Strategic transactions

Your business has reached a size that attracts strategic buyers, investment funds or competitors looking to consolidate their industry. Whether you're considering a full or partial sale, bringing in a financial partner or making an acquisition to accelerate your growth, the transaction becomes a strategic project in its own right.

At this scale, the rigour of the process and the quality of your preparation directly affect the price you obtain. A structured sale process that puts several buyers in competition, financial information that's ready for due diligence and a financing structure suited to the size of the deal all shape both the value and the terms negotiated between the parties.

In this featured topic, our mergers and acquisitions, valuation, financing, tax and due diligence experts explain how to prepare your business for sale, what drives its value in the eyes of buyers, how to structure the financing of a transaction and how to protect your interests from start to finish.

Expert advice to guide your transaction

How to prepare your business for sale

Selling your SME takes preparation well before you meet a buyer. Learn how to set clear objectives, present your business at its best and build the right team of experts to guide the transaction through to closing.

Financing a business acquisition

Paying the right price, assessing your debt capacity, combining the right sources of capital: every decision matters. See how to build a solid financing structure that preserves your cash flow for integration and growth.

What to Negotiate in Addition to Pricing When Selling a Business

When selling a business, the price is only part of the equation. Find out which elements you must negotiate to effectively evaluate a purchase offer.

Get support at every stage of your transaction

Our experts can help you assess your options, structure your approach and make informed decisions based on your objectives.

    Business Sales and Acquisitions: Which Questions Should you ask Yourself?

    Ideally, preparations should begin well before the business is put on the market. Starting early gives you time to identify and address factors that could reduce its value, improve performance, mitigate risks and compile the information potential buyers will require. It also allows you to make the necessary adjustments and position the business favourably for a successful transaction.

    A business’s value is based on more than its financial performance. Growth potential, recurring revenue, customer concentration, reliance on key customers or suppliers, management quality and overall risk can all affect valuation. Having a clear understanding of these value drivers is therefore essential before embarking on a sale process or negotiations.

    Buyers need comprehensive, reliable information to fully understand the business and assess its risks. It is therefore advisable to prepare in advance the financial information, operational data, key contracts and other documents that will be examined during the transaction. A well-structured file also helps streamline due diligence, reduces uncertainty and minimizes the risk that certain issues might delay or complicate negotiations.

    There is no one-size-fits-all financing structure for acquisitions. The right mix depends on the transaction size, available capital, the company’s borrowing capacity and investors’ return expectations. Bank debt, subordinated financing or equity can be combined to establish a financing structure suited to the transaction while preserving the company’s ability to fund its operations and growth.

    The transaction structure can have significantly different tax consequences for the buyer and the seller. A share sale, asset sale or hybrid structure may affect the seller’s net proceeds and the buyer’s costs and tax benefits. These tax implications should therefore be assessed at the outset of the process, before the transaction structure is finalized.

    Due diligence enables the buyer to validate the seller’s information and gain a clearer understanding of the target company. By examining its financial, tax, legal and operational position, the process helps identify key transaction risks. The findings of the due diligence process may influence the purchase price, transaction structure, payment terms and protections negotiated by the parties.

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