M&A Advisory Firms in Manchester: Companies and Services Guide
AC
Acumon Chartered Accountants·13 min read
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.
Address: 1-2 Craven Road, Ealing, London, W5 2UA, UK
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
AC
Written by the Acumon team
Acumon is an ICAEW-registered firm of chartered accountants and registered auditors
based in London, with offices in Pitstone, Aylesbury and Bournemouth. Need advice on
anything covered here? Talk to us.
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