Benchmark International has set out an ambitious, two-year strategy to expand new business into China.

British businesses are booming and the private sector now comprises an astonishing 5.2m companies. Of this 5.2m, only 2,000 companies are publicly listed, leaving the vast majority in private hands.

The FT has been tracking the recent wave of M&As within the food & beverage sector, looking for a common denominator in these deals. However, the FT argues that instead of the motivation to ‘scale’ acting as the catalyst for an acquisition, these deals have been motivated by a longer-term ambition – the certainty of the company’s future success.

M&A activity in the third quarter of 2015 saw deal making achieve more than $1tn. This, with a combined value of mergers and acquisition over the past 9 months shows a 32% increase (compared to last year’s period) to £3.17tn. This puts global deal making on track to reach an all-time record in 2015, suggesting there is no better time to sell.

Provisional figures from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development show that the UK received more inward investment than any other nation last year. This puts the UK at the top of the foreign direct investment (FDI) table for the first time since 1977, with a large part of this FDI coming from merger and acquisition activity.

According to analysts, a mergers and acquisitions frenzy is sweeping the UK. This follows a surge of M&A activity in the gambling sector that has seen a number of significant deals completed, including a £2.3bn deal between Ladbrookes and Gala Coral in July, and a £6bn merger of Betfair and Paddy Power in August. In total, between January and August this year, there have been more takeovers and mergers in the UK gambling sector than in any other country in the world.

At the start of 2015 the level of global deal making passed $3 trillion, 0.7% shy of the record set in 2007. Research by KPMG has found that the activity shows no sign of slowing as predictions have already been made surrounding global M&A topping $3.4 trillion by 2017. An increase of 26% based on the results from 2015.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the successful sale of Milestone Operations to Nottingham-headquartered recruitment firm Staffline Group.

2015 has been an exciting and prosperous year for Benchmark International and clients alike, bolstered by the M&A industry’s continued resurgence.

Chemistry World recently reported that M&A activity in the pharmaceutical sector has reached fever pitch, with the announcement of a $1 billion deal in which Valeant Pharmaceuticals acquired Sprout.

In a recent Telegraph column, John Timpson, fourth generation chairman of multi-service retailer Timpson, criticised the idea of bringing outside professional managers into family businesses, stating they are at risk of losing their “x factor”.

Benchmark International has successfully negotiated the sale of Central Emergency Medical Services to Priority Ambulance, a portfolio company of Enhanced Equity Funds. The transaction represents the conjoining of two of the strongest players in the EMS industry in the Southeast US.

Based in Atlanta, Central EMS provides advanced life support, basic life support, critical care and nonemergency transport options from 13 stations throughout the state. Eight stations are located in the Atlanta metro area and its surrounding counties. Central EMS also serves Northeast Georgia from an Athens location; Central Georgia from Macon, Dublin and Newnan stations; and Southeast Georgia from a station in Savannah.

Central EMS transports approximately 50,000 patients annually with 77 ambulances. The company specializes in ambulance transport service between hospitals and other health care facilities, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing facilities and long distance transports, as well as contracts for special event medical coverage. Central EMS currently employs more than 340 EMTs, paramedics, communication and billing specialists.

Based in Knoxville, Tenn., Priority Ambulance provides the highest level of clinical excellence in emergency and nonemergency medical care to the communities it serves. Throughout its national service area, more than 1,000 highly trained paramedics and EMTs staff more than 170 state-of-the-art ambulances with the latest medical equipment and technology.

Priority Ambulance provides emergency and nonemergency medical transport options to communities in Tennessee, Alabama, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Georgia. Operating as Priority Ambulance, the company serves Knox, Loudon and Blount counties in East Tennessee. Priority Ambulance operates as Kunkel Ambulance in Utica, New York; as Trans Am Ambulance in Olean, New York; as Shoals Ambulance in Alabama; as Seals Ambulance in Indiana; and as Central EMS in Georgia.

Dara Shareef, Director at Benchmark International, stated, “It was a pleasure to represent Central Emergency Medical Services in this transaction. Combining management teams with hundreds of years of experience, backed by a strong private equity investor we believe the partnership with Priority Ambulance will be extremely successful within the EMS industry. We wish both parties the best of luck moving forward.”

Graham Woodard, Senior Associate at Benchmark International, stated, “Benchmark’s ability to create a competitive bid process for our client was instrumental in this transaction. At the end of the day, we believe our client found the perfect fit to continue and grow in the EMS industry and preserve a merited legacy.”

Central Emergency Medical Services Founder and CEO, Gary Coker, stated, “I am extremely pleased with the partnership that we have developed with Priority under the guidance of Benchmark International. I believe that the Central EMS and Priority Ambulance combined management teams will be able to deliver powerful results within the industry. I would like to thank all the members of the Benchmark International transaction team that worked diligently to produce this result and feel strongly we could not have achieved this without them by my side every step of the way.”

