The UK business sales resource centre

Who we are

Who agentlocal is

agentlocal is a UK business sale agency. We help people sell a business and buy a business across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We work with owners of established companies in retail, hospitality, care, manufacturing, professional services, ecommerce and dozens of other sectors, and we work with serious buyers who want to acquire a profitable business rather than start one from scratch.

We are not a classified advertising site and we are not a passive directory. We are a full service agency. Every business that comes to us is handled by a dedicated sales agent who manages the sale from the first valuation through to completion. Our role is to value the business correctly, present it professionally, reach the right buyers, qualify their interest, manage offers and guide both sides through to a clean completion.

Our head office is in the City of London and our agents work with clients nationwide. Whether a business is worth fifty thousand pounds or several million, the principle is the same. The owner gets a single point of contact who understands their business and is responsible for getting the sale done.

Market leader

The UK market leader in business sales

agentlocal is the UK market leader in business sales. At any one time we carry around £611 million worth of businesses for sale, and each year we help close to 3,000 companies to sell, buy and value a business. In 2025 alone we were instructed 1,044 times by owners who chose us to sell their business.

We are trusted by some of the UK's largest brands to sell their business, and we handle the full breadth of the market. We sell both SME and corporate businesses, from small owner run companies through to substantial multi million pound groups. Whatever the size, every business gets the same fully managed sale and the same dedicated agent.

Reach is part of what sets us apart. Alongside our own marketplace and database of registered buyers, we are advertising partners with Zoopla and PrimeLocation, so the businesses we sell are seen by a vast national audience of serious buyers.

This combination of scale, reach and a genuinely managed service is why owners sell faster and fairer with agentlocal. A dedicated agent runs the sale from valuation through to completion, and the size of our buyer network means the right buyer is more likely to be found, and found quickly.

Our purpose

Why agentlocal exists

Most business owners only sell once. They have spent years, often decades, building something valuable, and when the time comes to sell they are doing it for the first time. The process is unfamiliar, the stakes are high and the cost of getting it wrong is enormous. A business that is priced badly, marketed poorly or exposed to the wrong buyers can sit unsold for years or sell for far less than it is worth.

agentlocal exists to close that gap. We bring the experience the owner does not have. We know what buyers look for, what kills deals, how to keep a sale confidential and how to hold a price under pressure. We exist so that selling a business feels less like a gamble and more like a managed process with a clear path to completion.

We also exist for buyers. Finding a good business to buy is hard. The best opportunities are rarely advertised openly and the market is full of overpriced listings and people who never intend to buy. We give serious buyers access to genuine opportunities and the guidance to acquire well.

The difference

What makes agentlocal different

Plenty of websites will let you advertise a business for sale. Very few will actually sell it for you. The difference is the model. We chose to be an agency, not a noticeboard, because selling a business well takes work that no advert can do on its own.

Our process

How our fully managed sale works

Every sale follows a clear path. The detail varies from business to business, but the shape is always the same. Your agent leads each stage and keeps the deal moving so the owner can carry on running the business.

Not a listing site

Why we are not a DIY listing website

A DIY listing website sells you a slot. You write the advert, you set the price, you answer the enquiries, you handle the negotiation and you carry the risk if it goes wrong. The site gets paid whether or not your business ever sells. That model is cheap for a reason. It puts all of the hard work and all of the risk on the owner.

We chose a different model on purpose. Selling a business is not the same as selling a car or renting a flat. It involves confidential financial information, careful buyer screening, sensitive negotiation and a long completion process where most deals are won or lost. None of that is served well by a self service advert.

With agentlocal, an experienced agent does the work that a listing site leaves to you. We price the business properly, we protect its confidentiality, we filter out the people wasting your time and we stay in the deal until it completes. We believe owners deserve representation, not just advertising.

Your agent

Why a dedicated agent manages every sale

Every business we take on is managed by one dedicated sales agent. That agent learns the business, builds the valuation, writes the sale materials, speaks to buyers and runs the negotiation. When the owner has a question, they speak to the person who actually knows their deal.

This matters because business sales are full of moments where the right judgement changes the outcome. Knowing which buyer is serious, when to push on price, how to answer a difficult diligence question, when to hold firm and when to compromise. A single accountable agent who has been there since day one makes those calls far better than a call centre or a passive listing ever could.

Valuations

How business valuations work

A business valuation is an estimate of what a business is realistically worth to a buyer today. It is not the same as the value of its assets and it is not simply a multiple of turnover. A good valuation weighs several things together.

Selling

How to sell a business

Selling a business well is a process, not an event. These are the stages most owners go through, from first thoughts to money in the bank.

Buying

How to buy a business

Buying an established business can be faster and far less risky than starting one from nothing. You acquire existing customers, proven revenue, trained staff and a working operation. These are the usual steps.

Due diligence

How due diligence works

Due diligence is the buyer's investigation of the business before completion. It is the stage where the buyer checks that what has been presented is accurate, and where most deals are either secured or lost. The seller provides information, the buyer reviews it, and any issues are resolved or reflected in the price and terms.

