Nursing Agencies Hampshire

Axis are specialist business brokers with nursing agencies for sale Hampshire and throughout the South and Home Counties. The healthcare sector is performing strongly throughout the UK, especially in the more populated South where demand in highest. So for buyers looking for a nursing agency for sale, Hampshire is an especially popular location right now.

Here we take a look at the different types of nursing agency for sale in Hampshire, the general demand for nursing agency services within the county, and some of the more popular locations for nursing agencies for sale in Hampshire.

Nursing Agencies for Sale Hampshire - click here to view our listings

Why Buy Nursing Agencies for Sale Hampshire

Apart from the general strength of the healthcare market, making all types of health-related companies attractive to investors, a nursing agency for sale in Hampshire is especially attractive to buyers for a number of reasons.

Its proximity to London makes Hampshire a very popular retirement location, either for people who have commuted to London during their working lives and now wish to stay in this particularly attractive county, or for Londoners looking for a more relaxed environment.

Hampshire is home to some of the UK’s most sought after coastal locations including Southampton, Portsmouth and Lymington, offering warmth and sunshine to elderly residents. Further inland, Hampshire has many attractive towns such as Andover, Winchester, Whitchurch and Petersfield, while nearer London there is the major population centre of Basingstoke. The Isle of Wight is also part of Hampshire and is a highly desirable holiday and retirement location.

All this adds up to a county which is generally highly populated (it has an overall population of around 1.6million) and has a high proportion of elderly residents, which creates a natural demand for healthcare services of all kinds including domiciliary care and private nursing agencies.

One of the key sources of demand for nursing agencies for sale in Hampshire, are hospitals requiring temporary and permanent staff recruitment. There are several major hospitals in the Hampshire area including all the major towns mentioned above. Southampton alone is home to eight NHS hospitals and treatment centres. But rural and remote populations, for instance the Isle of Wight, need particular help from nursing agencies to provide sufficient nursing staff for the local population.

Types of Nursing Agency for Sale Hampshire

A nursing agency for sale in Hampshire could provide different types of service. Some specialise only in permanent recruitment (e.g. finding permanent placements for NHS or private hospitals), while others specialise in providing temporary nursing cover (e.g. holiday or maternity leave). Others again will specialise in providing domiciliary care requiring medically qualified nurses. While many will specialise in one of these services, others may provide a mix, perhaps because they have clients who need both at different times (e.g. the NHS) or because they prefer to maintained a diversified portfolio, or perhaps simply for historical reasons.

For instance, a client requiring home-based medical care may improve their health to such an extent that they no longer need medical care but would still benefit from more general domiciliary care to help with washing, cooking, dressing and so forth. It can make business sense for a nursing agency to offer a complete care solution by including non-medical care workers onto their books, rather than turn away business to another company.

A potential buyer of nursing agencies for sale in Hampshire will need to look at the mix of clients and type of service provided to ensure the correct portfolio for their needs.

Nursing Agency for Sale Hampshire -  click here to view our listings

Popular Locations for Nursing Agencies for Sale Hampshire

It will be no surprise to find a concentration of nursing agencies in the larger cities such as Southampton, Portsmouth and Basingstoke. This reflects the larger population served and the number of hospitals in these cities. However, there are also plenty of nursing agencies based in the smaller Hampshire towns such as Fareham, Winchester, Fleet, Eastleigh, Aldershot, Bordon, Liphook, Haslemere and Havant.

Even very small towns such as Waterlooville, Portchester, New Milton and Romsey can be home to a nursing agency for sale. In these places, the size of the immediate local population is no barrier to generating business as they lie close to major routes to the bigger cities or to London, such as the M3, M27, A3, A31, A34 etc. For instance, the small town of Alton has a population of just 17,000. But it is on a direct line to London’s Waterloo, as well as lying just off the A31, a short drive to the M3. Several nursing agencies have made Alton their base or established branches there.

However, there are few parts of Hampshire which are very far from the beaten track, and it is possible to find nursing agencies throughout the county, regardless of road or rail connections. For instance, the Isle of Wight is home to several nursing agencies, typically based in the larger towns on the island such as Newport and Ryde. However, the demographics of the island (i.e. popular retirement location) mean that even small towns such as Sandown (less than 6000 residents), Shanklin (population 8000) and Ventnor (6000) are home to nursing agencies, although these typically offer domiciliary care.

