Acquisitions
We will advise you on every stage of acquiring a company, from researching and identifying potential target companies to conducting a due diligence investigation, and negotiating and structuring a deal through to completion. We will provide the support and advice you need to ensure you know what you are acquiring – and that it’s at the right price.
For more information visit A mini guide to buying a business
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Disposals
If you are looking to sell your business, we will advise you on the best timing and likely value, and then find buyers through our research, our extensive network of contacts and of course your knowledge of the sector in which you operate. We will then negotiate the sale on your behalf and project manage the transaction through to completion. We act for private equity based companies, owner-managed businesses and plc’s. Our primary objective is to deliver to the shareholders the best possible value from a competitive process whilst minimising the effort required by you the client and ensuring maximum confidentiality at all times.
For more information visit A mini guide to selling a business
If you would like to find out more, please email Philip Marsden, or contact a member of the Corporate Finance team.
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Due Diligence
Whether you are acquiring a corporate entity or the trade and assets of a business, commercial and tax due diligence forms an important part of the process. It reduces the risk of post transaction surprises, allows you to plan the integration strategy and provides you with an independent review of the proposal.
In all cases financial due diligence should be carefully tailored to your specific requirements having regard to the nature and size of the target, your existing knowledge and the relative size of the transaction. As a minimum, however, the financial due diligence process should:
- Quickly identify any potential deal breakers;
- Give you comfort that the historic and prospective financial information on which you are basing your investment decision is reliable;
- Conclude on the historical sustainable earnings;
- Identify how profits convert to cash;
- Identify matters for which specific protections should be sought in the form of warranties or indemnities;
- Review the immediate and future tax implications of the transaction and recommend appropriate structuring.
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Fundraising
Do you need capital for growth, re-structuring or shareholder exits? We can provide you with in-depth debt and equity fund raising advice. We will then help you secure the funding you need through our network of institutional contacts.
For more information visit How we can help you raise finance
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Management buy-outs and buy-ins
If the opportunity arises to acquire the business you are managing, it could be the most important opportunity of your business career. However, MBOs are complicated transactions, with many issues that need resolving simultaneously for the transaction to progress smoothly. As experienced advisers who have been involved in a large number of MBOs, we will help structure the deal, agree the right price, conduct a thorough and commercial due diligence review, raise the finance, and guide you through the entire process.
For more information visit A mini guide to MBOs
Management buy-in is a term for a transaction in which an external management team is backed by an investor to acquire a business. In most cases the management buy-in team join with some of the incumbent management to ensure continuity, so the deal also has an element of a management buy-out. This is usually called a buy-in management buy-out or BIMBO.
The issues for MBIs are similar to MBOs with the extra complexity of the buy-in team not having had the detailed inside knowledge which an incumbent management team would benefit from. This is particularly the case in the early stages of a transaction where the MBI team can be banned from talking to incumbent management. In these circumstances it is vital the MBI team has a credible and committed financial backer and advisers and develops excellent relations with the vendor and the vendor's advisers.
We can provide assistance to MBI teams to not only identify the right investor to work with, but also in situations where a business has not yet been identified, to find an appropriate target and then work together as a team to conclude the transaction.
If you are a potential MBI candidate and would like to register your details with us, please contact a member of the Corporate Finance team.
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Private Equity advisory
If you’re a private equity investor, we can provide advice such as financial and strategic planning, modelling, due diligence, debt raising, project management and general buy-side advice. We also provide exit advice, including managed trade sales, secondary buy-outs, IPO preparation and guidance. And, from our network of clients and our proprietary deals, we can introduce you to a wide range of investment opportunities.
Find out more
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Public company and IPO preparation
AIM
Through Vantis Corporate Finance Limited, we can provide advice and assistance on preparing your business for flotation. We can assist you with project management, co-ordinating other advisors, pricing the IPO, reviewing the impact of management incentive schemes, and preparing the admission documents. We will then continue to help you meet your continuing obligation under the AIM rules.
We also provide due diligence services to both companies and their nominated advisors.
London Stock Exchange
PLUS
Vantis Corporate Finance Limited is a Corporate Adviser member of PLUS, the market that provides trading facilities for the shares of smaller companies. If you are considering obtaining an PLUS facility for your own shares, we can act as your corporate adviser and take you through the application process. Once the PLUS facility is obtained we will continue to help you meet your continuing obligations under the PLUS rules.
PLUS
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Strategic financial advice
We offer strategic financial advice on all aspects of a company's growth, acquisition or disposal strategies.
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Valuations
Valuation of businesses, shares, intangibles and share options is a specialised area. Vantis has many years’ experience in dealing with valuation issues. The benefits of a professional valuation are clear, allowing you to secure the best possible agreements, and, where the issue is tax-related, to maximise your tax benefits. In the context of a business preparing for an IPO, stock market quote or both we are able to assist with the pricing of share issues. We can also value target companies during an acquisition process and advise in contemplation of business disposals. Following the recent changes in accounting for share-based payments, we have carried out a number of option-pricing valuations pre and post float using Black Scholes, Binomial and other models, and we can also advise on the accounting issues that arise from this.
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