Gavin Gibbons

Gavin Gibbons What I do → SCALE BUSINESSES TO AN EXIT → The Exit Launchpad™

“Nearly 6,000 owners of high-growth businesses left the UK over the past two years, following changes to the UK’s tax re...
23/03/2026

“Nearly 6,000 owners of high-growth businesses left the UK over the past two years, following changes to the UK’s tax regime and growing concerns over economic competitiveness.”

Most have packed their bags for UAE, Spain and the USA, in search of better opportunities, business-friendly tax regimes and improved growth prospects.

“The UK saw a net outflow of 16,500 millionaires last year, equating to $91.8bn in investable wealth, while jurisdictions such as the US and UAE experienced corresponding inflows…”

https://www.ft.com/content/f2f03212-c483-40ad-a534-5f6fa8e98379

Notice anything about the top 10 in the Sunday Times Tax List?The headlines go to footballers and pop stars.But the top ...
11/02/2026

Notice anything about the top 10 in the Sunday Times Tax List?

The headlines go to footballers and pop stars.

But the top 10 is dominated by business owners.

The 2026 list puts Fred and Peter Done (Betfred) at number one at £400.1m.

However, the real story isn’t “tax”.

It’s how wealth is created before the tax bill ever shows up.

What this means for business owners:

+ You don’t need a full exit to create substantial personal wealth.

+ Value creation is usually boring.

+ Tax is simply an outcome.

Here’s the top 10 list:

Betfred – Done family – £400.1m

Alex Gerko – £331.4m

Chris Rokos – £330m

Stephen Rubin – £325.6m

Bet365 – Denise Coates / John Coates / Peter Coates – £227.1m

Hargreaves Lansdown – Peter Hargreaves – £210m

Home Bargains – Tom Morris – £209.1m

JD Wetherspoon – Tim Martin – £199.7m

Mike Ashley – £175.9m

Specsavers – Mary Perkins / Douglas Perkins – £121.7m

I’m running a live webinar session along with my other partners at Synergy on Tuesday 3 February at 5pm UK, covering the specific levers we use to increase enterprise value in 90 days.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/1317696170120/WN_FV62iG_iTNmCpqc6ejlnPA

Are you building a business you can sell - or a business that creates massive wealth - even if you never sell?

Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgkv814p37o

"We are in a world where the level of shocks to the system and the sources of shocks to the system are very broad.If you...
05/02/2026

"We are in a world where the level of shocks to the system and the sources of shocks to the system are very broad.

If you are running a company, that amount of information that you have to process and deal with is enormous.

Companies who have the scale are able to withstand that level of volatility better because you have more levers to pull."

Good explanation from JPMorgan’s M&A chief of why last year was the second-best on record for M&A activity, worth $5.1 trillion.

Achieving growth through acquisition and building groups of companies can create value for owners AND mitigate risk from an uncertain world.

Going it alone can be risky…

https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/jpmorgan-ma-global-head-aiyengar-says-rising-risks-drive-surge-deals-2026-01-09/

&A

Employee ownership trusts are now subject to capital gains tax.Until the latest Budget, business owners selling their co...
10/12/2025

Employee ownership trusts are now subject to capital gains tax.

Until the latest Budget, business owners selling their company to an EOT enjoyed 100 per cent CGT relief. That relief has now been cut to 50 per cent.

And the truth is this: for most owners, the main attraction of an EOT was never the employee ownership model — it was the tax efficiency.

But even before this tax change, EOTs came with limitations that many business owners overlooked.

There are far stronger options available for owners who want to increase their valuation over the next few years and secure an exit on their own terms.

The Telegraph is expected to be valued at around £500m in a potential acquisition by the owner of the Daily Mail.There’s...
08/12/2025

The Telegraph is expected to be valued at around £500m in a potential acquisition by the owner of the Daily Mail.

There’s clear value in the economies of scale that come from taking over another major publishing and distribution operation.

Shared infrastructure, wider reach and reduced overheads all strengthen the business case.

