By 2027, the e-commerce market forecasts a volume of $6.35 trillion by demonstrating a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.51%.

Enth Degree facilitates the implementation and management of network connectivity from financial institutions and organizations to the global financial messaging network.

Within the last decade or so, consolidation has become the name of the game within many of the sectors in the construction and contracting industries.

Benchmark International is delighted to announce the acquisition of Deeside-based drainage services business, PDS, by Salford-based Thermatic.

Established in 2009, PDS offers drainage and wastewater services including CCTV surveys, HPW cleaning, lining, and repairs around the North Wales, Cheshire, Wirral, and North West areas.

Thermatic provides mechanical and electrical maintenance services to building owners and managers throughout the UK and Ireland. The acquisition supports the Thermatic operating model by expanding its technical self-delivery capabilities and supplements their hard facility management offering in the UK.

Post acquisition, all PDS staff will transfer to Thermatic’s existing drainage division, along with its extensive fleet and equipment.

It is the company's second major transaction, following the purchase of a critical ventilation business in 2019, and forms part of Thermatic's goal of supporting current and prospective customers in both private and public sectors.

Steven Partington, director at PDS, said this about working with Benchmark International:

“Overall a great experience in what were very stressful circumstances. The initial teaser and IM were brilliant in locating the right buyer for our business, which I am hugely grateful for. Along the way the Benchmark team were very informative with updates on potential interest, and at the deal end of the process were very professional in helping get everything over the line.”

According to a recent Pitchbook report, buyers favor non-backed private companies in today’s M&A market. Non-backed companies are defined as not receiving any outside capital from private equity, venture capital backers, or angel investors.

So, all the hard work has paid off and you have reached a major milestone in the process – receipt of the draft Heads of Terms (‘Heads’), also referred to as the Letter of Intent or simply the term sheet. For many, this will be the first document that has a real legal look about it, although much of the content will be specifically stated to be not legally binding.

Sam McNamee, director at Benchmark International’s Irish office, explains how the Heads are designed to fulfil two primary purposes. First, to set out the key ‘heads’ of the deal, so both buyer and seller know the deal they are looking to achieve through the due diligence and legal process, and secondly, to give the buyer a legally binding period of exclusivity to have a fair run at the deal.

Monarch Title (seller) is a multi-location Missouri-based title insurance agency. They offer a full suite of closing services as well as title insurance.

If you are considering selling your company, planning your retirement or succession plan, or seeking a growth or exit strategy, you have quite a few options. You can find a buyer and pursue a deal on your own.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the acquisition of Automaten Winkels GmbH & CO. KG (trading as Euroscope) by a German Search Fund candidate.  

Euroscope, based in Wuppertal, Germany, is Europe's largest producer and operator of coin operated telescopes and souvenir vending machines with more than 3,000 installed coin telescopes, penny press machines and souvenir vending machines. The company specializes in the assembling and operation of souvenir medals, tokens and coin telescopes, an integral part of any tourist attraction or landmark.

In July 2023, a German Search Fund candidate, backed by institutional equity sponsors, acquired 100% of the company shares from Jochen Winkels and Dr. Bettina Bähr. They will remain in the company for a transition period to hand over their managing responsibilities to the Search Fund candidate.

An escrow account is a financial account managed by a third party, such as a bank or an attorney, and is used to hold funds or assets until specific conditions are met.

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated a transaction between IEM Energy Consultants to White Wolf Capital.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the transaction between TDS Erectors, Inc. and Capital Extension Crane & Lift. The transaction represents a strategic expansion for Capital Extension as they look to achieve scale through acquisitions. 

It is essential to know how to correctly measure the long-term growth of your business because it is a key factor in determining an accurate company valuation, which determines how much money you can make in the sale or merger of your business.

Have you ever wished you could read minds?

At Benchmark International, our copywriters have pondered this possibility countless times. The idea of effortlessly extracting essential information from our clients' thoughts would make crafting the Information Memorandum (IM) a breeze. While we haven't quite mastered telepathy, the power of collaboration remains our greatest ally.

As industry experts, we recognise that our clients possess unparalleled knowledge about their businesses. Your insight, knowledge and experience are the driving force that propels us forward in creating a compelling IM that leaves potential buyers wanting to know more. To help you maximise your impact and contribute to the success of the IM bringing potential buyers to the table, I've compiled some valuable tips:

Family offices is a private wealth management firm established by an ultra-high-net-worth family. They provide that family personalized services, including investment management, financial planning, estate and tax planning, and more.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the acquisition of Wicklow-based Paramount Packaging by Mediahuis Ireland, through its Reach Group subsidiary.

Paramount Packaging was established in 1997 and is an industry leading importer, distributor and supplier of premium flexible plastic, paper and environmentally friendly packaging and solutions to the pharmaceutical, retail, food services, merchant, and industrial industries.

Reach Group is a logistics and supply chain specialist, operating in a variety of sectors across multiple channels including grocery retail, hotels, cafes, delicatessens, schools, hospitals, medical centres, pharmacies, libraries and more.

The company comprises a number of business units, including Reach-Delpac, a supplier of catering disposables, food-to-go packaging, hygiene products and luxury retail packaging. It also has Reach Stationery, a stationery wholesale operation with brands that include Supreme Stationery and Newspread, the national distribution organisation for newspapers and magazines in Ireland.

Mediahuis Ireland is a Belgian/Dutch-owned media organisation that is based in Dublin and publishes national daily newspapers, Sunday newspapers, regional newspapers and operates multiple websites including Independent.ie.

