"I was introduced to David and Ellis at Armstrong Watson from a close friend, right from day one David and his team have been faultless. They took great care of my family through the whole process and always went the extra mile to ensure we got the best we could from every situation. Selling a business is an extremely emotional and challenging task, they explained and guided us over every obstacle and managed to complete everything within the time frame set."

As a well established and profitable electronic components manufacturer based in the North East , the shareholders had reached a stage in life when it was apparent a company sale was required. They approached David Wilson who was very responsive in finding potential buyers. Agreement with the first potential buyer chosen did not progress due to the final terms of their offer being insufficient. The second buyer, a private equity company, had a prolonged due diligence process which required considerable tenacity and astute negotiation to navigate. David and his team were admirable throughout and successfully concluded the sale.

It was in February 2015 that I made the decision to sell my business. I spoke to my accountant at Armstrong Watson who informed me that they had a department who dealt with the sale of businesses.

I met with Alison and Catherine and a portfolio was put together describing my business.

My biggest concern was that my competitors and those that commissioned services would find out that I was selling. Alison and Catherine assured me that everything was done confidentially and the name of my business would not be released until it was absolutely necessary.

True to their word nobody found out about the sale of my business until it was signed sealed and delivered.

There are times when I would have given up if it was not for the support of Alison and Catherine. They dealt with the purchaser making it as easy a process as is possible. If ever I should have another business to sell I would certainly use them again and recommend them to anyone wishing to sell their business.

I would like to thank the Yorkshire Corporate Finance Team at Armstrong Watson for assisting me in the sale of my business. They identified an appropriate buyer and negotiated a deal to meet my objectives for an exit with continued involvement for a certain period. Throughout the sale process they were always available to provide straight talking advice and took much of the strain out of what, at times, could have been a stressful process allowing me to continue to focus on the running of my fine wine business and ultimately securing me a successful outcome.