of intelligence can be gathered from public sources. Here is what you can find without making a single phone call.
What Public Acquisition Research Cannot Tell You
Public data is a map, not the terrain. Before you commit to an acquisition strategy, you must understand what the filings and websites are hiding.
Market entry through acquisition
Acquisition to Enter a New Market
Organic market entry is slow and risky. Acquisition offers a faster route to local customers and infrastructure—if you can manage the integration.
Enter a Market Organically or by Acquisition?
Should you build your own presence in a new territory or buy a local player? The right choice depends on your timeline and the market's maturity.
Acquire a Business to Enter a New Region
Acquisition is often the fastest way to enter a new geography, providing instant local credibility and operational capacity.
Acquire vs Distributor for International Expansion
Do you want full control of your brand in a new market, or a lower-risk entry? Choosing between acquisition and distribution is a fundamental strategic fork.
How to Find Acquisition Targets in Another Country
Searching for acquisition targets overseas is more than just looking at databases. It requires understanding local market nuances and identifying off-market fits.
Buying a Local Company to Enter Europe
For UK firms, the European market is both close and complex. Buying a local player can solve the 'outsider' problem and provide immediate market access.
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