Straight answers for electrical business owners.

A typical sale runs from six to nine months. The first month covers the initial conversation, information gathering, and valuation. Buyer approaches and interest tend to happen in months two and three. Meetings, offers, and heads of terms (the short document setting out the main points of the deal) usually sit in months three to five. Due diligence, the buyer's detailed check of your business, and legal completion take another three to four months. The pace is set by you. We will never rush a process that shouldn't be rushed.

Most electrical businesses sell on a multiple of adjusted EBITDA: a buyer takes the profit before interest, tax, and the write-down of equipment, vehicles and other assets, adjusted for one-off costs, and multiplies it by an agreed number. Businesses with strong recurring testing and compliance revenue, full NICEIC and NAPIT coverage, ECA membership, public sector framework positions, and little reliance on the owner personally tend to command the higher end of the range. Businesses that are reactive, domestic-heavy, and rely on the owner on the tools will sit at the lower end. Have a free first conversation with Simon or Emily, in confidence. The paid Snapshot is a written, indicative view of value, and what to fix first.

We maintain an active register of qualified buyers including groups backed by private equity (investment firms that buy companies to grow and sell on), national electrical contracting groups, regional electrical firms looking to grow geographically, and individual acquirers entering the sector. When your business goes to market, we approach only buyers whose stated criteria fit your profile. You control which parties see information and in what order, so competition is created without broadcasting the sale.

Yes. Confidentiality is the foundation of the process, not a feature on top. We approach buyers with a short anonymous summary of the business, release information in stages, and have buyers sign NDAs, which are confidentiality agreements, before any identifying details are shared. Your electricians, office staff, customers, suppliers, and competitors will not be told you are exploring a sale unless you choose to tell them.

Your first conversation is free and confidential. If you go on to sell with us, the sale is on a fee agreed in writing before we start.

Not until you choose to. During the process we use anonymised profiles so buyers cannot identify your business. Once a preferred buyer is under NDA and a deal is taking shape, you decide when and how to tell your team. Telling the team once a buyer is confirmed and a handover plan is in place gives them clear answers, which is far less unsettling than speculation in advance.

NICEIC approval and NAPIT registration are the foundations that buyers expect. ECA (Electrical Contractors' Association) membership signals that a business operates at a higher standard and often opens doors to larger work. Notifiable electrical work in homes in England must meet Part P, either self-certified through a competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT or approved by building control. Positions on public sector frameworks such as NHS, MOD, or education are difficult and time-consuming for buyers to earn, so a buyer will check which can pass to a new owner and how much work has come through them. In combination, these can materially shift the multiple a buyer is willing to pay.

Yes, but expect the valuation to reflect the risk. From a buyer's perspective, an owner-operator who is the chief electrician, sales lead, and decision maker carries concentration risk. A business where the work carries on without the owner will command a higher multiple than one that cannot. If you are still on the tools, there are practical steps you can take over six to twelve months to reduce that dependency before you go to market.

Groups backed by private equity have been buying UK electrical and building services businesses, the public EV charging network kept growing in 2025, and since Nov 2025 the five-yearly inspection rule for rented homes in England has covered social housing as well as private lets. Add Business Asset Disposal Relief, which cuts the tax on the gain when you sell and has been 18% since Apr 2026, still well under the 24% main rate, and the timing case for well-prepared sellers is real.

You will hear back within two working days, with a short first conversation arranged at a time that suits you. The first call typically lasts around thirty minutes and is simply about understanding your business and what you are considering. Nothing you say commits you to a sale. If it makes sense to go further, we will explain the next steps clearly before anything else happens.