SME dealmaker Ernest Wilson joins Begbies Traynor
Three weeks after acquiring Exeter-based consultancy Regeneratus, Begbies Traynor has closed another deal with the bolt-on of Leeds-based Ernest Wilsons.
Founded in 1956, Ernest Wilson is a UK business transfer agent, providing agency services for the sale of small businesses across the UK. The West Yorkshire-based company operates across a broad range of sectors ranging from food outlets and convenience stores to care homes, restaurants and hotels.
After operating independently for over sixty years, Ernest Wilson has now joined forces with Begbies Traynor, a financial advisory group with over 400 staff across a network of some 70 offices in the UK. Begbies Traynor helps its clients with corporate finance and merger & acquisitions offerings, as well as with insolvency and liquidation services.
“Ernest Wilson is highly complementary to our existing services and, by extending our transactional service offering, will enable us to deliver a broader range of services to support business and asset sales,” said Ric Traynor, Executive Chairman of Begbies Traynor.
The acquisition enhances the group’s existing transactional support services provided by Eddisons, which include the sale of commercial property, through agency and auction, together with machinery and business asset disposals. It is also complementary to the group’s BTG Advisory and corporate finance offerings. Other labels of the AIM-listed professional services consultancy are Insolvency Eye.
The move is also part of Begbies Traynor’s growth strategy. The integration sees a team of 24 employees, including the management team of Ernest Wilson, join the Manchester-headquartered professional services firm. It will add £2.2 million to Begbies Traynor’s revenue base, which stood at £60 million in its latest financial year.