Serial acquirers

Buy and build strategy: how UK consolidators buy, and where to see it

Updated 2026-10-29

A buy and build buyer acquires a platform business and then adds smaller ones to it. In the UK the most active of them announce each bolt-on on their own news pages, which is where to read them.

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How big the bolt-on market is

ICAEW reported 241 UK mid-market bolt-on deals in the first half of 2022, with an aggregate value of £12.7 billion. That is ICAEW's own count for that half-year, not a current figure.

Source: ICAEW: Bolting on

Where consolidators announce their deals

In accountancy, Xeinadin, Cooper Parry, Sumer and AAB each keep a news page on their own site, which is where a consolidator's own announcement of a deal appears when it makes one.

Source: Xeinadin news

In financial advice the same goes for Fairstone, Ascot Lloyd and AFH Wealth Management; in insurance broking, for PIB Group, Jensten and Howden.

Source: Fairstone news

In veterinary care, CVS, IVC Evidensia, VetPartners and Linnaeus; in dentistry, Dentex Health; in funerals, Funeral Partners; in IT managed services, Air IT and Claranet. A deal is named here only from such a page or a filing, with its date.

Source: VetPartners news

Checking a deal on the record

An announcement can be checked against the register: when a consolidator buys a company outright it becomes that company's person with significant control, and the change is filed with Companies House.

Source: People with significant control (PSCs) guidance

Tell us what you want to buy

Sector, area, price range and timing. Joseph Ellul reads it himself and replies directly. Free, no obligation.

What you want to buy

What kind of business do you want to buy?

Where in the UK?

A town, a region or anywhere: it is the first filter on any search.

Roughly what price are you looking to pay?

Share purchase or asset purchase?

Buy the company's shares Buy the business and its assets Not sure yet

It changes the tax, the diligence and who takes on the liabilities. Not sure is a fine answer.

Free, and no obligation
Read and answered by Joseph Ellul himself; no firm receives it
Information only: no tax, legal or investment advice

Tell us what you want to buy.

Sector, area, price range and timing. Joseph Ellul reads it himself and replies directly. Free, no obligation.

Send my brief

Sources

This site's own dataset, every figure quoted from its source and dated:

The UK M&A Activity Statistics carries 6 published figures read from 2 sources' own pages, from 1,500,000,000 to 25,400,000,000 GBP, read 28 October 2026.

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