Top 7 Ways Business Brokers Add Value

Business brokers act as an intermediate agent between buyers and sellers of businesses. Their main role is to set up the initial contact and then negotiate the best deal for both parties. 

Axis Partnerships are specialist business brokers with many years of experience in helping buyers and sellers broker business sales.

When it comes to buying or selling, specialist business brokers are often the first place to look for help and guidance. But do you really need specialist business brokers if you are buying or selling a business? What value do they add to the process? Could you do it all yourself? In this article we look at the top 7 ways specialist business brokers add value to the buying and selling of a business.

1. Confidentiality

One of the highest priorities when buying or selling a business is confidentiality. Business brokers are able to make initial enquiries without revealing identities. Confidentiality is vital in the early stages to avoid speculation and unease amongst staff, suppliers and customers. The complete confidentiality business brokers can give you also stops rival firms getting to hear of any potential sale or purchase as this information could lead to aggressive marketing to poach custom or a hostile takeover from a large company.

Business brokers can keep the identities of buyers and sellers confidential until the point that each side is ready to enter negotiations. They can arrange discreet meetings off site for seller to discuss their requirements or visit in the guise of a bank manager or insurance broker so as not to arouse suspicion within the company.

Business brokers offer all round general confidentiality in all discussions with sellers and buyers, by using private email accounts and sending all written correspondence to home addresses.

2. Accurate Valuations

Getting an accurate valuation on a business is vital to both a buyer and a seller. Business brokers can offer a no obligation service that can give an accurate assessment of a business’s worth in the current marketplace. For a buyer, knowing a business has been professionally valued gives an assurance that the valuation is based on an objective assessment. And for a seller, having the business professionally valued can help to give realistic information that can be used for planning the owner’s next move.

The industry standard method of valuing a small or medium business is EBITDA, which stands for Earnings Before Interest, Depreciation and Amortization. This ascertains a business’s ‘true’ profitability to potential buyers.

However there are also several non-monetary areas that can help to achieve more well-rounded and accurate valuations.

Business brokers will take many things into consideration when valuing a business and this gives a much truer picture of a business’s worth than if the owner had just put a monetary value on the company based on turnover alone. Past performance as well as projected growth and trends in business are all taken into account. Business brokers know the pertinent questions to ask about customer relationships and client base, competitors in the area, marketing, brand image and future technology in the field to get the most accurate overall assessment of a business’s worth.

3. Market Knowledge

Business brokers will have a wealth of experience in not only buying and selling businesses but often in working within business themselves. They also have areas of expertise where they specialise and this gives them a great deal of knowledge. Business brokers with previous experience in a particular sector will be in touch with what buyers are looking for and this helps them match buyers to sellers more accurately.

4. Pre-sale Assistance

Preparing a business for sale can be as important as negotiating the sale itself. Specialist business brokers can offer this service and advise a seller on the best way to present their business in the market place. This can involve making sure all paperwork and accounts are up to date, there are no legal or staff issues pending that may put a potential buyer off, and that the client base is as broad as possible.

For a buyer, pre-sale assistance includes helping to clarify their requirements and any special features a buyer is looking for in a potential company. Specialist business brokers can discuss with a buyer the kind of business they wish to purchase, whether it is to add to an existing portfolio or to diversify into a niche area.

5. Discreet Marketing

There is a fine line to be drawn when it comes to making the business world aware that you wish to buy or sell a business. Buyers and sellers need to advertise their intentions but discretion is the watchword here. Making your intentions too obvious could cause staff unrest, a dip in share prices or speculation about the financial health of a business.

Business brokers can make discreet enquiries on behalf of both buyers and sellers by marketing out of an area so that employees and competitors are not aware until the owner is ready to reveal their plans.

6. Buyer Contacts

Experienced business brokers will have a network of contacts to call upon when marketing a business. This network of contacts will include a list of interested buyers. This gives a seller immediate access to prospective interested parties.

As a specialist business broker Axis has a list of registered buyers and offers a retained buyer service where companies are researched to match the requirements of registered buyers and approached on their behalf to enquire about a sale.

