Business and industry will see more "shotgun weddings" as the
downturn continues, an expert has warned.
Malcolm Cook, head of the West Midlands corporate finance team
at PKF accountants and business advisers, said that, in the current
climate, many businesses and potential buyers had to be brought
together in a hurry.
He said: "Decisions concerning mergers, acquisitions or
divestments are generally made over medium to long time scales, in
line with the development of the business's overall strategy.
However, in some instances businesses may be forced by
circumstances into considering transactions in a very short
timeframe - so-called shotgun weddings or, in trade talk,
'accelerated M&A'.
"The circumstances under which such a decision may be necessary
are generally driven by some unforeseen event or opportunity.
"For example, a significant loss of revenue streams for a
business division or subsidiary may result in it no longer being a
viable proposition. Management is therefore faced with the decision
of whether to close it down or to try to sell it. The former option
is likely to result in little or no value realisation, making even
a hurried sale a far more attractive proposition.
"By the same token, those circumstances may provide an
unexpected opportunity for a potential purchaser if they are able
to move quickly."
Timing, he noted, was all important.
"There is a strong possibility that the value of the entity
could depreciate rapidly following the event, as customers and
suppliers become aware of the position, and key staff look for
alternative employment. Therefore delays can have a serious
impact.
"It is important to assess the position as quickly as possible.
A key consideration at this stage is to understand what remains of
the entity to be sold that will be attractive to buyers generally.
You also need to get a good idea of which buyers would have the
most to gain.
"There is likely to be a trade-off between the desire to
auction the business properly and to complete the sale as quickly
as possible. This presents management with some difficult
decisions. However, in such situations, the strongest currency is
certainty. Thus a cash buyer may be selected in preference to one
that needs to raise funding, even though the offer is lower.
"Although creditors will be less than happy with the
position, they may be willing to assist in supporting the
transaction on the basis that they could recover significantly more
of their debt than under a formal insolvency process. In a few
cases, customers may also be willing to offer some support if the
business is critical to their operations. Perhaps the most
difficult task is to gain consensus within the supplier base, as
their circumstances are likely to be different.
"Buyers, for their part, need to be convinced that an
acquisition now at a given price is going to add more value than
buying what remains of the business following an insolvency
process.
"Obviously, a buyer will need to act quickly. Removing
uncertainties as far as possible will improve the chances of
success."