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M&A Advisory Firms in Manchester: Top Companies and Services Guide

Choosing an M&A advisory provider in Manchester is more than finding someone to manage a transaction – it can shape how clearly a business understands its options, risks, valuation position, and next steps.

Manchester has a strong corporate finance market, with firms supporting business owners, investors, management teams, and growing companies across acquisitions, disposals, fundraising, buyouts, and succession planning. Some advisors focus on deal strategy and buyer searches, while others bring deeper support around due diligence, valuations, tax, or transaction structuring.

This guide highlights a selection of M&A advisory services companies operating in Manchester. Rather than ranking providers, the aim is to offer practical context – outlining who these firms are, the types of clients they typically support, and the areas of M&A work where they are most active.

Acumon

Acumon is a UK firm of chartered accountants and advisors providing M&A advisory services to businesses, including support for acquisitions, disposals, due diligence, business valuations, MBO/MBI.

The firm supports organisations across the UK, including Manchester, through the full transaction lifecycle, from exit planning and target identification to due diligence, valuation, negotiation support, structuring, and post-transaction integration. Advisory work integrates with the firm’s audit, tax, accounts, and financial expertise, delivering practical clarity and robust financial analysis.

Acumon works with a range of clients, including owner-managed businesses, growing companies, and corporate groups considering or undertaking mergers, acquisitions, disposals, management buy-outs/buy-ins, succession planning, or company demergers. Services emphasise risk reduction, strengthened negotiations, tax minimisation, and improved performance.

Whether buying, selling, or demerging a business, Acumon helps clients reduce risks, strengthen negotiations, minimise taxes, and improve overall performance through its fast, flexible specialist advisory team.

The firm provides comprehensive support across financial, commercial, and tax due diligence for M&A transactions. This enables buyers to identify risks and validate assumptions while helping vendors prepare for sale and maximise value.

Acumon works with finance teams, management, and business owners to support transaction requirements while also helping organisations strengthen financial processes, governance, and decision-making as they navigate growth through acquisition, exit, or restructuring.

M&A Capabilities:

Acumon provides specialist M&A advisory services across key areas.

These include:

  • Buying and selling businesses
  • M&A transactions and deal advisory
  • Financial, commercial, and tax due diligence (buy-side and vendor-side)
  • Business valuations for acquisitions, disposals, tax planning, and other purposes
  • MBO & MBI support
  • Succession planning
  • Company demerger advisory
  • Financial modelling for transactions, business planning, and fundraising

Services are delivered by experienced professionals, with a focus on practical, flexible support tailored to mid-market and smaller transactions.

Regulatory Licences and Registrations:

Acumon holds several audit registrations that enable it to support organisations operating across multiple jurisdictions.

These include:

  • UK statutory audit registration
  • Public Interest Entity (PIE) audit licence
  • Jersey audit licence
  • Isle of Man audit licence
  • Cayman Islands audit licence
  • British Virgin Islands audit licence

These registrations allow the firm to provide M&A advisory services to groups that include entities in both the UK and key international financial centres.

Core Services:

In addition to core M&A advisory, Acumon offers integrated support including:

  • Pre- and post-acquisition advice and integration support
  • Vendor due diligence and exit preparation
  • Financial, commercial and tax due diligence
  • Business valuations
  • Tax optimisation and structuring
  • Risk identification and mitigation throughout the transaction process
  • Negotiation and funding advice

Advisory engagements often combine with the firm’s broader capabilities in audit, accounts, tax, and governance to ensure robust financial reporting, compliance, and decision-making.

Many businesses engage Acumon’s M&A team when preparing for growth through acquisition, planning an exit or succession, undertaking a management buy-out/buy-in, or navigating corporate restructuring.

Acumon works with businesses that are:

  • Preparing for a sale or exit
  • Seeking to acquire another business
  • Planning a management buy-out or buy-in
  • Considering succession or family business transition
  • Undertaking a demerger or corporate restructure
  • Expanding through international transactions

Early engagement with an advisory team can help ensure that financial processes, documentation and structures are aligned with transaction requirements and help maximise value.

