Business, Asset Sales & Purchases - 2024 Virtual Conference

Introduction

Chaired by Pete Miller, this virtual classroom annual conference with a panel of leading experts offers a comprehensive update as to the current hot topics in this fast-moving area.

Each session will provide a full opportunity for questions and answers.

Conference Agenda

This 5 hour online conference will cover the following:

10.00am - 11.00am: Business Asset Disposal Relief, Where Are We Now?

Pete Miller (Chair) & Nick Wright, Jerroms Miller

The relief previously known as entrepreneurs’ relief has undergone a number of changes in the last few years.

This session is intended to summarise where we are now with the relief in both its unincorporated and incorporated form.

• Basics of BADR
• Selling a business
• Selling a company
• Trading v non-trading activities
• Ordinary share capital issues

Morning Break

11.10am - 12.10am: Buying a Business from an Insolvency Practitioner

Steve Allinson, Allinson Law

With the economic problems of recent times, it has not been unusual for insolvent businesses to be sold out of administration and there are important matters to consider if that is the case.

This session will alert you to those and provide tips and tactics when this occurs.

Areas to be covered will include:

• Understanding the different corporate insolvency regimes and how they could affect a sale. Do your homework - the price may be right but there is more to it than that!
• Buying from an administrator - things to look out for (pre-packaged or not)
• The interplay of insolvency law and employment law - not happy bedfellows
• Warranties and indemnities - how do they play out on an insolvent business sale

12.10pm - 1.10pm: Preparing a Business for a Successful Exit

Peter Gray, Cavendish Corporate Finance LLP

This session will cover a number of key issues including:

• Positioning your business to maximise the multiple
• Succession planning
• Maximising underlying earnings (post Covid and other adjustments)
• Identifying key purchaser groups
• Enhancing quality of earnings
• Getting the timing right

Break for lunch

2.00pm - 3.00pm: Key Financial & Accounting Issues in Share Purchase Agreements

David Potts, Potts Financial Training LLP

This session will cover the following:

• Role of completion accounts and which numbers are really important?
• Significance of EBITDA and other measures of profit
• Alternative approaches such as use of lock box agreements
• Key issues when drafting and marking up accounting warranties

Afternoon break

3.15pm - 4.15pm: Being Certain: HMRC Clearances, Tips & Traps

Pete Miller & Nick Wright, Jerroms Miller

A range of corporate transactions can be subject to pre-transaction clearances from HMRC. It is important to be aware of the facility to obtain some degree of certainty for a client. It is also important to understand exactly what a clearance means and, especially, what it doesn’t mean!

This session will cover:

• Background to clearances
• Dos and don’ts with clearance applications
• What a clearance means
• What a clearance does not mean
• How to deal with refusals
• Current issues

Recording of live sessions: Soon after the Learn Live session has taken place you will be able to go back and access the recording - should you wish to revisit the material discussed.