Under the Patronage of His Excellency Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, Capital Governor

Manama, 26 May 2015

International mergers and acquisitions advisor BCMS today announced the launch of its new office in the Kingdom of Bahrain to meet the growing demand for SME owners keen to sell their business to overseas corporate buyers.

The launch event, held at the Capital Club Bahrain, was held under the patronage of the Capital Governor, H.E Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa. The seminar was attended by a number of business owners.

"Large companies may have deep pockets, but they are also tough negotiators. Our business model is based on generating multiple offers for our clients in the Gulf, which typically pushes the price up by around 2.5 times. It has been a success around the world, and I am pleased we are at last able to bring this to Bahrain," said BCMS Director, Dr. Mike Sweeting.

"Around 250 small firms are snapped up every year in Bahrain - of which around 70% are brought by international acquirers. It is very likely that many owners were under-selling their businesses," he added.

Away from the mega-mergers and IPO's, more than 1,000 businesses in the MENA and GCC region were sold last year in the sub-$100m range, worth over $2.7bn in 2014. All experts predict global M&A activity to be even higher this year. The US tendency to lump the Middle East in with Africa for M&A figures has hidden a very positive upturn in the former.

Dozens of regional business owners have already been in touch with BCMS for advice, which BCMS puts down to pent-up demand, "It can be hard for smaller business owners to know where to go if they have been approached by a potential buyer, as there aren't many advisors prepared to work at this end of the market. But smaller deals are out specialism," added Dr. Sweeting

"It's clear the international appetite for the Gulf is an ongoing affair. We have a lot of high-growth companies here across diverse sectors, but no long tradition of buying and selling businesses. So we're looking forward to completing our first cross-border transaction," he said.

Speaking about the launch of BCMS Gulf, CEO Mr Mohammed Baqer said, "I am delighted to see BCMS, one of the world's leading advisor to privately-owned companies launch its operations in Bahrain with an aim to serve the Gulf region and beyond. Finance plays a vital role in economic development. The entry into Bahrain comes in line with our effort to organically expand our presence in the Middle East, which is a key strategic region for BCMS."

-Ends-

About BCMS
BCMS is a specialist lead advisor to shareholders of private companies. The company is a market leader in its chosen area of expertise, having completed over 500 deals in the last decade. BCMS is the world's leading advisor to privately owned companies by deal volume, according to data disclosed to Bureau van Dijk's Zephyr database.

The company has grown substantially since it was first established in 1989. Much of its international expansion has taken place in the last five years. BCMS has established 25 offices across five continents and the company now employs 260+ staff.

Headquartered in Kingsclere, near Newbury, Berkshire, BCMS has unrivalled contact with the market of acquirers globally. Its staff speaks with more than 35,000 potential acquirers each year.

BCMS is a past winner of the 'Coutts Bank Family Business of the Year' (sub £25m-turnover category). The BCMS led sale of Compass Computer Consultants Ltd was awarded the inaugural 2014 International Financial Forum Dealmaker's Corporate / Strategic Acquisition Of The Year award by The M&A Advisor magazine.

For press inquiries, please contact:
Shaikha Seyadi
Senior Media & Operations Executive
TRACCS Bahrain
Tel:  +973 17 592008        
Email: shaikha.seyadi@traccs.net

© Press Release 2015