Contact Information:

Leonard Curtis

Leonard Curtis works with businesses, investors, family offices, high-net-worth individuals, and private equity firms on M&A advisory matters. Their advisory work sits alongside wider finance and business support services. M&A team also handles transaction-led work where clients need help thinking through what should happen next.

Leonard Curtis covers both sale-side and buy-side work, including business disposals, acquisitions, bolt-on acquisition searches, listed company bids, and strategic planning around growth or exit routes. A notable part of their approach is that the M&A advisory team can work with their funding team when a transaction needs capital support. That gives their work a broader financial angle, rather than keeping M&A advice separate from the funding side of a deal.

Key Highlights:

  • Advises on both disposals and acquisitions
  • Supports bolt-on acquisition searches for acquisition platforms
  • Has experience with listed company bids and bid defence work
  • Can connect M&A advisory with funding support

Services:

  • Business disposals
  • Business acquisitions
  • Buy-side advisory
  • Sell-side advisory
  • Bolt-on acquisition identification
  • Bid and bid defence support

Contact Information:

  • Website: www.leonardcurtis.co.uk
  • E-mail: hello@leonardcurtis.co.uk 
  • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/leonard-curtis-business-solutions-group
  • Address: Riverside House, Irwell Street, Manchester M3 5EN 
  • Phone: 0330 0243 999 

DealFlowAgent

DealFlowAgent is an M&A advisory firm with a specific focus on building services and healthcare business owners. What makes DealFlowAgent different from broader corporate finance firms is its narrow sector focus and its use of buyer intelligence.

The firm combines advisory support with structured buyer research, valuation tools, and an M&A marketplace model. Its work is mainly geared toward owner-led businesses where sector-specific acquirer knowledge matters, especially in fragmented markets where private equity-backed groups and trade buyers are actively looking for regional acquisitions.

Key Highlights:

  • Focuses on building services and healthcare M&A
  • Covers the Manchester and wider North West market
  • Works with owner-led businesses considering a sale
  • Uses buyer research and matching tools in the deal process

Services:

  • M&A advisory
  • Business sale support
  • Buyer matching
  • Buyer intelligence
  • Valuation support

Contact Information:

  • Website: www.deloitte.com
  • Facebook: www.facebook.com/deloitteuk
  • Twitter: x.com/deloitteuk
  • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/deloitte
  • Address: 1 City Square Leeds, LS1 2AL United Kingdom 
  • Phone: +44 (0)113 243 9021

M&A Worldwide

M&A Worldwide is an international organisation of M&A advisory firms focused on mid-market transactions. The network brings together offices across multiple countries, which makes it relevant for companies looking at domestic deals as well as cross-border acquisitions, sales, mergers, or capital-related transactions. Its structure is less like a single local accountancy firm and more like a connected advisory network, where local market knowledge can be combined with international buyer or investor access.

M&A Worldwide works across a wide range of industry groups, including manufacturing, food and beverages, automotive, business services, energy and cleantech, financial services, healthcare, technology, logistics, and packaging. Their services cover sell-side mandates, buy-side work, management buyouts, management buy-ins, private equity-related transactions, capital raises, and restructuring.

Key Highlights:

  • International M&A advisory network for mid-market clients
  • Supports domestic and cross-border transactions
  • Works across multiple industry groups
  • Connects local advisory work with global buyer and investor access
  • Covers both buy-side and sell-side mandates

Services:

  • Sell-side advisory
  • Buy-side advisory
  • Cross-border M&A support
  • Management buyouts
  • Management buy-ins
  • Private equity transaction support

Contact Information:

  • Website: m-a-worldwide.com
  • E-mail: info@m-a-worldwide.com
  • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/m&a-worldwide
  • Address: 10 th Floor, Centurion House, Manchester, UK 
  • Phone: +441618340600 

PwC

PwC supports organisations through deals where value needs to be created, checked, protected, or recovered. Their M&A advisory work sits within a wider deals practice that also covers restructuring, divestitures, transaction services, and crisis-related support.

