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November 2020

At a recent The Consultancy Growth Network webinar, Bruce Ramsay, Managing Partner of Consulting M&A presented a webinar during which he looked at the buyer market for consulting firms.

It’s broadly accepted that the biggest serial buyer in the UK is Accenture, however 70% of the deals in the last three and a half years were by acquirers who only bought once in the UK during that period. So the chances are that you’re not likely to sell to a regular acquirer.Also, the market has changed hugely over the years. Although the majority of buyers are similar organisations to the one being bought through M&A, we’re also seeing the merging between management consulting, IT consulting, digital and media.

So the idea that there is a ‘little black book’ identifying your potential buyers is a myth. Due to the wide variety of organisations that could be your potential acquirer, you need to research the market to find out where you would fit and why you would fit. You then need to put together a compelling reason why you would be attractive to a particular buyer.  Focusing on approaching just the prolific acquirers is no longer an option.

To explore which organisations your business might be a fit for, contact Bruce on +44 (0) 7860 442 715 or bruce.ramsay@consultingmanda.co.uk

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