Buying or selling a business can be a very time consuming job, so by using a business broker who has contacts already in place, this can put you at a great advantage and releases your time to work on your own business.

7. Negotiating Skill

Negotiating a final deal when buying or selling a business is probably the trickiest part of the whole process and one that most people, even those experienced in business, feel uncomfortable in doing.

A business broker can use their years of negotiating skill to help find creative solutions to sticking points along the way and ensure good communications between the buyer and the seller at all times. Ultimately this results in a greater number of successful business sales and acquisitions, with both seller and buyer achieving their goals more quickly.

The Axis Partnership are Business Brokers based in Suffolk, who can assist you with buying or selling a business in the UK. Contact us now for more information and to discuss your requirements.

Companies for Sale - Is Niche the Way to Go?

When it comes to companies for sale, prospective buyers will usually be looking for something specific - such as a particular skillset or operating within a particular sector. In other words, they will be looking for companies for sale that fit a specific niche. So when it comes to buying a business, it is helpful to buyers to be able to easily see what niche a company fits into.

While some global brands may be able to experiment with diversification and then retreat from any ventures that don’t work out, for most small and medium business owners it makes sense to keep a clear identity and a focused strategy especially if they plan to sell eventually.

But how niche is niche? Is buying a highly specialised niche business always a better investment than buying a more diverse business? In this article we will explore what a buyer Is likely to consider when considering niche companies for sale.

Companies for Sale - click here to search our business listings

Companies for Sale - Not Niche Enough?

Companies for sale that are too diverse can be a problematic proposition for a potential buyer. Buyers usually have specific requirements in mind, especially if they are buying to add to an existing portfolio. If a company is too diverse there may be aspects of the business that a buyer has no interest in.

For example a buyer may be looking for a packaging company and sees for sale a company which imports, packages and distributes. The buyer may wonder what to do with the import and distribution parts of the business. In this instance the buyer may find it difficult to see where the profit is actually being generated.  If the buyer wants one part of the business but not the other parts, this can lead to company breakups, which is probably not what the seller wanted.

On the other hand, if a buyer is looking purely in terms of overall financial performance and the company is doing well, a more diverse company may still be an attractive investment for them.

Companies for Sale - Too Niche?

There are also possible problems with companies for sale being over-specialised. If a company is too dependent on a tiny part of the market this can make them vulnerable if something happens to affect their sector.

For example if a buyer is looking for a recruitment company and finds one for sale that only specialises in the public sector or finance workers, the business could be suddenly affected by government cuts in public spending or fluctuations in the money markets, meaning the demand for recruitment is not so high in those areas. Other recruitment companies with a more diverse portfolio, or in sectors likely to withstand general economic problems such as IT or healthcare are more resilient and less likely to be so badly affected. Another example of a niche recruitment company is in the energy sector where there is always going to be a consistent demand for the product from the consumer making it unlikely to be a target for economic shifts.

Companies for sale in niche recruitment areas often have a strong focus on building ongoing relationships with their candidates. Many people often go back to the recruitment agency at several points throughout their careers and this can be a bonus in investing in such a specialist area.

However recruitment companies who have a broader appeal or are able to diversify into temporary recruitment may be a safer bet than one that is too heavily reliant on a niche market.

The problem of being too niche is compounded if companies for sale have only one or two major clients. Not having a broad enough customer base can make very niche companies for sale look like a vulnerable and risky prospect.

Companies for Sale - Balanced Niche

Buyers will be attracted to companies for sale that are focused on their own product or service but have diversified in ways that don’t threaten that focus. This achieves a balanced niche which is much more attractive as an investment prospect.

One good way to achieve a balanced niche is to have a diverse customer base. Multiple customers of one type (e.g. packaging fruit for many different growers) is better than just one or two customers. Even better is to have multiple customers of different types (e.g. packaging fruit, vegetables and flowers for multiple growers).

Having transferable skills is another way to achieve a balanced niche. Staff that can deal with a range of customer types, even if they mainly spend their time on one account, are a valuable asset as are staff that can multi-task within the organization and have a variety of specialist skills within the business. Buyers will like to see that there is scope for expansion and growth within the business, even if it has not yet been fulfilled.