PwC’s deals team combines lead advisory with transaction services, value creation, analytics, and restructuring support. The company looks at M&A as more than the signing of a deal, which is important for clients that need help before, during, and after a transaction. Their work can cover buying, selling, raising capital, reviewing business value, and planning how value will be delivered once the deal is complete.

Key Highlights:

  • Works across M&A, divestitures, restructuring, and crisis situations
  • Covers both deal planning and post-deal value work
  • Combines advisory support with transaction services and analytics
  • Supports clients buying, selling, raising capital, or reviewing value

Services:

  • M&A advisory
  • Lead advisory
  • Transaction services
  • Business restructuring
  • Divestiture support
  • Capital raising support

Contact Information:

  • Website: www.pwc.com
  • Facebook: www.facebook.com/PwCUK
  • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/pwc-uk
  • Instagram: www.instagram.com/pwc_uk
  • Address: No 1 Spinningfields, 1 Hardman Square, Manchester, M3 3EB 
  • Phone: +44 (0)161 236 9191

Rothschild & Co

Rothschild & Co is an independent advisory firm with a focus on M&A and strategic advisory. The company works on acquisitions, disposals, public transactions, partnerships, and other strategic assignments. Its role is often connected with transactions where timing, structure, shareholder interests, and access to different types of deal parties all matter.

Across its M&A work, Rothschild & Co advises on both sides of a transaction and builds processes around the client’s objectives. The company also brings in related financing advice when a deal needs debt, equity, shareholder negotiation, or exit planning support. For mid-market work in the UK, Rothschild & Co also has dedicated teams through Arrowpoint Advisory, which gives the group a more focused route for smaller and mid-sized transactions.

Key Highlights:

  • Independent advisory firm focused on M&A and strategic advice
  • Advises on acquisitions, disposals, partnerships, and public deals
  • Works with both private and public market transaction needs
  • Provides related debt and equity advisory support

Services:

  • Strategic advisory
  • Business disposals
  • M&A advisory
  • Business acquisitions
  • Public mergers and takeovers
  • Bid defence support
  • Demergers and spin-offs

Contact Information:

  • Website: www.rothschildandco.com
  • E-mail: wealth.management@rothschildandco.com
  • Address: 82 King Street, Manchester, M2 4WQ United Kingdom
  • Phone: +44 161 827 3800

Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey works with companies, financial sponsors, and other transaction parties on mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Its M&A activity is part of a broader corporate finance practice, with separate support available for capital solutions, restructuring, valuation, transaction opinions, and board advisory matters. 

A major part of Houlihan Lokey’s approach is its industry coverage model. The firm works across business services, consumer, energy, financial services, fintech, healthcare, industrials, infrastructure, real estate, leisure, and technology. They advise on both buy-side and sell-side transactions, including leveraged deals and transactions involving financial sponsors.

Key Highlights:

  • Advises on mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures
  • Works with companies and financial sponsors
  • Covers both buy-side and sell-side transactions
  • Has dedicated industry groups across several major sectors

Services:

  • M&A advisory
  • Buy-side advisory
  • Sell-side advisory
  • Divestiture support
  • Leveraged transaction support

Contact Information:

  • Website: hl.com
  • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/houlihan-lokey
  • Address: 9th Floor, No. 1 Spinningfields1, Hardman SquareM3 3EB, Manchester, United Kingdom 
  • Phone: +44 161 250 3577 

Rickitt Mitchell

Rickitt Mitchell is an independent M&A advisory firm. The company works with high-growth businesses, shareholders, and management teams that need corporate finance support around sales, investment, and wider transaction planning. Its Manchester base is a clear part of its identity, but its work is not limited to local deals, as the firm also brings an international perspective to advisory work.

Rickitt Mitchell has built its service around lead corporate finance advice for businesses and shareholders. Their work can cover preparing a business for sale, advising on investment, supporting shareholder decisions, and guiding transaction processes where sector knowledge matters.