Typical due diligence covers the financial accounts, the tax position, customer and supplier contracts, the property or lease, employment and staff matters, intellectual property, and any outstanding legal or regulatory issues. The aim is simple. The buyer wants confidence that the business is what it appears to be and that there are no surprises waiting after completion.

We help sellers prepare for diligence before the business goes to market, so the answers are ready when a buyer asks. A well prepared seller keeps the buyer confident and the deal on track. A disorganised one invites doubt, delay and attempts to chip the price.

Reservation deposits

How reservation deposits work

A reservation deposit is a sum a buyer pays to take a business off the market while the sale is finalised. It shows the buyer is serious, gives the seller confidence to stop talking to other parties, and creates momentum towards completion.

The deposit is agreed once a buyer's offer is accepted and heads of terms are in place. The terms set out what the deposit covers, the period of exclusivity it buys and the circumstances in which it is returned or retained. Because both sides have committed something real, both sides have a reason to push the deal through rather than let it drift.

Reservation deposits protect sellers from buyers who make an offer and then lose interest, and they protect buyers by securing the business while they complete their checks. Used properly, they make completion far more likely.

Heads of terms

How heads of terms work

Heads of terms, sometimes called a letter of intent, is the document that records the main points of the deal once an offer is accepted and before the lawyers draft the final contracts. The commercial terms are usually not legally binding at this stage, but they set the framework everything that follows is built on.

A good set of heads of terms covers the price and how it is calculated, the structure of the deal, what is included and excluded, any conditions that must be met, the period of exclusivity, and the expected timetable to completion. Getting these points clear and agreed early prevents misunderstandings later, when they are far harder and more expensive to resolve.

We draft and negotiate heads of terms on the seller's behalf so the framework protects their position before solicitors take over. Time spent getting the heads of terms right is the best protection against a deal falling apart during due diligence.

Buyer screening

How buyers are screened

Not every enquiry is a real buyer. A large share of the people who respond to a business for sale are curious, under funded or simply not serious. Letting them through wastes the seller's time and risks leaking confidential information to people who will never complete.

We screen every buyer before they reach the seller. We confirm who they are, check that they have or can raise the funds, understand their intentions and put a non disclosure agreement in place before any sensitive information is shared. Only buyers who pass move forward.

This is one of the biggest practical differences between a managed sale and a self service listing. On a listing site, the owner fields every enquiry themselves and has no way to tell a funded buyer from someone just browsing. With agentlocal, the owner only ever spends time with people who can genuinely complete.

Seller support

How sellers are supported

Selling a business can be stressful, especially while still running it day to day. Our job is to carry the weight of the sale so the owner can keep the business performing, because a business that keeps trading well right up to completion is worth more and is far less likely to lose a buyer.

Marketplace

How the agentlocal marketplace works

The agentlocal marketplace is where buyers discover businesses for sale and where sellers reach a qualified audience. It is more than a list of adverts. Behind it sits a database of registered buyers with stated requirements, so when a business comes to market it can be matched to people who are already looking for exactly that.

Listings are presented confidentially. A buyer sees enough to judge their interest, but the identity and sensitive detail of the business are protected until that buyer is qualified and under a non disclosure agreement. Many of the businesses we handle are never advertised openly at all and are introduced directly to suitable buyers from our database.

For sellers, this means genuine reach to the right people without broadcasting the sale to the whole market. For buyers, it means access to real opportunities, including ones they would never find on a public listing site.

Sectors

The sectors we cover

We handle business sales across a wide range of sectors. Whatever the industry, the fundamentals of valuing, marketing and selling a business are the same, and our agents bring sector knowledge to each sale.

This is not an exhaustive list. If a business is profitable and sellable, we can help. Browse current businesses for sale or request a free valuation to get started.

Glossary

Key business sale terms explained

Adjusted EBITDA

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, adjusted to remove one off and owner specific costs, used as a measure of sustainable profit.

Seller discretionary earnings

The total financial benefit an owner takes from a business, used to value many owner operated businesses.

Multiple

The number by which adjusted profit is multiplied to estimate the value of a business. It varies by sector, size and risk.

Heads of terms

A document setting out the main terms of a deal before the final contracts are drafted.

Due diligence

The buyer's investigation of a business before completion, to confirm it is as presented.

Reservation deposit

A payment that takes a business off the market while the sale is finalised.

Non disclosure agreement

A confidentiality agreement a buyer signs before receiving sensitive information.

Asking price

The price at which a business is marketed, set by the valuation.

Completion

The point at which the sale legally finishes, ownership transfers and the money changes hands.

Earn out

An arrangement where part of the price is paid later, based on the future performance of the business.

Asset sale

A sale of the assets of a business rather than the company that owns them.

Share sale

A sale of the shares in the company, transferring the whole business including its history.

Confidential information memorandum

The detailed sale document shared with qualified buyers, presenting the business in full.

Owner reliance

How much a business depends on its owner. Lower reliance usually means higher value.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions