Acquisition Target Mapping

Consulting firm

Management Consulting

Background

Having successfully recruited a UK Managing Partner for this leading international consulting firm, Grosvenor Clive & Stokes was invited to work with the Senior Management team on its growth strategy for the UK market. This included both organic growth and the desire to make a number of small acquisitions.

Client’s Need

The client was eager to identify businesses that brought complementary skills and market focus and delivered a range of high-end business and technology consulting services that reinforced its own strengths in other geographies.

Grosvenor Clive & Stokes Service

Working closely with the UK leadership and the Group Corporate Development function, Grosvenor Clive & Stokes helped to define the client’s requirement and agree the criteria for target businesses it might acquire.

Utilising Grosvenor Clive & Stokes’ well established research capability and detailed knowledge of the business consulting and technology services markets, we mapped the UK market to establish a ‘universe’ of over 400 potentially relevant businesses. We then conducted more in-depth research into over 140 firms, evaluating turnover, employee numbers, market focus and service offerings against our client’s criteria.

Throughout this process we conducted regular reviews with our client, presenting our findings and confirming our results against client requirements.

From this exercise, 36 businesses were considered as potentially relevant acquisition targets. At this stage, detailed qualification was required so in addition to further desk research and the collation and review of public domain information, Grosvenor Clive & Stokes approached its contacts in the sector for their views, inside information or recommendations. We also approached our industry analyst and Private Equity contacts for their insights in order to give as detailed a picture as possible of the targets’ businesses.

The Outcome

After three weeks of intensive research, 7 businesses were considered a very strong match for our client and were targeted for an approach. At the request of the client, Grosvenor Clive & Stokes made initial, anonymous approaches to the CEO/Chairman of these businesses and once an interest was established facilitated non disclosure arrangements and introductions for our client.

From the initial approaches, three businesses are currently at advanced stages of negotiation with the client.

Why Grosvenor Clive & Stokes?

  • Fifteen years experience of operating in the UK business consulting and IT services sectorgives a thorough knowledge of the sector, its companies, people and services.
  • Our experienced and well established in-house Research team supported with the relevant tools bring the rigorous, structured approach required for this type of work.
  • Our established network of senior industry, analyst and investor community contacts in the consulting and IT services sector give Grosvenor Clive & Stokes a unique insight into our client’s target market.
  • Acquisition Target Mapping is a natural extension of our executive search work and experience in facilitating team moves
  • The commercial and personal maturity of our consultants ensures they are able to handle this type of project with credibility and discretion.
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