OC Corporate Finance Home
Aiden Williamson MA - Corporate Finance Partner OCCF
In difficult economic times, it is easy to be distracted from the reason why you are in business – to earn a living and secure the financial future for yourself and your family. If you are thinking of selling your business at some stage in order to realize capital, then you must always consider the implications that your short term actions will have on long term value.
Ask yourself the question – if I was selling the business right now, then what would a buyer think of what I am proposing to do? You might also consider having a plan of action ready in the event that you are opportunistically approached to sell your business.
Latest updates from OC Corporate Finance
Family office:
- Diversifying portfolio holdings
- Sectors interested in: Waste management, private education (looking to build a group of up to 5 schools with FH or long LH L&B in / surrounding Essex)
- Deal size: £2-25m
UK Leisure Group: this is one of its investor's (high net worth family) key and longest standing active investments
- Currently owns Membership and P&P Golf courses , each with significant land
- Looking to acquire further Golf courses with other assets attached:
- 4*+ Hotel / accommodation related and golf
- 4*+ Hotel / accommodation related and spa
- Open to acquiring small portfolios / groups
- Green and Brownfield
- South of Birmingham ideally but will look at all UK
- Ideally 120 rooms, 2x 18 hole courses (or 2nd being 9 hole)
- Will look at distressed sales
- Can be either profitable or not, but all have the same ethos of "establishment" and tradition as current assets which is strong
- Other investments of interest:
- Other asset backed leisure opportunities around UK with or without development potential
- Private education in / surrounding Home Counties. Schools must have min 5 acres but ideally above 10 to be flagship school of a new group. Interested in acquiring an existing small group
Private Equity Group
- Acquired and looking to bolt on investments in the civil engineering sector, specifically infrastructure-related services (e.g. roads, utilities)
- Would look at suitable asset backed roll up plays or high growth opportunities in any sector, where there is an existing management team in situ.
- Could be any location in the UK
- Deal size likely to be £10-25mm
Corporate Entertainment Operator
- Seeking established players in the sector who have direct connections with either the primary facility owners or operators (e.g. RFU at Twickenham, LTA at Wimbledon etc).
- Must be profitable businesses with existing management in place.
- Ideal profile is retirement sale, where owner operator is willing to stay on for a period in some capacity or non-core part of larger business.
- Must be based in the UK.
- Deal size likely to be £1-10mm
Investment vehicle: whose founding partner is also a member of a high net worth family office
- Looking at branded investments that have significant potential for organic growth - e.g a well branded co. that had no web presence has an underleveraged brand and is interesting
- Web based sales businesses with high growth potential
- Not really interest in asset backed investments
- They will take minority stakes and /or 100% shareholding: £0.2m-£2m
Case Studies
Acquisition of Infrastructure Services Business - February 2008
Established infrastructure services business – owned by the same family for nearly 40 years.
Founder and majority shareholder wanted to sell the business due to succession issues.
Introduction to the owners made by banking contact who had worked with Oury Clark before in a similar situation.
Oury Clark used its network of contacts to find a private equity firm who were interested in the sector and we handled all negotiations and transaction processes right up to financial close.
Oury Clark’s involvement ensured that the transaction was sensitively managed, respecting the vendor’s desire that the planned ownership change remained a confidential matter.
Oury Clark is now working with the new owners on their expansion plans, which include acquiring further infrastructure services businesses.
Bolt-on acquisition of Independent School – July 2009
Acquisition of a long standing independent school, previously owned by same family for over 30 years, by a High Net worth Family Trust.
Oury Clark used its in-house research team to identify a number of privately owned schools within a specific geographic location and approached them all on behalf of the Trust.
Each school had been individually profiled, identifying ageing shareholders and apparent succession issues. Meetings were conducted by Oury Clark discreetly with no sales agents involved. Upon evaluation of targets, Oury Clark advised the trustees which school would be the best fit with regards to meeting their goal of building a small, successful, group of schools in the Home Counties.
Oury Clark advised the trustees throughout the acquisition, managing all negotiations and various other professional teams, and was integral to keeping all parties’ needs satisfied. The second generation of vendor’s family were guaranteed employment and an active role in the school going forward per their wishes from the outset.
Oury Clark is continuing to work with the new owners on their expansion plans.