Nearly 16,000 real estate companies throughout the UK are thought to be primed for acquisition, research from Atomic Consultancy suggests.
Data based on the size of the business and its annual turnover compiled by the acquisition specialists founded by Lucy Noonan, reveals that 93.2% of all UK property businesses generate annual turnover of up to £1m, equivalent to 109,815 companies.
London is home to the largest proportion of them, accounting for 24.1% of the national whole, followed by the South East (13.7%), and North West (10%).
This means that, from a financial standpoint, the vast majority of businesses fit the bill for a potential acquisition.
EMPLOYEE COUNT
As well as generating turnover of up to £1m, and in order to be primed for acquisition, Atomic Consultancy believes that a headcount of between 5 to 20 employees is ideal.
However, this does notably reduce the number of potential businesses that could be perfect for an acquisition.
Atomic’s analysis reveals that, across the UK, there are some 15,800 businesses boasting the ideal headcount of between 5 and 19 employees – equivalent to just 13.4% of total UK businesses.
The largest proportion of these businesses are, again, located in London (29.5%), followed by the South East (13.3%) and North West (9.5%).
ENTREPRENEURIAL INDUSTRY
Lucy Noonan, Founder and Chief Executive of Atomic Consultancy, says: “The property market is a largely entrepreneurial industry.
“It attracts people who are business-minded, self-started, and target driven, and as such, we have a wealth of outstanding small to medium sized businesses operating across the sector.
“This naturally leads to a high propensity for larger entities to snap up these smaller companies making waves within the sector which, in many ways, is a worthy reward for those who do decide to sell up.
“To get to the point where you are approached for acquisition is a great compliment, and the potential payday that comes with being acquired is a suitable reward for all of the hard work that has gone into establishing the brand.”
