Home Services Corporate Finance Employee Ownership Trusts (EOT)

Employee Ownership Trusts (EOT)

Considering your exit from your business can be a daunting prospect. An Employee Ownership Trust ensures a controllable process, unlike with a third party sale. It also provides a springboard to continued business growth with your employees in mind.

I want to discuss an EOT

A tax efficient, controllable exit from your business:

We can help you to realise the value of your business but remain in charge, benefitting from 0% Capital Gains Tax on the proceeds, if properly structured.
Your employees can feel empowered and approach their day-to-day roles with fresh vigour. The handover can be smooth and gradual, ensuring your business legacy is sustained.

Get Advice and Guidance On:

Preliminary Advice

We conduct an initial feasibility review based on the characteristics of the company.

Valuation

A professional valuation of the business financials, which can be relied on by the trustees.

Structuring the transaction

Designing a guideline structure of the amount to be paid. Whether that’s at completion or over the deferred period.

Tax Clearances

We write to HMRC to gain clearance for the proposed transaction, ensuring all of the compliance boxes are ticked.

Reviewing legal documentation

Assessing the Corporate Finance perspective on proposed contracts and schedules.

Transaction management

Providing advice and guidance throughout, where required, to ensure deal progression.

Speak to David

“Making the move to an employee ownership model was a great choice for Getech. The EOT allows us to satisfy the balance of the preservation of our own SLT team and identity on the one hand, with the shareholders’ ability to structure an exit on their own terms on the other. It was a pleasure to work with both teams, their expert guidance, hands-on approach and professional attentive client service impressed us from the start.”

Guy Watts, MD – Getech

Meet your local EOT experts

Find out my options

Our dedicated Corporate Finance team are trained accountants. They are qualified to advise on EOT’s and experienced in providing the level of guidance you require.

David Scrivener

Partner

Simon Martin

Partner

Andrew Warner

Senior Manager

Ben Croston

Director

What Ensors will bring to your EOT

With decades of experience across an accomplished range of industries, sectors and sizes of business, we have experience of advising on EOTs and can bring this to your transaction. Using an advisor without familiarity in this type of transaction can be risky.

Market Knowledge

As an established firm, we enjoy excellent contacts across the finance industry and an intimate knowledge of the market. It’s likely we’ll have solutions that others don’t.

The Right Advice

EOT’s are a relatively new initiative, we understand the ins and outs of the process and can advise and plan out those final details.

Proactive Approach

With a detailed business analysis, we can often spot issues before they occur. Our friendly hands on approach ensures these are dealt with, allowing the deal to progress on schedule.

Unmatched Reputation

Ensors is consistently ranked amongst the top dealmakers in Experian’s deals league tables. The 2020 edition saw the team placed top by deal volume in the East of England, which covers our core markets of Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex.

Industry Recognition

Corporate Finance Partner David Scrivener won ‘Dealmaker of the Year’ at the Emerging Leaders M&A awards and has been nominated for ‘Dealmaker of the Year’ for the last 4 years at the Central and East Dealmaker awards.

Recent deal completions

Project Fuel

Jul-24

Industries: Retail

Impact: Lead advisory services provided to the shareholders on a sale of a petrol station and associated shop.

Project Hawk

Apr-24

Industries: Construction

Impact: Advised the shareholders on structuring and executing a management buy-out.

Project Cascade

Mar-24

Industries: Construction

Impact: Ensors provided lead advisory services in relation to the share sale of one of Suffolk’s leading chartered surveyors to a large multinational group headquartered in France.

Project Pacifico

Feb-24

Industries: Software Development

Impact: Ensors worked alongside an investment bank on the sale of a large professional services technology company and provided corporate finance and technical advisory services to sellers in respect of their sale to a large foreign corporate.

SG&A

Jan-24

Impact: Ensors provided lead advisory services to the sellers in respect of their business sale to an private investor backed MBO in the radiation protection industry.

Project Auctus

Jan-24

Industries: Marketing Agency

Impact: Ensors provided buy side advisory services to a marketing agency who successfully completed the acquisition of an industry competitor.

Project Gerda

Nov-23

Industries: Publishing

Impact: Ensors provided lead advisory services, as well as both corporate and personal taxation advice, to the shareholders of a publishing company in the successful sale of their business.

Project Strong

Oct-23

Industries: Construction

Impact: Ensors provided financial due diligence advice to a lender in respect of their proposed debt facility and cash flow loan to a construction company.

Project Amarillo

Sep-23

Industries: Drink Manufacturing

Impact: Ensors provided lead advisory services relating to a trade and asset purchase for an acquisitive company in the drinks manufacturing industry which included financial and tax due diligence as well assistance negotiating the deal.