Key Highlights:

  • Works with high-growth businesses and shareholders
  • Combines local presence with international reach
  • Provides lead corporate finance advisory support
  • Has long-standing experience in transaction advisory work

Services:

  • Corporate finance advisory
  • Business sale support
  • Investment advisory
  • Shareholder advisory
  • M&A advisory

Contact Information:

  • Website: www.rickittmitchell.com
  • E-mail: info@rickittmitchell.com
  • Twitter: x.com/rickittmitchell
  • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/rickitt-mitchell
  • Address: Centurion House, 129 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3WR
  • Phone: +44 (0)161 834 0600

Opus Strategic Advisors

Opus Strategic Advisors works with corporates, owner-managed businesses, management teams, and companies looking at growth, sale, acquisition, or funding options. Its work is built around M&A advisory, debt advisory, and growth and fundraising support.

Rather than treating every transaction as a simple sale process, Opus Strategic Advisors places attention on the client’s next stage of growth. They use a senior management-led model and bring sector knowledge into areas such as business services, software, technology services, aerospace and defence, gaming, manufacturing, and engineering. This makes the company relevant for businesses that need both transaction advice and funding-related input before making a major move.

Key Highlights:

  • Provides M&A, growth, capital, and debt advisory support
  • Works with large corporates and owner-managed businesses
  • Has an office presence in Manchester
  • Uses a senior management-led advisory approach
  • Supports both sale and growth-related transaction planning

Services:

  • M&A advisory
  • Business sale support
  • Acquisition advisory
  • Growth advisory
  • Fundraising support
  • Debt advisory

Contact Information:

  • Website: opusllp.com
  • E-mail: manchesterenquiry@opusllp.com
  • Facebook: www.facebook.com/opusbusinessadvisorygroup
  • Twitter: x.com/opus_llp
  • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/opus-advisory-group-uk
  • Address: Second Floor, 3 Hardman Square, Spinningfields, Manchester M3 3EB
  • Phone: +44 (0) 161 383 8410

BDO UK

BDO UK provides M&A advisory support for businesses that are buying, selling, raising funds, or dealing with more complex transaction needs. Their work sits within a wider deal advisory practice, so clients can access related support around due diligence, financial modelling, capital markets, fundraising, debt advisory, and value creation. 

For sell-side work, BDO UK can help with valuation, buyer identification, information preparation, negotiations, due diligence management, tax advice, and completion. On the buy-side, the firm supports acquisition strategy, target analysis, valuation, offer terms, deal structure, returns, business planning, bank funding, and tax implications. BDO UK also has dedicated teams for special situations M&A and PLC advisory, which gives its M&A work a broader scope than standard buyer and seller support.

Key Highlights:

  • Supports both buy-side and sell-side M&A
  • Works with entrepreneurs, private equity-backed businesses, and public companies
  • Provides sector-led transaction advice
  • Covers special situations M&A and PLC advisory

Services:

  • Sell-side M&A advisory
  • Buy-side M&A advisory
  • Indicative valuation
  • Buyer and investor search
  • Information memorandum preparation

Contact Information:

  • Website: www.bdo.co.uk
  • E-mail: experienced.hire@bdo.co.uk
  • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/bdo-llp
  • Instagram: www.instagram.com/bdo_uk
  • Address: Eden Building Irwell Street, Salford Manchester, M3 5EN, United Kingdom
  • Phone: 0161 817 7500

Brabners

Brabners brings a legal angle to M&A advisory, with corporate transaction lawyers supporting businesses through acquisitions, sales, buy-and-build activity, and post-deal issues. The M&A team also draws on other legal specialists when a transaction touches employment, pensions, real estate, IP, procurement, or commercial contracts.

A distinctive part of Brabners’ model is the link between corporate legal advice and deal advisory support. Brabners Deal Advisory is made up of specialist accountants who help with target identification, acquisition outreach, and transaction preparation, while the legal team handles the structure, due diligence, documents, and negotiations. The firm also works on cross-border transactions, warranty and indemnity insurance, shareholder matters, and disputes that may arise after completion.