In short, Hampshire has a high concentration of nursing agencies of all kinds, catering for a large population with rising demand for services.

To find a nursing agency for sale, register with Axis today.

Businesses for Sale Essex – 5 Reasons Why Essex is Primed for Growth

For private investors looking for businesses for sale, Essex is proving to be a "diamond in the rough". A key focus for all UK investors at the moment is to look for companies and locations which seem to be successfully bucking the current economic trend - and Essex seems to be just such an area. A 2011 study by Essex Ltd showed that Essex’s top 100 companies showed an increase in turnover, profits and employment over the previous year. Turnover was up by 12% and the number of people employed was up by nearly 5%. An overall loss of the previous year of £60 million - proving that Essex has certainly not escaped its share of challenges over the last few years - was transformed into a pre-tax profit of £121million.

These figures are impressive enough - but they are further bolstered by a marked recent increase in the number of mergers and acquisitions taking place in the county, fuelled by interest from trade and private equity buyers alike in businesses for sale Essex. Acquisition prices have started to rise, which all helps the general level of liquidity and means money flowing into the county, helping to secure jobs and create a more stable environment for smaller companies supplying goods and services to the larger ones.

But if you are a prospective investor considering businesses for sale in Essex you will want to know what’s behind these figures. What is different about Essex? And what makes it better placed than others to see business growth sooner rather than later? There will be many contributing factors of course, but here we note five structural factors about Essex which are likely to be fuelling business growth in Essex now and into the future.

1.    Proximity to London

Essex includes large parts of East London suburbs such as Dagenham, Barking, Ilford and Romford which all lie within the M25. Other major Essex towns are easily accessed by train and road from London, including Basildon, Southend and Colchester. This means that many businesses based in Essex are located next to a large and prosperous customer base. This generally helps to keep up demand from both business and residential customers. So if an Essex business sees a fall in demand locally, it is an easy matter to target potential customers in London. For this reason businesses for sale in Essex can be of as much interest to investors as those in London, offering similar benefits in terms of proximity, but without the additional overheads of a Central London business.

2.    Commuting

Essex is well connected to London by train, with Liverpool Street connecting the capital to Colchester, Chelmsford and beyond, and Fenchurch Street serving Brentwood, Billericay, Rayleigh and Southend. Many Essex residents work in London and are bringing home relatively higher wages which then circulates into the local economy. So as London’s economy grows, it is hard for the Essex economy to do anything other than grow with it. And of course, when local jobs are affected, London offers a good alternative area in which to search for jobs. All this help to maintain general employment rates, which we consider next.

3.    Employment Rates

Employment within Essex is generally higher than the national average, and in some parts of Essex unemployment is below 2%. This all points to money in the local economy, which means that suppliers of local goods and services have a relatively prosperous customer base to work with. As a result smaller enterprises are less likely to be driven out of business in a downturn, and are then poised to immediately take advantage of the upturn when it comes.

 4.   Good Infrastructure

We have already mentioned the strong rail links between London and Essex. As well as linking the county to the capital, this also serves to link Essex to the rest of the UK. A train ride of less than an hour and a tube ride will take the Essex resident to Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire or Middlesex. Not to mention connections to the South West, North and Scotland via Euston, Kings Cross and so on. So while being one of the most easterly counties in the UK, there is a feeling of being oddly central.

The A127, A12, A13 and M11 - all connected by the M25 - offer fast car journeys between the capital and the rest of the county. Essex is also well served by airports including Stansted and Southend. The opening and planned future growth of London City airport to the east of the capital offers Essex businesses yet another easy way to access the rest of the UK as well as the continent. In addition, Essex also has over 99% broadband penetration, making it easier than ever for Essex business to market themselves online and for customers to find them.

For buyers of businesses for sale in Essex, this means easy access and communication with your new acquisition, as well as creating a useful working base - especially important if you have expansion in mind.

5.    Entrepreneurial Spirit

Our final factor is more speculative and based on the past history of emigration out of London. Many waves of immigrants have found themselves in the East End of London and have successfully manufactured and traded their way to economic success. And as individuals and communities have prospered they have, typically, moved away from the East End and out to neighbouring counties, with Essex being an obvious choice for relocation. But once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur, and it seems plausible that these ex-East Enders may have brought their entrepreneurial spirit with them.

