Business Buoyant at BCMS

Despite the recession, business remains buoyant for BCMS Corporate – a north Hampshire-based worldwide firm that specialises in selling large and medium-sized companies.

The company, which employs around 100 people in Kingsclere, has recently opened an office in Fort Worth, Texas to join its Manhattan office just a few doors down from the New York Stock Exchange, and it is about to open a new office in Calgary, Canada.

Dave Rebbettes, a director of BCMS Corporate, said that research has shown that where deals worth more than $200 million have ground to a halt, those below $50 million are selling well, resulting in a 9.8 per cent increase in deals for BCMS Corporate compared to last year. 

“It seems that people who were spending money on large acquisitions are putting their money in smaller, less riskier businesses.” Said Dave.

With an expected turnover of between £12 million to £14 million this year, Dave puts the success of BCMS Corporate down to the company’s approach to selling businesses.

“What makes us really different is that we find a competitive choice of buyers for our clients”, said Dave. “We don’t sell to people who are looking for a short term investment. We only really look for strategic buyers who buy for long-term reasons.”

Finding buyers is key and it is an aspect of the business that comes down to the company’s research ability and data resources, which Dave describes as “second to none”. “We’ve spent a lot of money on dedicated staff who go out and find buyers,” said Dave. “Every time we sell a company, on average, we talk to 200 or more potential clients, while our competitors on average talk to 12.”

Over four or five months, BCMS Corporate then whittle this figure down to around six contenders. “These will be really strong candidates and we invite them to put in a very competitive bid,” said Dave.

Finding overseas buyers has proved to be a lucrative market. Dave said: “A BCMS Corporate client is significantly more likely to sell to an overseas buyer than through any other route, as we have strong connections in North America, Europe and China. Even if we sell to a British company, the fact that they are competing against overseas buyers improves the price of the deal.”

Source: Basingstoke Gazette