European M&A specialist chooses Manchester for its UK headquarters
An international M&A specialist has chosen Manchester as the base for its UK headquarters.
Marktlink was established in 1996 in Amsterdam and provides advice to entrepreneurs and SMEs on merger and acquisition deals.
Transactions range from €5-€150m in enterprise value and number more than 120 annually with a 95% deal success rate.
The business has grown to a network of nine regional office hubs, with the Manchester operation, which it aims to be the precursor to more UK regional office openings in the future.
Marktlink was focused on the Benelux countries, but has recently expanded to Germany and Scandinavia.
Jonathon Parkinson, managing partner at Marktlink UK, said: “Manchester was the natural choice for our UK HQ as there are many medium sized businesses and entrepreneurs that we can support in the city and surrounding region that are currently underserved by professional M&A advisers with a true international mindset and network.
“It is a really exciting time to join the company and a great opportunity to assemble a best-in-class M&A boutique offering.”
He said the business has up-to-date knowledge across all sectors, and it expects to increase its annual average of 120 deals to 150 this year across its 40 deal teams throughout Europe.
“We are already working on a number of deals here in the UK where there is significant appetite from major European corporates in the Marktlink network to acquire UK businesses. We are building our UK team immediately as we develop our organic deals pipeline over the coming months.”
He added: “Our aim is to complete five-10 deals with £2m-£100m revenue level organisations by the end of the year and to recruit ahead of demand with up to half a dozen people in position within the launch phase.”
Tim van der Meer, managing partner at Marktlink Netherlands, said: “The establishment of the Manchester HQ is a significant milestone for Marktlink and marks a real opportunity for our business to serve the thriving UK M&A market.
“The acquisition or sale of a company is one of the most important moments in an entrepreneur’s career. By opening our first UK office, we not only give business owners access to an even bigger buyer and sellers’ market, but also to the experience gained in more than 120 deals annually closed by our 40 deal teams throughout Europe.”
The company will be taking office space on King Street in the city centre in the short term, before establishing a permanent base following its first few months of operation.