The low unemployment rate creates a general expectation towards having a job and, if not, starting a business. Essex may be jokingly known as the home of "White Van Man", but there’s a reason why the white van - icon of the small business - may be more prevalent on Essex roads than elsewhere. The Department for Business Innovation and Skills showed that in 2009 the number of small businesses in the South East (of which Essex is a major county) was 750,000 - only slightly less than that of London at around 850,000, and significantly ahead of its next most active region, the East, at around 400,000. Certainly when it comes to forging business growth there is no substitute for a will to succeed - and Essex seems to have plenty of that.

So what does this all mean for a prospective buyer of businesses for sale in Essex? In short, it means a pro-business climate in which a strong entrepreneurial spirit is assisted by powerful geographic and infrastructure advantages. Buying a business based in Essex means also buying into that climate and those advantages. For those looking for signs of economic growth in the UK, Essex could be the county to watch.

About Axis Partnership

Business for Sale Essex - Axis have a wide range of businesses for sale in Essex and throughout the UK. We operate in a number of sectors including Healthcare, Property Management, Commercial Cleaning, Manufacturing & Engineering, Recruitment, Packaging, and Logistics.

Businesses for Sale London – 3 Key Sectors to Watch

For investors looking for businesses for sale, London remains an attractive location to do business. But although many buyers are keen to buy into successful London businesses for sale they are, understandably, looking for businesses which have proven their ability to survive and thrive - and some sectors are proving stronger than others. So which sectors are doing best in London right now and why? We examine 3 key sectors which are emerging strongly from the credit crunch, and should form the focus for any investor considering businesses for sale in London.

Property and Auxiliary Services

As elsewhere in the UK, the rental market in London is holding strong. As well as the general level of rental demand, there has been an increase in homeowners choosing to rent out their properties as an alternative to selling - creating a growing market for property rental companies. At the same time, in many London areas the property sales market has proven to be very resilient, and the advent of the London Olympics has served to promote property prices at all levels. Property businesses for sale in London with strong rental portfolios or in popular sales areas continue to be attractive to investors.

Property management companies are also doing well. Residential apartment blocks or commercial premises still require maintenance and management even if individual offices or apartments change hands. Investors should be especially attracted to property management businesses for sale in London with a good number and mix of property types, which will help to reduce the impact of the loss of any particular property from the books.

And where there is property, there is a need for auxiliary services to maintain the property. Repairs, window cleaning and so on are always needed, and cleaning companies are in constant demand throughout the capital. For those considering investing in commercial cleaning businesses for sale London has the highest density of commercial and block apartment buildings in the UK - meaning that demand is likely to remain very stable over the longer term. But it is important to look at the company’s client base and be sure that those clients themselves look stable.

Recruitment

For investors considering businesses for sale London recruitment companies offer some interesting opportunities. Some types of recruitment are proving to be very stable, reflecting the sectors that they themselves serve, especially high demand sectors such as technology and healthcare. While permanent recruitment has dipped generally across the board, recruitment companies which have made the switch or diversified into temporary and contract recruitment are continuing to do well. Look for recruitment companies with a diverse portfolio across a number of sectors and which have proven themselves able to respond quickly to changes in the employment market.

Healthcare

There is ongoing and rising need for healthcare of all kinds including care homes, domiciliary care and specialist care such as mental health, dementia and learning disabilities. The demographics of the UK is such that this need is set to rise steadily over the coming decades - and as the largest city in the UK, the demand in London is the highest of all. Investors should be especially interested in healthcare businesses for sale in London which have a good mix of private and government funded clients, and which have received good ratings from government bodies. Both point to good quality care provision and a contented clientele, which is ultimately what will ensure a good long term investment in this sector.

Caveat Emptor

It should be noted that regardless of the trends noted above, identification of a "safe sector" should only be a starting point for a prospective buyer. Investors still need to carefully research individual companies - checking cashflow, debts, orderbooks, management structures and so on. They also need to ensure a good match for their requirements and be sure that they have a sound business plan for their new acquisition. It helps greatly to work with an experienced business broker who is familiar with the marketplace and can act as an intermediary.

About Axis Partnership

Business for Sale London  - Axis Partnership are specialist business brokers helping to buy and sell businesses in London and throughout the UK. We specialise in a number of industry areas, with Healthcare, Recruitment, and Property Management forming three of our busiest sectors, along with Manufacturing & Engineering, Packaging, Logistics, and Commercial Cleaning.