Marktlink expands in the United Kingdom by opening a second office

On November 1st Marktlink opened an office in the UK Midlands to cover Birmingham, Nottingham, and the surrounding areas. This office will be the thirteenth location in Marktlink’s international network and the second in the UK, following the opening of the Manchester office last year.

Despite the economic challenges that the British market has faced in recent years, there is confidence in British entrepreneurs. Our market analysis shows that British entrepreneurs are optimistic about the future.

The UK Midlands is an established and prosperous M&A market

Joe Moran has been appointed as a partner and heads the Midlands office. Joe brings 17 years of experience in corporate finance and will advise entrepreneurs with their acquisition and divestment strategies. He previously worked at Deloitte, Jaguar Land Rover and Rolls-Royce. “The UK is a large and established M&A market, and I am very excited to lead Marktlink’s next phase of successful international expansion and support entrepreneurs in this very important business region to fulfil their M&A ambitions.

“The acquisition or sale of a business is one of the most important events in an entrepreneur’s life. The opening of this new office will enable Midlands business owners to have access to our M&A expertise and a broad network of European investment opportunities to aid them in securing the best future for their business.”

European investors interested in British companies

Luc Keltjens, partner at Marktlink Amsterdam, is closely involved in the expansion in the UK. “We’ve experienced great success since opening our first UK office last year, and the demand from European companies looking to acquire UK businesses continues to grow. Business owners in the Midlands and wider in the UK will be able to utilise our international network of 50 deal teams across six countries to benefit from the increasing appetite for cross-border opportunities.”

“With Joe’s extensive expertise and knowledge of how to best support entrepreneurs in the region, we are confident that he is the right choice to strengthen the competitive advantage of Midlands businesses. We look forward to continuing our success and expanding our position in the UK market.”

The biggest economic challenges behind us

Jonny Parkinson, partner at the first UK office in Manchester since 2022, notes that British entrepreneurs believe they are past the worst of the economic challenges. He emphasizes the importance of looking ahead and thinking about growth strategies for companies, especially in the area of succession. “The UK has emerged from a deeper trough than other European countries, with challenges such as debt markets, interest rate ceilings and the effects of Brexit. Nevertheless, British SME entrepreneurs are hopeful about 2024. Our market analysis shows that 57% of entrepreneurs expect that the domestic M&A market will improve in the coming year compared to the European average of 48%. Furthermore, with this move we open the doors for UK SMEs to our existing and extensive European network. This could have a positive impact on the growth and ambitions of British entrepreneurs. We are ready to help entrepreneurs realize their growth and acquisition ambitions in the United Kingdom.”