Project Libra

Sep-23

Industries: Professional Services

Impact: A marketed sale of a long-standing firm of solicitors. Ensors marketed the company in January 2022 and an asset purchase was agreed and completed in September 2023.

Project Polaris

Sep-23

Industries: Business Services

Impact: Ensors successfully marketed and completed a sale of shares in HMP Associates, a payroll specialist. The deal completed in under 2 months following exclusivity.

Project Magnet

Sep-23

Industries: Agriculture

Impact: Ensors provided tax due diligence services for an acquisition of 100% of the shares in a cow and calf housing company.

Project Jupiter

Jul-23

Industries: Real Estate

Impact: Ensors provided advice to the sellers in the disposal of various assets and trade of a real estate company.

Project Maidstone

Jun-23

Industries: Engineering

Impact: Provided advice surrounding legal documents, negotiations and corporation tax issues for an acquisition.

Project Eclipse

May-23

Industries: Advertising

Impact: Provided structuring and valuation advice ahead of facilitating an EOT for a learning solutions provider.

Project Leo

May-23

Industries: Glaziers

Impact: Structured and facilitated a management buy out, providing advice to the sellers.

Project Sonic

May-23

Industries: Retail

Impact: Advised on an acquisition of 100% of shares in a fasteners company.

Project Tulip

Apr-23

Industries: Real Estate

Impact: Corporate Tax, VAT and due diligence advice provided for an acquisition of properties and a property investment company.

Project Tangerine

Apr-23

Industries: Private Equity

Impact: Provided due diligence services to the purchasers of a medical spaces company.

Project X

Mar-23

Industries: Processing and packaging

Impact: Provided lead advisory services for a sale of a poultry packer company.

Project Pulsar

Mar-23

Industries: Research & Development

Impact: Provided tailored advisory services for the founders of EGT Group to sell via an Employee Ownership Trust.

Project Build

Mar-23

Industries: Construction

Impact: Bespoke advice provided on raising debt finance to facilitate a share repurchase.

Project Grape

Feb-23

Industries: Retail

Impact: Corporate finance advice provided for a proposed management buyout.

Project Alloy

Feb-23

Industries: Manufacturing

Impact: Implemented a Management Buy Out of a business in the manufacturing industry.

Project Charge

Feb-23

Industries: Technology

Impact: Tax and corporate finance advice provided to a company initiating a fundraise.

Project Doctor

Feb-23

Industries: Property development

Impact: Advised on a sale of 100% of the shares in a distressed property development company.

Project Moore

Feb-23

Industries: Construction

Impact: Provided corporate finance advice for the acquisition of a roofing company and it’s subsidiaries.

Project Plough

Feb-23

Industries: Retail

Impact: Assisted on the tax implications of a purchase of the trade and assets of a clothing company in administration.

Project Care

Jan-23

Industries: Healthcare

Impact: Provided advice to the seller of a care staffing company on the share purchase agreement from a corporate finance and tax perspective.

Project Pier

Dec-22

Industries: Entertainment

Impact: Advised the sellers of an amusement company on a sale of shares from its parent company.

Project Cloud

Dec-22

Industries: Technology

Impact: Advised the sellers tax for structuring an EMI scheme for a technology company.

Project Flame

Dec-22

Industries: Fire safety

Impact: Advised the sellers on a sale of a fire safety protection company.

Project Gilbert

Dec-22

Industries: Recruitment

Impact: Carried out full scope due diligence work on Taskmaster Resources who were subsequently acquired by IPE Ventures, a private equity firm.

Project Stay

Nov-22

Industries: Hospitality

Impact: Provided corporate finance and tax advice on a demerger for a hotel company to facilitate a change in ownership. Advised on subsequent transfer of shares.

Project Remy

Nov-22

Industries: Retail

Impact: Advised a management team on an MBO of a catering company.

Project Florence

Nov-22

Industries: Manufacturing

Impact: Advised Criterion Ices Limited and Mare Novum Limited on its asset sale to Northern Bloc Ice Cream Limited.

Project Seville

Nov-22

Industries: Freight

Impact: Organised a Management Buy Out for a freight services company.

Project Norfolk

Aug-22

Industries: Education services

Impact: Bespoke due diligence work carried out on the target company who were successfully acquired to expand purchasers coverage in the educational industry.

Project Domus

Sep 2022

Industries: MBO Professional Services

Impact: Organising a Management Buy Out for a professional services firm.

Project Frank

Dec 2021

Industries: Equipment Wholesaler

Impact: Acquisition of an equipment wholesaler.

Project Mirai

Dec 2021

Industries: Environmental Industrial Services

Impact: Constructing the financial terms of a business sale of a longstanding Ensors client whereby the MD would stay on to lead the business.