Mergers & Acquisitions in Leeds

2020 H1 Review

• 15

  deals completed in 2020

• £8m+

  CBILS funding secured

"2020 has not been without its challenges for those in the world of buying and selling businesses. The bedrock of M&A activity is confidence, and this has been shaken since the onset of Covid-19.

That said, the Leeds M&A team at Mazars has delivered its second best ever year. We have our clients to thank for this and have been privileged to have worked with some great people with great businesses. A number of these have been highly resilient to change and we have been able to deliver their purchase or sale as planned, albeit through Teams and Zoom rather than in the conventional manner.

Many challenges lie ahead – we still have no clarity on a Brexit trade deal and, whilst social distancing remains in force, many service businesses will be unable to return to any form of normality.

The press can often paint a rather one-sided picture on business and it is fair to say that we are seeing many prospering also. Businesses manufacturing or distributing consumer goods have received a Covid-19 fillip as cash not spent during lockdown or put aside for holidays has been spent in other ways. From a M&A perspective, we are seeing larger corporates flush with cash keen to make well-priced acquisitions and regarding now to be a time to do so. The same can be said in the world of private equity and with the high street banks focusing heavily on supporting businesses with difficulties in their portfolios, never has the expression “cash is king” resonated more in the world of M&A.

We are already seeing international groups looking to divest of UK subsidiaries so as to free up cash and focus on the motherland. This is creating opportunities for management teams to take ownership through circumstance.

To quote Albert Einstein “in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity”.

Oliver Hoffman, National Head of Mergers & Acquisitions

The Team

• The Mazars Leeds M&A team focus on entrepreneurial owner managed businesses across the mid market. ​
• They concentrate on disposals, mergers, acquisitions, MBOs, MBIs, fundraising, private equity transactions and strategic planning.​
• The team is led by Oliver, National Head of M&A alongside Alex, Partner. The team has over 45 years of experience across the market and are highly active within the Yorkshire region.