Many business owners are choosing sale to an EOT as a succession option, rather than sale to a third party, or a conventional internal exit route like a management buy-out.

Here are some of their reasons:

• Employee ownership can protect the things that are important about your business: its values, culture and legacy; its geographical location and its place in its local community
• Employee ownership rewards employees, many of whom may have contributed significantly to the business
• A sale to an EOT means there is no need to find an external buyer for the business and ensures a fair price is paid for the shares
• Leadership and ownership are separated, so in terms of leadership succession you only need to look for the best people to run the business in the future, not the best people who also have the money to buy the shares
• Owners can step back from the business on a timescale that suits both them and the business
• In a sale to an EOT the sellers can have a lot of control over the sale process, terms and timescale
• Holding the shares in an EOT secures succession for the long term, the business can invest and grow without the distraction of buying out the next generation or trying to look attractive for a trade buyer
• Sale to an EOT protects employee jobs in circumstances where a third party sale may not
• Employee owned businesses are typically more innovative, productive and resilient