Equipment can be a major part of many companies for sale, and repurposing machinery to other uses is something that a niche business should be open to in order to grow the business as well as showing the potential of the company to prospective buyers. For example a machine that may have been originally purchased to pack fruit may also be used for packing vegetables or other produce.

   

Companies for Sale Through Axis

Axis Partnerships specialise in buying and selling niche businesses throughout Suffolk, Essex, London, East Anglia, South East, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Home Counties, England, South West, North West, South East, Midlands and West Midlands. 

Most of the companies for sale Axis deal with are in popular business sectors such as health care, recruitment, manufacturing and logistics. However Axis also have great experience in niche areas such as IT, precision engineering and specialist manufacturing.

As an experienced business broker Axis is very familiar with what potential buyers are looking for and can help sellers position their companies appropriately to be as attractive as possible in the marketplace.

Ultimately the aim is to match a company for sale that has a level of specialisation to a buyer’s requirements.

Companies for Sale - click here to search our business listings

Finding Businesses for Sale

There are thousands of businesses for sale at any one time so finding businesses for sale is easy, but finding the right business for you is a much harder process. In this article we will look at the various methods a prospective buyer might use to find suitable businesses for sale and the pros and cons of each one.

Businesses for Sale - click here to search our business listings

Businesses for Sale - Online Listings

Any search for "businesses for sale" will show a plethora of websites with thousands of businesses for sale. The sheer quantity and choice this gives you is one of the major advantages of using online listings - although it can also be daunting and slightly overwhelming.

Sifting through all this information can be time consuming but it is good for getting a feel for what’s around in your chosen business area. Online listings for businesses for sale will also give you an idea of current market prices in your chosen sector which can be a good benchmark for getting the best deal possible. Looking at online listings can also show you possibilities that you may not have thought of.

However although online listings will give you lots of choice there is often very little specific information online about individual businesses for sale. This basic information is often less than you would expect to get about a flat or house for sale and buying a business is a much more complex and expensive process, so you do need as much information as possible.

Often online listings for businesses for sale will have an enquiry page or route such as an email address. However, due to the limit on good quality information online you can waste a lot of time enquiring about different businesses only to discover they are not suitable after all.

   

Although prices of businesses for sale online can give you a flavour of what businesses are charging it is worth noting that some valuations can be suspect, as many online listings will allow individual owners to list privately with their own personal valuations.

Online listings as a method of finding businesses for sale is only really feasible if you are already very experienced in buying businesses or perhaps you have access to your own valuation resource.

Businesses for Sale - Specialist Papers and Magazines

There are still many specialist publications for businesses for sale which can offer a wide choice, but will carry the same sort of limited information as online listings.

Nowadays many traditional paper publications will also have a website where you can look up details of businesses that are advertised in the paper version, and perhaps find out more about the business there - although the information will still tend to be fairly basic.

While specialist paper publications can be very useful for keeping an eye on your sector and getting a feel for current market values, the major downfall of finding businesses for sale in specialist papers and magazines is that, especially if it is a monthly publication, they are more likely to be out of date as opposed to online listings which tend to be more current. Paper publications won’t tell you about businesses that have just come on to the market in the last day or so.

Businesses for Sale - Contact Businesses Directly

There is always the option when looking for businesses for sale, to contact a business directly.

This could be very effective if you are already in the same type of business and have contacts in that field. This lets people know you are looking for a certain kind of business to buy which could lead to a private contact, meaning you could avoid competition from other interested buyers.

However this method of finding businesses for sale can only really work if you do have strong contacts in that industry and even if you do there is a big element of luck that it will turn up the right kind of business for you.

It can also be very time consuming to contact multiple businesses and you will

have to reveal your identity and intentions, possibly before you are ready to do so, which can be a great disadvantage. This could lead to tricky conversations between you and the business owners regarding the value of the business. Contacting a business to enquire about a sale could catch them off guard and before any firm valuations have been made.

Businesses for Sale - Use a Business Broker

Using a business broker to find businesses for sale is a much more focused and professional method. A dedicated business broker will take time to help you clarify your own requirements, and then do the work of finding a business for you, which frees up your time.

