Buy and build

If you want to put real acceleration behind the growth of your business, acquisitions can help you get there. They can give you a shortcut to new markets, and help you gain additional employee skills and customer relationships. Of course, there can be challenges, in valuation, integration and making the most of the benefits – but we’re here to support you.

Our specialist acquisitions team identifies and researches targets both in the UK and overseas. In our latest fund, we’ve already completed 49 bolt-on acquisitions for companies across various sectors. We can do the same for you. We have the skills in-house to help you with due diligence as well as carrying out the transaction. Plus, we have additional capital to help finance the acquisition.

Most importantly, we keep working with you after completion, reviewing the acquisition regularly to ensure it’s achieving your original objectives.

At Kee Safety, we helped set the pace of acquisition, and identify key international targets. So far, we’ve worked with the business on eleven acquisitions, which have all been integrated successfully, enlarging Kee’s international presence. Sales have increased accordingly: between 2010 and 2015, the company saw sales growth of more than 100%.

Working with CitySprint, we were instrumental in the strategy of consolidating a fragmented market through a significant buy-and-build programme. To date, together, we’ve completed 29 acquisitions, and in less than five years have built the UK’s largest privately owned same-day distribution network.

We helped Hawksford expand through a series of international acquisitions. To date, the business has acquired five companies – in Jersey, the Middle East and the Far East – and there’s scope for further acquisitions abroad.