The template

Acquisition criteria: the fields a UK buy box needs

Updated 2026-10-28

Acquisition criteria are the short list a broker or an owner reads to decide whether you are a real buyer. Eight fields cover it.

The eight fields

The trade, and any activity you will not buy into.

Towns, regions or the whole UK.

A revenue band and an EBITDA or profit band, so a broker can rule a business in or out from its accounts.

The cheque you will write. NVM publishes £1 million to £5 million and Maven up to £20 million in a single company.

Majority, minority or the whole company.

A share purchase or a business and asset purchase.

Whether the seller stays, and for how long.

When you can complete and how the price is paid.

Sector, area, price range and timing. Joseph Ellul reads it himself and replies directly. Free, no obligation.

What you want to buy

Which sector is in your buy box?

Where in the UK?

A town, a region or anywhere: it is the first filter on any search.

Roughly what price are you looking to pay?

Share purchase or asset purchase?

Buy the company's shares Buy the business and its assets Not sure yet

It changes the tax, the diligence and who takes on the liabilities. Not sure is a fine answer.

Sector, area, price range and timing. Joseph Ellul reads it himself and replies directly. Free, no obligation.

This site's own datasets, every figure quoted from its source and dated:

The UK Acquirer Criteria Board carries 3 published figures read from 2 sources' own pages, from 1,000,000 to 20,000,000 GBP, read 28 October 2026.
The UK Acquisition Rules carries 2 published figures read from 1 source's own page, from 100,000,000 to 350,000,000 GBP, read 28 October 2026.