A business broker will either already have valuations and other details about businesses you are interested in, or they can research businesses on your behalf. Using a business broker means you can also make specific enquiries about a business without having to talk to the business owner directly, thereby retaining your confidentiality.

By using a business broker to research and approach companies on your behalf which are not currently up for sale, you will avoid competition from other interested buyers - which can give you considerable advantage when it comes to negotiating a sale, and increase your chances of a successful acquisition.

An experienced business broker will be familiar with the general market and will know what’s going on in your sector. And when it comes to the difficult negotiation stage a business broker can see a deal through for you and find ways past any sticking points on your behalf.

Axis Partnership are experienced business brokers offering two different methods of helping prospective buyers.

You can register your details stating the kinds of business you are looking for and you will then receive notification when those types of businesses are available.

Alternatively Axis Partnership can go out and look for businesses on your behalf that match your specific requirements in location, price, turnover and business sector. Axis act as a central point between buyer and seller, which not only maintains confidentiality for all concerned but means many details can be ironed out prior to committing to formal negotiations and revealing your identity.

Businesses for Sale - click here to search our business listings

Nursing Agencies, Residential Care Homes and Domiciliary Care Companies For Sale Wiltshire

Axis is a specialist business broker with nursing agencies for sale in Wiltshire and throughout South West England. We also specialise in the sale of Wiltshire residential care homes and domiciliary care companies - and can assist you throughout the entire process whether you want to buy or sell a healthcare business. In the following article we will outline the various kinds of healthcare companies for sale in Wiltshire, the level of demand for their services and how Axis can assist you in the purchase of any of these businesses.

Nursing Agencies For Sale Wiltshire - click here to view our current healthcare businesses for sale

Nursing Agencies for Sale Wiltshire

Nursing agencies for sale Wiltshire will specialise in supplying qualified nursing staff to hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and for provision of nursing care in patients homes. Nursing agencies for sale Wiltshire can provide nurses on a temporary contract to help patients at home or to cover maternity, holidays or sickness in clinics and hospitals. They can also help healthcare providers to find staff on a permanent basis, as demand requires.

There are several factors that create demand for nursing agencies for sale Wiltshire. Although primarily rural, there are some densely populated areas in Wiltshire such as Swindon and the county town of Salisbury. Both these towns have NHS and private hospitals and nursing agencies for sale Wiltshire can help provide these hospitals with a bank of staff who can be called in at short notice.

Another factor is Wiltshire’s close proximity to London and the M4 corridor. This means that nursing agencies for sale Wiltshire have the potential to serve both Wiltshire and London clients. Wiltshire is surrounded by the counties of Somerset, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Dorset and Hampshire, which may also need additional support in their nursing needs. With this prime location nursing agencies for sale Wiltshire can be a very attractive prospect for prospective buyers.

Wiltshire also has a plethora of smaller towns where nursing agencies provide essential care for people residing in these places and the outlying areas. Many of these towns, such as Trowbridge, Devizes, Chippenham and Melksham are desirable retirement locations with a need for nursing services and all have NHS hospitals that also need nursing staff.

Residential Care Homes for Sale Wiltshire

There are many types of residential care homes for sale Wiltshire providing care for a variety of patients. As well as catering for the elderly, there are other specialist residential care homes catering for conditions such as learning disabilities, dementia, physical disability and mental health. As well as very specialist residential care homes for sale Wiltshire there are also general care homes that can cater for a variety of clients.

While many residential care homes for sale Wiltshire will be concentrated in areas of high population such as Salisbury, Swindon and Trowbridge, there are a variety of other locations on offer. Wiltshire has a population of around 450,000 and is mostly made up of market towns, small villages and rural areas. Almost half the population live in towns with less than 5000 residents and many villages and outlying areas only have around 1000 people in them. Therefore residential care homes for sale Wiltshire that can service a collection of towns, villages and rural surrounding areas is an excellent idea to reach as many potential clients as possible.