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated the transaction of George W. Evan & Associates. They are a Managing General Agent that services individual and commercial insurance agents. The firm lends its expertise in helping in

In recent years there has been a significant degree of volatility in the market, but it is generally agreed that we will likely enter a “buyer’s market” soon. Most hear “buyer’s market” about real estate or consumer goods,

Mergermarket has released their global financial advisor rankings for the first half of 2023 and Benchmark International ranked prominently in several prestigious categories.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Marlyn Group by Letsema.

Dynamac, Inc. (Seller) is an Illinois based, precision computer numerical control (CNC) machining facility.  Dynamac employs the latest in high-speed machining and sophisticated automation to satisfy the myriad challenging demands from their customers. Their niche expertise is CNC production milling and turning of aluminum, stainless, kovar, copper and brass.   

Correctly calculating adjusted EBITDA is essential in an M&A transaction, and all parties must be familiar with the adjustments. EBITDA is used to evaluate a company’s profitability of its core operations by removing items dependent on capital structure, such as interest,

An important part of many deals is the agreement on what is referred to as Free Cash (or surplus or excess cash). In simple terms, this is the value of the cash held in the business at completion that can be added to the sale price for the seller's benefit. In the UK, we can often add this Free Cash to the overall deal value in a way that it is effectively extracted by the sellers at their marginal Capital Gains tax rate, although this requires careful tax planning and advice.

There are some related articles on this. Please see Extracting Free Cash and What Working Capital Is Not! in particular.

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated a transaction between CCDI, Inc. (Cocoa Beach, Florida) and Black Powder Holdings DBA Black Powder Partners (North Carolina).

Benchmark International successfully facilitated the transaction of M&M Extendo (also known as Extendobed), an aftermarket automotive manufacturer specializing in truck bed slide trays and extenders. The company supplies standard and customizable truck bed slides, extenders, and accessories to fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and working professionals.  

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the acquisition of Dublin-based EQA to Kent-based Amtivo.

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated a transaction between New Jersey-based CDM Group, LLC (“CDM,” DBA EPIC Software Development) and Minnesota-based Aubrant, LLC.

Benchmark International is thrilled to announce the strategic relocation of our Cape Town Transactions Team to our new home in the vibrant and prosperous town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Renowned for its rich history, striking natural beauty, and thriving business landscape, Stellenbosch offers an ideal blend of cultural richness and cutting-edge business opportunities.

Benchmark International has been honored with a Gamechangers™ Progress Champion Award for diversity and fostering inclusion.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the acquisition of Doncaster-based T&RS Engineering by Rendel, subsidiary of French-owned Ingerop Group.

T&RS Engineering is a rail engineering consultancy, specialising in the maintenance and overhaul of a full range of traction and rolling stock for train operating companies, rolling stock leasing companies, and rail service providers.

Established for over 180 years, Rendel is a multidisciplinary, international engineering design consultancy that provides services to contractors, clients, and on major engineering and construction projects worldwide.

It has completed more than 6,000 assignments throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia and Australia. Recent and ongoing projects include HS2 Colne Valley Viaduct and Chiltern Tunnel Shafts Stages 1 and 2; Suburban Rail Loop, Melbourne, Australia; Hinkley Point C; and Eurotunnel.

Behavioral healthcare services M&A has been on the rise in recent years due to the high demand for mental and behavioral health services in the US. The behavioral healthcare market saw a 45% increase in 2022 versus the prior year and remains a fast market in early 2023.

The global fintech (or financial technology) market was valued at $194 billion in 2022. From 2023, it expects to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.8% to reach $492.81 billion by 2028. 

The professional services sector is expected to reach a 10-year high in 2023, based on the latest figures in a report by Experian. According to its MarketIQ Micro Insight report, there have been a total of 92 acquisitions in the advisory sector to date in 2023 with a total value of £899m.

If this trajectory is to continue, this will exceed analysis for the last decade.

Morgan Wood Products, Inc. is a leading broker of pallets based in Columbus, Ohio, serving 41 states and provinces. The COVID crisis fundamentally altered the pallet industry, and Morgan Wood was well-positioned to expand its operations due to the market shift. By 2022 the company had reached the stage where its owner and founder, Luke Reinstetle, saw the benefit of bringing in outside capital and resources to keep its growth moving ahead.

The global disaster restoration industry is currently valued at $41.2 billion. The worldwide demand for disaster restoration services expects to increase significantly through 2033, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.7% to reach a market value of $80.1 billion.

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated a transaction between Florida-based Hole Montes Inc. (Hole Montes) and Virginia-based Bowman Consulting Group Ltd. (Bowman).

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the acquisition of Walsall-based First Response by Slough-based Impact Futures.

Family-run approved training provider, First Response, offers a range of first aid, mental health, fire marshal, evac-chair, manual handling, people handling, food hygiene, and eLearning courses to organisations and individuals throughout the UK.

Impact Futures is a pioneer in the field of innovative training solutions, delivering bespoke, high-quality training programmes that add value to organisations and support individuals in achieving nationally recognised qualifications.

The acquisition of First Response serves as a bolt-on to Impact Futures learning programmes, expanding the company’s portfolio of training solutions for businesses and individuals.

Benchmark International has successfully facilitated a transaction between Blue Wave Capital and Consulting, LLC (“Blue Wave”) and Houston-based Pelican Energy Partners (“Pelican”).  

Seller financing is when the seller of a business acts as a lender to the buyer by offering financing for all or some of the purchasing price. The Buyer and Seller negotiate the terms of