In many cases, mid-market business owners and entrepreneurs, like you, only go through the mergers and acquisitions process once in a lifetime. It’s difficult to know what to expect from a transaction, and business owners often, unknowingly, limit their chances of achieving an ideal outcome for what will likely be the biggest deal of their lives.

The 2015 summer so far has seen an unprecedented ‘heat wave’ across the M&A industry. Despite many business owners and acquirers packing their bags to jet off on their holidays, deal activity remains robust. By September proposed global M&A deals could reach a trillion dollars, beating the previous high in 2007.

According to PwC’s latest Global Family Business Survey, only 16% of the 2,378 businesses interviewed had a documented succession plan in place.  It is particularly important for those involved in a family business to consider an exit strategy at the earliest possible stage, especially as the Business Families Foundation reports that only 13% of family businesses make it to the third generation.

Oculus, the virtual subsidiary of Facebook, has purchased British firm Surreal Vision as part of a drive to acquire virtual reality-focused businesses. The team at Surreal Vision is said to be moving to Washington to work at the Oculus lab. So how do small IT businesses get on the radar of the bigger companies if their owners have acquisition on their mind? Here are some top tips for you if you are considering selling your IT business and want to ensure that you attract the best buyers.

June saw Benchmark International complete a record month, generating in excess of $11 million (£7 million) in actual company revenue, across 14 deals completed. The combined transaction values totalling in excess of $360 million (£235 million).

A report recently released by Experian has indicated that the volume of merger and acquisition transactions across the UK, Europe, USA and Asia Pacific region dropped by 8% in April 2015. The total number of deals fell from 1,838 in March of this year, to 1,787 in April.

It was Steve Jobs of Apple who once said: "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

In recognition of recent efforts, Benchmark International is the proud recipient of the ‘International – Mid-Market Corporate Finance Advisory of the Year’ award for a second year running at the ACQ Global Awards 2015.

Benchmark International is delighted to announce it has been named winner of the AI M&A Awards ‘Best for Acquisition Strategy 2015 - UK’ at the Acquisition International Awards 2015.

As digital technology has changed the way in which the UK population communicates, the telecommunications industry has had to adapt and diversify its services to remain relevant.

Best practises for classifying and producing due diligence materials

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the sale of Complete Limited to Sparks Commercial Services.

Benchmark International is delighted to announce that our new website has been nominated for this year’s prestigious Awwwards prize, following our successful rebranding earlier this year.

At Benchmark International, we’re proud to be celebrating an exciting year of strategic growth and an increase in headcount by opening brand new offices in Milton Park, Oxfordshire.

The biggest fear for any buyer in an M&A transaction is purchasing a problem rather than a solution.

This is the first of three blogs that will give you, the business owner looking to sell your company, an insight into the art of due diligence and its important in the M&A process.

Throughout our 10 blog series, we have discussed the different processes and stages recommended for you, a business owner, to take that could make your company more valuable and saleable.

Benchmark International is pleased to announce the sale of Yeovil Plumbing Supplies Limited to the Bradfords Group.

David Cameron has vowed to lead a government for “one nation” and will make “Great Britain greater” after securing the 326 seats needed for the first majority Conservative government since 1992.

In our penultimate blog we will discuss legal issues in your business, and the importance of tackling them.

Benchmark International is delighted to announce the proposed sale of W. Corbett & Co. (Galvanizing) Limited (W. Corbett) to Hill & Smith Holdings PLC (Hill & Smith) in a deal valued at £10.5 million on an Enterprise Value basis.

A recent survey suggests that circa 60% of UK companies are planning to acquire assets over the next 12 months, with the appetite for cross-border transactions at an all-time high.

Benchmark International’s US team has stepped up efforts to help a local university competing in the Clinton Foundation’s Hult Prize Competition, encouraging students to form profitable businesses that provide social good through health care and education for those living in poverty. The judges, including Bill Clinton, will determine the ultimate winner based upon the viability of the business and the degree to which the targeted social benefits appear achievable.

Following the successful acquisition of a business represented by Benchmark International’s UK Transaction team, a Castle Bromwich-based company has posted substantially improved pre-tax profits of £1.7m, compared to £16,000 in 2013.

In the final three instalments of our 10 blog series, we will discuss running your business as though selling is not a necessity, tackling problems that may lead to legal disputes and the importance of first impressions of your company. 

Being mindful of our impact on our local and wider environment is a shared responsibility, and Benchmark International takes this responsibility seriously by actively participating in a number of environmental schemes.

Although it may seem trivial, it is fundamental for you, as a business owner, to consider the reliability of your management and financial information.

Benchmark International is proud to sponsor this year’s Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) InterGrowth event on 13^th April, one of the largest middle-market Mergers and Acquisitions event in North America.