For example Malmesbury, to the north of the county, has a care home which deals with dementia, mental health, learning disabilities and healthcare issues with elderly patients and young adults. Devizes, which is in the centre of Wiltshire and has two residential care homes, would be an ideal base to service the surrounding rural area for healthcare needs.

There are two main types of residential care homes for sale Wiltshire and it is important to understand the difference before buying.

Residential care homes have individual rooms for clients and some communal areas, such as bathrooms, lounges and the dining room. This type of care home looks after people who can no longer manage at home alone and will provide support with washing, dressing and most day to day tasks.

Nursing care homes need qualified nurses as the care they provide is more intense for those who are almost totally dependent on others to look after them 24 hours a day. As well as the daily living requirements of personal hygiene, feeding and dressing these patients also need more medical attention and, in some cases, round the clock monitoring.

Some care homes specialise in one particular area while others offer a mix of the two types of care so it is important to establish what this mix is before making a purchase. It is also vital to ascertain what proportion of clients in any residential care homes for sale Wiltshire are private versus local authority funded. The ratio should be at least 20% privately funded clients as they offer a regular source of income and are not subject to any cuts in local government funding.

Residential Care Companies For Sale Wiltshire - click here to view our current healthcare businesses for sale

Domiciliary Care Companies for Sale Wiltshire

Domiciliary care companies for sale Wiltshire provide home care to those who need some extra assistance with certain daily tasks, such as washing or dressing. The domiciliary care companies for sale Wiltshire directly employ carers and achieve their business through the private sector, social services or Primary Care Trusts.

Some domiciliary care companies for sale Wiltshire also provide nursing care. In smaller towns and rural areas this type of healthcare company is ideal to cover an overlap in patients needs. A patient who requires a nurse at home after recovering from an operation may then, when they feel much better, still need help with some general domestic duties. Such an agency can be very effective in responding to patients needs as they alter and provides a very good all round service.

Wiltshire is considered an affluent county so the need for domiciliary care companies for sale Wiltshire is high as many people can afford to have personal care and continue to live in their own homes. This form of domiciliary care is popular with local councils too as it is a more cost effective solution than providing expensive 24 hour residential care.

For domiciliary care companies for sale, Wiltshire is an ideal county as it has a high proportion of elderly people in the community. Census reports have projected a population increase for Wiltshire, over the next two decades, which will be almost entirely made up of those over retirement age coming to live in the county. Wiltshire Council have identified that they have “a significant ageing population problem”. For pensioners wishing to continue to live alone there is an enormous need for domiciliary care companies for sale Wiltshire, as this will relieve the pressure on public sector resources to provide this care in the future.

Domiciliary Care Companies for Sale Wiltshire - click here to view our current healthcare businesses for sale

How to Find Healthcare Companies for Sale Wiltshire

Axis can offer you many benefits when you are looking to buy any kind of healthcare business in Wiltshire or indeed in the South West, South East or the South of England. Our retained buyer service gives you access to our 15 years of experience in the buying and selling of many types of companies including healthcare companies.

You can contact us via our online registration form or give us a call to request a brochure. It is quick and easy to view our businesses for sale database on line and we offer complete client confidentiality..

Residential Care Homes For Sale Dorset

Axis is a specialist business broker with a variety of residential care homes for sale in Dorset as well as in other parts of the South, South East and South West of England. For buyers seeking to acquire residential care homes for sale, Dorset is a perfect county to consider and Axis can assist you every step of the way.

Buying residential care homes for sale Dorset is a sound business proposition, as demand for these services remains high and consistent with an ever-aging population and life expectancies continuing to steadily rise for the UK population.

Dorset lies in the South West of England and its population is quite widely spread over this rural area. It is known for its tourist trade as it has great coastal areas, a sunny climate and stunning scenery and all these factors also makes it a popular location for retirement and retirement homes. This means the requirement for private healthcare services such as residential care homes is strong in Dorset.

This article will outline the points of client demand and reasons to buy residential care homes for sale Dorset. We will also look at possible popular locations for residential care homes for sale Dorset and the surrounding area.