Key Highlights:

  • Combines M&A legal advice with deal advisory support
  • Works with serial acquirers and buy-and-build businesses
  • Supports UK and international acquisition activity
  • Provides support before, during, and after completion
  • Handles M&A disputes through its litigation team

Services:

  • M&A legal advisory
  • Acquisition support
  • Business sale support
  • Buy-and-build transaction support
  • Legal due diligence
  • Heads of terms preparation

Contact Information:

  • Website: www.brabners.com
  • E-mail: hello@brabners.com
  • Twitter: x.com/BrabnersLLP
  • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/brabners
  • Instagram: www.instagram.com/brabners
  • Address: 100 Barbirolli Square, Manchester, M2 3BD United Kingdom
  • Phone: 0161 836 8800

ONEtoONE Corporate Finance

ONEtoONE Corporate Finance works with business owners, private equity investors, multinationals, and professional partners on M&A and corporate finance matters. They are especially relevant where a deal has a cross-border element or where the client wants a broader market search.

The firm’s services cover sell-side advisory, buy-side advisory, fundraising, and strategic corporate advice. ONEtoONE Corporate Finance can support market research, buyer or target identification, valuation, due diligence, negotiations, financing, and capital raising.

Key Highlights:

  • Works with business owners, multinationals, private equity, and partners
  • Part of an international corporate finance group
  • Provides access to strategic partners, investors, and financing sources
  • Has a UK-Ireland advisory connection through its Irish team

Services:

  • Sell-side advisory
  • Buy-side advisory
  • M&A advisory
  • Business valuation
  • Buyer identification
  • Target identification

Contact Information:

  • Website: www.onetoonecf.com
  • E-mail: info.gb@onetoonecf.com
  • Facebook: www.facebook.com/onetooneglobal
  • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/onetoone-corporate-finance
  • Address: Peter House, Oxford St M1 5AN, Manchester United Kingdom
  • Phone: +34 911 83 48 58

FRP Corporate Finance

FRP Corporate Finance provides M&A advisory support for mid-market businesses that are selling, buying, raising capital, or reviewing their strategic options. Their approach is hands-on, with the team involved from the early review stage through to preparation, valuation, buyer or target search, negotiation, and due diligence management. 

Beyond standard buy-side and sell-side work, FRP Corporate Finance covers several areas that often sit close to M&A decisions. The firm advises on special situations M&A, private equity, management buyouts, management buy-ins, employee ownership trusts, transaction tax, and strategic options reviews. That range makes FRP Corporate Finance suitable for owners and management teams who are not only thinking about a sale or acquisition, but also weighing funding, succession, shareholder risk, or employee ownership as part of the wider decision.

Key Highlights:

  • Works with mid-market businesses across M&A and capital decisions
  • Supports both business sales and acquisitions
  • Covers special situations and time-sensitive transactions

Services:

  • Sell-side M&A advisory
  • Buy-side M&A advisory
  • Raising capital
  • Buyer and target search
  • Valuation advice
  • Marketing materials preparation

Contact Information:

  • Website: www.frpadvisory.com
  • E-mail: manchester@frpadvisory.com
  • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/showcase/frp-corporate-finance
  • Address: 2nd Floor, Abbey House, 32 Booth Street, Manchester, M2 4AB 
  • Phone: +44 (0)161 833 3344

Conclusion

Choosing an M&A advisory provider in Manchester should start with the transaction itself: sale, acquisition, fundraising, succession, buyout, or cross-border deal. From there, organisations can look at sector knowledge, buyer access, valuation support, due diligence experience, legal or tax input, and how much hands-on help the team will need from preparation through to completion. 

This guide is intended to give practical context rather than rank providers. Each firm brings a different mix of M&A advice, corporate finance, legal input, funding support, buyer research, and transaction execution. The strongest choice is usually the one that matches the organisation’s goals, timeline, internal capacity, and the kind of deal they are trying to complete.