Our corporate finance team are dedicated to ensuring your proposed transaction is completed with the minimum of aggravation to you.

The team collectively has over 75 years’ experience of corporate finance transactions, company management and due diligence services providing a truly comprehensive knowledge base, supporting clients on a wide range of transactions with values up to £25m across many sectors. We specialise in advising business owners, high-net-worth individuals and management teams on corporate disposals, acquisitions and fund raising, and acquiring businesses out of administration.

At the heart of every transaction is one goal – to help you realise the value in your business and believe that our creative thinking and pragmatic approach is the key to our, and your, success.

Corporate finance is no longer just advising a client buying or selling a business. It can be a management buyout or buy-in, a demerger or the sale of non-core operations. It can also involve restructuring and transaction services or advising a management team on strategy.

We are able to adapt to changing market conditions and always make an assessment of the risk and reward on behalf of our client.

Whether you want to sell, acquire or lead a management buy out Murray Harcourt can help you navigate your options, assess funding opportunities and negotiate a deal to help you fulfil your goals.

We help our clients with:

Management Buy Ins & Buy Outs

There are a few options…

  • Management Buy-Out (MBO)
  • Management Buy-In (MBI)
  • Combination of the two – a Buy-In Management Buy-Out (BIMBO)
  • Vendor initiated management buy out (VIMBO)

Whatever the chosen we can help negotiate the best deal, raise finance, and manage the deal through to completion. Our help can ensure that the price and financial structure you agree is sensible and affordable.

Mergers & acquisitions

We have an excellent reputation for proactively finding our clients businesses to acquire due to our extensive contacts with ‘business for sale’ brokers and other industry professionals.

From the development of the acquisition strategy through to negotiation our goal is to ensure a successful outcome.

Business exit planning

When you are contemplating the sale of your business the questions will come thick and fast: When is the right time to sell? What is my business worth? What are the pitfalls to look out for? What can I do to prepare my business for sale? We have decades of experience of exit strategy planning and can answer these questions and help you plan a successful sale.

Business sales

This is likely due to a change of circumstances, whether that is retirement, ill health, the challenging financial climate, or a simple desire for ‘la dolce vita’. We tailor the sale process to meet the individual requirements of each client and coordinating the efforts of all professional parties involved.

Private equity

The business strategy must be compatible with the high growth and exit requirements of equity investors. Typically institutional fund managers will only invest in a small proportion of the plans they receive. There are a large number of fund managers with different investment criteria and market preferences that we can review and talk you through.

Financial due diligence

Buying any business can be an intimidating exercise, although, if you understand the key drivers and threats associated with the business, then you can make an informed judgement on the risks and opportunities presented by the Target. Financial due diligence is an investigative process designed to establish the integrity of financial information, providing comfort that the preliminary rationale for the transaction is sound and to highlight elements that are important, enabling a purchaser to commence negotiations and proceed through to completion. The MH team undertake diligence assignments across most industries and sectors.

Insolvent Business Acquisitions

This is a completely different experience to a solvent acquisition, with different valuations, sharply accelerated timescales, little opportunity for due diligence and only limited legal protection. It is a process that we can guide you through and minimises disruption, therefore preserving the value of the business.

Development Capital & Refinancing

Funds may be required for expansion, to alleviate cash flow problems or to refinance where current arrangements are unsatisfactory. Smaller transactions have particular issues and are a speciality even within the corporate finance arena. Our experience in this market will enhance the probability of your transaction succeeding.

Business Valuations

There are many reasons why you might require a valuation, however the most common situations are:

  • In connection with acquisitions and disposals
  • As part of a wider tax planning exercise for business owners
  • To validate financial wealth in divorce proceedings
  • To incentivise key personnel, allowing participation in equity
  • As part of a dispute resolution process between shareholders
  • When considering shareholder protection and cross option agreements
  • For probate purposes

If you would like to speak with our corporate finance team please email partners Clive Smetham at clive.smetham@murrayharcourt.com and Andrew Rose at andrew.rose@murrayharcourt.com or give them a call on 0113 231 4131. 

News and Updates from the corporate finance team…

The UK food and beverage manufacturing sector……change is nothing new!

Murray Harcourt and Sterling Corporate Finance Join Forces

What is a VIMBO? Vendor initiated management buy out explained…