Residential Care Homes For Sale Dorset - click here to view our current healthcare businesses for sale

Client Demand for Residential Care Homes for Sale Dorset

Client demand for residential care homes for sale Dorset is high and the need for top quality services isn’t set to decrease in the foreseeable future. This follows the general UK trend, with demographic changes resulting in an ongoing and growing demand for residential care, especially in certain sectors of the community.

Residential care homes for sale in Dorset typically provide care for several people, ranging from as small a number as five to over one hundred residents. A care home usually consists of a single building or a complex of buildings on the same site.  What a residential care home can do is specialise in a particular area of healthcare for example elderly and retired people who maybe only need quite a low level of care to those who need round the clock assistance such as people suffering with dementia, mental illness or the mentally or physically disabled.

The three primary types of residential care homes for sale Dorset would be nursing homes, retirement homes and residential care homes for those with specific needs such as learning disabilities, dementia and mental health.

Nursing homes generally provide long term care for those who are unable to live alone due to ongoing medical needs, and will employ qualified nursing staff. To help the NHS meet their ever increasing demands, independent nursing homes are now thriving in certain areas of the UK, such as Dorset, where the population is predominantly older than the national average. 

Retirement Homes are more suited to those who no longer wish to live independently in their own home because maybe cleaning, cooking and general day to day tasks are too much for them, but they do not need constant medical care and attention.

Care homes catering for specific needs is a more niche market and requires dedicated and highly qualified staff to deal with the rigors of caring for people with more severe medical or mental health issues. This need can be country wide as these issues can affect people of any age. However diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s tend to affect more elderly patients who may have moved to Dorset for retirement and have subsequently become ill.

Buyer Demand for Residential Care Homes for Sale Dorset

The buyer demand for residential care homes for sale Dorset is strong, which is in line with the demand throughout the UK. However the South West of the country has a particularly high demand for residential care homes, as it is such a popular area for people to retire to.

When you are considering buying residential care homes for sale Dorset there are a number of factors to consider.

Buyers will typically have to take over the upkeep and maintenance of the premises, as well as being responsible for the freehold, leasehold or rent of the property. It is wise to look for a company with a minimum of 2 stars or good rating by the Care Quality Commission.

A care home which has a mixture of NHS funded and private work is also an attractive and sensible business option, as private work is exempt from any new government legislation, which may affect funding.

It may be possible for a buyer to purchase a residential care home for sale Dorset without any previous care home experience, provided a registered manager and qualified team already work there and are willing to stay on in their roles, and if the care home has fully managed status .

However, in general those looking to buy a residential care home for sale Dorset will already be in the industry and maybe even have specific care knowledge for certain groups such as geriatric nursing or dealing with patients with psychiatric problems. You will also have marketing skills on how to attract residents, be able to deal with local councils and authorities and understand all the necessary CQC requirements.

Specialist residential care homes, for example those dealing in care for people with learning disabilities, autism, hospices or palliative care are very much called for and as a niche business in the healthcare industry these make a good option.

Popular Locations for Residential Care Homes for Sale Dorset

The majority of the population of Dorset resides along the coastline. This makes the seaside towns of Weymouth, Swanage, Bournemouth, Poole, Ware, Lyme Regis and Portland all ideal places for residential care homes in Dorset. The county has a population of just over 700,000 people but 62% of this figure lives in what is known as the South East Dorset Conurbation, which comprises Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch. The next largest area of habitation is Weymouth. With most of the people living by the sea, the county’s main industry has changed in recent times from farming to leisure and tourism and around 18 million holiday makers and day trippers visit Dorset every year.

The rest of the county is largely rural, with over half designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Dorset’s Jurassic coast, featuring Lulworth Cove and Chesil Beach, is a World Heritage site.

Dorset only has a few major towns such as the pretty county town of Dorchester. Dorset enjoys warm weather in summer, with a low rainfall and mild winters and this is one of the reasons it has become a haven for elderly and retired people.  This can be seen in the average age population figures for Dorset, which has a very high percentage of residents over retirement age at just under 27% which is much higher than the UK average of 19%.

