DOING THE DEAL IN ASSOCIATION WITH:
▸ Feature in the next issue of Lancashire
Business View Opportunities to raise your profile with 50,000 readers include:
PRESENT:
Richard Slater, Lancashire Business View (Chair) Mathew Bridge, ESG Global Chris Carter, River Capital Nick Comer, Rosetta Brands Perran Cooke, Sowena Group Paul Fox, Fox Group Carole Fraser, Forest – part of Mitie Rebecca McCann, Forbes Solicitors Gwam Rajiah, Bespoke Healthcare Emma Swan, Forbes Solicitors Richard Wallace, LCM Environmental
Deals are reshaping ownership, succession and growth across Lancashire.
From founder exits and management buyouts to private investment and strategic acquisitions, more businesses are finding themselves in deal conversations – sometimes planned, sometimes unexpected.
At the Walton Summit offices of Forbes Solicitors, we brought together business leaders, professional advisers and a funder involved in recent transactions to share what really happens behind the scenes.
What typically triggers a deal?
CC: There are rarely single, obvious triggers. Deals usually come about when strategy, opportunity and readiness align.
Businesses often think they’ll recognise the ‘right moment’, but timing usually only makes sense in hindsight. The most important thing is having a strategy that supports what you’re trying to achieve.
MB: When I first joined the business in 2017, we were quite narrow. As we looked at
LOOKING BEHIND THE SCENES Businesses often think they’ll recognise the ‘right
strategy, we focused on scaling capability and broadening what we could do.
Once you’re clear about what you’re trying to build, conversations start to happen. People recognise you’re open to growth, and
discipline is working out which conversations fit where you want the business to go.
We’ve had to be selective, because not every approach is right for the business or the people in it. Timing, for us, has been about whether the
moment’, but timing usually only makes sense in hindsight. The most important thing is having a strategy supporting what you’re trying to achieve
opportunities start to come your way through networks and direct approaches.
PF: We’ve completed 16 acquisitions in the past five years. Timing isn’t usually about a single opportunity. It’s about whether you’ve got the capacity to do the deal properly and integrate properly.
NC: It hasn’t been a straight, linear journey. Interest comes with growth, good and bad. The
opportunity fits our direction and whether the team is ready to absorb change.
RW: We’re an environmental specialist, covering inspections, repairs, installations and decommissioning. As a service business, timing is often driven by capability rather than scale – whether we’ve built the depth and systems needed to take on something bigger without stretching the organisation too far.
Continued on Page 26 LANCASHIREBUSINES SV
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