According to a recent analysis of data from the UK Companies Registry commissioned by wealth management firm Rathbones from Beauhurst, the number of UK entrepreneurs choosing to “sell rather than scale up” hit a record high in 8 years. This reflects the fact that more and more British business founders are questioning whether the risk and effort they have taken to expand their business can be exchanged for equal return on revenue. Total number of transactions in 2025:5,774 businesses were sold, slightly up from 5,684 in 2024, a significant increase of 70% compared to 2018.

According to a recent analysis of data from the UK Companies Registry commissioned by wealth management firm Rathbones from Beauhurst, the number of UK entrepreneurs choosing to “sell rather than scale up” hit a record high in 8 years. This reflects the fact that more and more British business founders are questioning whether the risk and effort they have taken to expand their business can be exchanged for equal return on revenue. Total number of transactions in 2025:5,774 businesses were sold, slightly up from 5,684 in 2024, a significant increase of 70% compared to 2018.