Residential Care Homes For Sale Dorset - click here to view our current healthcare businesses for sale

Domiciliary Care Companies For Sale Sussex

For prospective buyers of domiciliary care companies for sale Sussex, Axis is a specialist business that can guide you through the process of purchase. As well as domiciliary care companies for sale Sussex we assist clients throughout the South of England.

Here we will outline the reasons for purchasing domiciliary care companies for sale Sussex, the level of demand for their services in the both the East and the West of the county, and look at popular locations for domiciliary care companies for sale Sussex.

Domiciliary Care Companies For Sale Sussex - click here to view our current listings

Reasons to Buy a Domiciliary Care Company for Sale Sussex

There is a large and growing demand for domiciliary care companies for sale Sussex as a result of demographic changes and the generally high population in this part of England. Domiciliary care companies for sale Sussex is an attractive investment for business, and healthcare in general still provides excellent profits even in tough economic times. We are now all living longer and this means a high demand for good quality home care domiciliary services, especially in areas of the UK where elderly people often settle. This makes domiciliary care companies for sale Sussex a great business opportunity.

Domiciliary care companies provide care to those who need it in their own homes. Carers come to visit and help residents with day to day tasks or personal matters such as washing, dressing etc. The visits can be as short as 15 minutes a day for a one off task to 24 hour care seven days a week.  The demand for this type of care can be very high, especially in areas populated primarily by older or retired people such as Sussex and the South coast.

Sussex is a popular retirement location and all along this part of the south coast of England there are many retirement homes and places where people come at the end of their careers to relax by the sea. Sussex has quiet rural areas and seaside towns, and yet it also has easy access to London for those who still wish to get up to town for entertainment or to visit family.

Sussex is in close proximity to other counties such as Surrey, Kent and Hampshire, which all border it and is dominated by its coastline where many of the major towns and places to visit are situated. Rurally Sussex is split into three major areas: to the southwest is the coastal plain, where most of the population live; the South Downs and their famous chalk hills lie to the North of the county; and beyond this, between the North and South Downs, is the Sussex Weald which is a mainly a forest area popular with older people for walking and spotting wildlife.

The general population of Sussex is one million three hundred thousand with a split of eight hundred thousand residents in West Sussex and half a million people in East Sussex. Over a fifth of the population in West Sussex are aged 65 or over which makes the health and well being of older people in this area a prominent issue. Sussex is therefore an ideal location for domiciliary care companies to start their business.

Local NHS hospitals often need the assistance of local domiciliary care companies to help elderly patients after they leave hospital. There are many NHS hospitals in West Sussex in the major towns and seaside resorts, with two in Chichester and one each in Brighton, Crawley, East Grinstead and Haywards Heath. In East Sussex there are NHS hospitals in Hastings, Rye, Eastbourne and Bexhill on Sea where there are also several NHS clinics too.

Popular Locations for Domiciliary Care Companies for Sale Sussex

The most popular locations for domiciliary care companies for sale Sussex are those in or near large population centres, and especially in areas with large numbers of elderly residents. Along the coast there are the major seaside resorts of Brighton and Hove, Worthing, Bognor Regis, Eastbourne and Hastings. All these places attract elderly people for their retirement and Eastbourne has a particularly large older population due to its record of being the sunniest place in the UK.

Inland there are towns such as Chichester, Crawley, Horsham and East Grinstead and out in the countryside there are smaller villages like Arundal, Yapton, Uckfield and Billinghurst as well as the North and South Downs and the Sussex Weald.

How to Find a Domiciliary Care Company for Sale Sussex

Axis are a specialist broker business with over 15 years of experience and have a large choice of companies for sale within the UK in a number of business areas. If you wish to find domiciliary care companies for sale Sussex, then you can contact us on the phone, through our website or register your interest using our online registration form. You can also request or download one of our brochures. It is quick and simple to see the types of business we have for sale on our website.

Alternatively, take advantage of our retained buyer service. This service allows you to target companies of a specific profile or location which may not be seeking a buyer on the open market. We research and target businesses on your behalf and make confidential approaches to companies that match your requirements. This approach can often allow buyers to make successful acquisitions of businesses without competition from other buyers.

Domiciliary Care Companies For Sale Sussex - click here to view our current listings

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.

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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.

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