Over the last two or three years, Employee Ownership Trusts (EOT) have gained more traction; a new alternative to the two primary options (trade sale and private equity backed MBO) for owners of SME businesses looking to realise the value that they have built up in their Company. There were 225 EOTs approved by HM Revenue and Customs in the 12 months to the end of June this year. This is a tenfold increase in two years from the 20 EOTs approved in the 2018-19 tax year.
Andrew Hoad, EOT expert and Partner in our Corporate/Commercial team, recently ran a webinar on Employee Ownership Trusts (EOT), aiming to provide an introduction to EOTs. Joined by Kevin Uphill of Avondale, a corporate finance adviser who specialises in EOTs, they discuss the issues that need to be considered when contemplating a disposal to an EOT.
The webinar covers the following areas:
- Legal practicalities
- Trust Structure
- Advantages of EOTs
- Commercial drivers
- Valuations
- Deal Structure
- Employee engagement
- Company management in practice.
We have posted the webinar recording above, for you to watch at your leisure.