Herald - Issue 405

22nd April 2021 • The HERALD • Page 53 v SEND ALL YOUR NEWS TO THE HERALD v Tel: 023 8254 7600 TMT House, 12 The Marsh, Hythe, Southampton, SO45 6AL enquiry@tmtlegalservices.co.uk www.tmtlegalservices.co.uk Your Local Legal Specialists PROPERTY & CONVEYANCING SERVICES We specialise in Property Services from buying your new home to investment portfolios and newbuilds. Call the Team on 023 8254 7600 or visit our website for our online quotation tool where you can also instruct us ASK A PROFESSIONAL BRYANT & CO Chartered Accountants & Business Advisers We provide a wide range of accounting and business services to individuals, partnerships and limited companies. We specialise in working with family owned businesses, providing guidance and advice as appropriate. Our services include: • Annual Accounts • Bookkeeping • VAT • Payroll and CIS • Personal and Corporate Tax Returns • Management Accounts • Business Advice • We also provide training on the use of Sage and Quickbooks, and the implementation of computerised and manual accounting systems. • Meetings can be arranged to suit your needs, including evenings and weekends if more convenient to you. • The initial meeting is free of charge, regardless of the length of time, as we believe it is important to develop a good working relationship from the outset. • All fees are agreed in advance of any work being undertaken. Please call Peter or Lisa on 023 8089 4982 to arrange a meeting to discuss your business needs. You can also contact Peter on 07976 808969, or email us at info@bryantandcompany.co.uk Have a look at our website www.bryantandcompany.co.uk for a fuller understanding of our business. of the money can remain invested for longer. is may be an attractive option to recapitalise a balance sheet, provide funds to capture an opportunity, or deliver resilience in weathering the remaining pandemic. ere is plentiful capital in the equity market from a variety of funds, family o ces and private investors. Matching the speci c opportunities remains the ever-present challenge. Businesses need to ensure that they are fully prepared for the rigorous scrutiny of the equity market where process demands significantly outweigh those of the debt markets. Equity investment may come with additional expertise from the investor, which can support the growth of your business, or an acquisition strategy to take advantage of sectoral opportunities. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) Every crisis can be thought of as an opportunity, and every surviving business is best advised to look around for consolidation opportunities. Not least because that is exactly what your competitors are likely to be doing. Most sectors can be said to be carrying too much central cost for the amount of revenues forthcoming in the near term. erefore, it may make sense for the stronger players to grow by acquiring their competitors, upstream suppliers or downstream distributors and spreading the cost burden over a larger revenue base. Tougher markets open minds to deals previously dismissed. is is particularly true of owners looking to retire who may now be more reasonable on valuation and terms than might have been the case pre- crisis. Additionally, M&A is being driven by the need of many businesses to make a rapid and meaningful change in their business model. Acquisition is o en the best way to do this and can present an opportunity to sell, or the rationale to buy, depending on individual circumstances. Exit planning For many SME owners exit is now higher on their agenda than it was pre-pandemic. Many anticipate choppier waters for some time ahead and question their resolve for the ght, whilst others have found themselves on the right side of the shi that was 2020 and want to crystallise that good fortune. Despite being widely rumoured, the Chancellor’s Budget did not contain an increase to the Capital Gains Tax, which is now expected to come a couple of years later. is gives those owners with an exit on the agenda su cient time to plan and execute, rather than being caught in the mad rush we saw in late 2020 and Q1 of 2021. Whilst the immediate threat is li ed, we do still expect the M&A activity to remain buoyant through the rest of this year. Whether by way of a management buyout, sale or an exit to nancial buyers, an exit could well be a winning formula. However, this strategy is only going to be realised with the right advice on valuation, sale process and deal negotiation rmly in place. to Not Only Survive, but Thrive in 2021 Continued from page 52