Insight - The Current Merger and Acquisition Situation February 2022
VIDEO: 2:34 mins
AUTHOR: Robert Craven
Listen to Robert's insight into the current situation of mergers and acquisitions of agencies in February 2022.
Transcription:
Robert Craven 00:08
Just so you know is a little bit bonkers out there. So, we are getting conversations all the time from people saying, approached our agency, we want to approach an agency we want to buy or you want to sell, we want a joint venture.
Robert Craven 00:22
And the numbers have kind of gone off the chart. I mean, in terms of there are more people right now with cash, lots of sea bills, money building, little office in the garden, he still got money left over after you bought yourself a car. There's lots of money floating around chasing the idea of buying an agency bracket, it's probably cheaper to buy a one on a 15-person agency than it is to try and recruit 15 people and that kind of tried and tested.
Robert Craven 00:51
And likewise, tones and tones of people who just realise that the next year is going to be really tough. And maybe now might be the time to hang up the boots, guns, whatever it is, they're hanging up and move on. But what we're seeing is a pretty high demand, and a pretty high supply. Consequence of that is multiples that people are talking about are way higher than they've ever been before. And that deals are getting snapped up really, really late.
Robert Craven 01:20
So, if you want to go into that M&A marketplace, that's cool. Most of the deals are happening on behind closed doors, it just did just happen really, really fast and really quickly. But you need to go in a couple of points you need to go in recognising and it's quite brutal and quite tough. Like not like first deal will be that that you make. They did incredibly time consuming going through due diligence and its incredibly time consuming. Going through putting the package together, whether you end up on that date.
Robert Craven 01:53
However, it's probably worthwhile. If you've done the sons have figured out what the benefits are to you, but just have a think but recognise isn't my point the marketplace is bonkers, multiples are being paid way higher than before. Agencies are valuing themselves way higher than ever been before because it's kind of a COVID not post COVID world. So how do you how do you value a business? And it is it is bonkers out there. If you want to know more about you know valuations and multiples that we're seeing, give us a call. Lucky to talk to you. Bye.