But the real prize is the digital subscription opportunity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4g7xKAUqS0

&a

“According to Morgan Stanley, global mergers and acquisition volumes jumped 43 per cent year-on-year in the third quarte...
19/11/2025

“According to Morgan Stanley, global mergers and acquisition volumes jumped 43 per cent year-on-year in the third quarter, the strongest rebound in more than a decade.

Roughly $4tn of private-equity dry powder, committed funding but unspent, is available for deals. That capital, colliding with receptive financing markets, is helping to fuel the M&A machine.”

https://www.ft.com/content/5a3fe5c7-f1b9-4dc6-a97a-f241b5f0eed1

&A

“Pret A Manger has written off a third of the value of its 2018 acquisition by European investment group JAB”Similar sto...
01/10/2025

“Pret A Manger has written off a third of the value of its 2018 acquisition by European investment group JAB”

Similar story to the Costa Coffee “writedown” - Pret hasn’t innovated, while competition has increased, costs have risen and high prices no longer seem justified…

https://www.ft.com/content/10c47f41-e3ca-42ed-a341-7a828a1a7021

Costa’s journey is a striking lesson in timing and market dynamics. Sold to Whitbread for just £19 million in 1995 when ...
01/09/2025

Costa’s journey is a striking lesson in timing and market dynamics. Sold to Whitbread for just £19 million in 1995 when the Costa brothers had fewer than 40 stores, it grew exponentially over the years.

By 2019, Coca-Cola acquired the chain for around £3.9 billion, with 2,655 stores under its belt.

Now, in 2025, Coca-Cola is exploring a sale of Costa for an estimated £2 billion, despite the brand operating 4,000 stores.

Rising costs and intensifying competition mean the timing of each deal played a crucial role in the outcomes for the brand.

Costa’s story highlights how strategic growth, market conditions, and timing can dramatically influence company valuation and exit opportunities.

https://news.sky.com/story/coca-cola-brews-up-sale-of-high-street-coffee-giant-costa-13416553

Supermarket chain Iceland reports that shoplifting is costing the business around £20 million each year. Their proposed ...
28/08/2025

Supermarket chain Iceland reports that shoplifting is costing the business around £20 million each year.

Their proposed solution?

Shoppers who alert staff to a theft in progress will receive a £1 credit on their Iceland Bonus Card.

While well-intentioned, it’s unlikely to significantly reduce the impact of what has become a major challenge for UK retailers.

According to the Office for National Statistics, police recorded 530,643 shoplifting offences in the year to March 2025.

That’s a 20% increase from 444,022 the previous year and the highest figure since current recording practices began in 2002-03.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c707rzen2zvo

S&P Global has released average EBITDA multiples by sector, revealing clear winners and losers since 2023.While these mu...
26/08/2025

S&P Global has released average EBITDA multiples by sector, revealing clear winners and losers since 2023.

While these multiples are typically lower for small and medium-sized businesses, the underlying principle remains the same.

The reality is that some sectors have lost relative value over the past 24–30 months, meaning certain businesses are now worth less due to factors entirely outside their control.

This is exactly why business owners who want to maximise their company’s value need to explore every available option to boost their valuation — not just by growing EBITDA, but by increasing the multiple itself.

https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/research/2025/08/global-m-and-a-by-the-numbers-q2-2025

The trade war is forcing companies to rethink their supply chains and manufacturing bases.It’s been a turbulent year, ma...
25/08/2025

The trade war is forcing companies to rethink their supply chains and manufacturing bases.

It’s been a turbulent year, making long-term decisions more challenging than ever.

Yet, despite the uncertainty, we’re finally seeing signs of stabilisation, which means now is the right time to reassess your supply chain and calculate the true impact of tariffs on your operating costs.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth for UK manufacturers with high-value American customers:

Shifting production to the USA doesn’t just reduce exposure to tariffs. It also brings the benefits of lower energy costs, cheaper transport, and a lighter tax burden.

https://www.ft.com/content/b9df81dc-16ab-4fdf-868d-90c9134f7e2f

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