Sector specialists. Confidential advisers. Trusted by business owners.
Reads Business Brokers is a specialist brokerage focused on the sale of businesses in regulated, accreditation-driven sectors. We work with owners of fire safety companies, and related trades, who are considering selling their business and want the process handled by someone who genuinely understands their industry.
We are not a generalist high-street broker. We do not list your business on a public marketplace and wait for enquiries. Instead, we proactively approach qualified buyers from our network, using anonymised profiles to protect your identity until you give explicit permission to proceed.
Selling a fire safety business is not the same as selling a shop, a restaurant, or a generic service company. The value of your business is tied to factors that a generalist broker will not understand:
Your BAFE SP101 and SP203 registrations represent years of investment in quality systems, trained personnel, and third-party audits. Your LPCB or NSI certifications open doors to contracts that unaccredited businesses cannot access. Your maintenance contract portfolio, with its predictable renewal cycles and compliance-driven demand, is valued differently from one-off project revenue.
A broker who does not understand these distinctions will under-represent your business to buyers and leave value on the table. We understand them because it is all we do.
Your identity is never disclosed without your explicit consent. We use anonymised profiles for initial buyer approaches and require signed NDAs before sharing any identifying information.
We give you a realistic assessment based on current market conditions and comparable transactions. We would rather tell you the truth than inflate expectations to win your instruction.
Our network includes PE-backed platforms, national fire safety groups, and experienced individual acquirers who are actively seeking businesses in this sector.
Some owners are ready to sell now. Others are exploring options 12 months ahead. We work at whatever pace suits you, with no pressure and no hard deadlines.
Reads Business Brokers is led by Simon Read, who brings extensive experience in business brokerage and M&A advisory. Simon works directly with every client, providing a personal service that larger firms cannot match.
Simon's approach is consultative rather than transactional. He believes that selling a business should be a structured, informed process where the owner remains in control at every stage. His focus is on achieving the right outcome for the seller, which means the right buyer, the right deal structure, and a transition that protects clients and staff.
Simon is a member of FORE Business, a national business network for directors and founders, and has spoken at industry events on the topic of business succession and exit planning.
We understand what BAFE SP203 means, why BS 5839 compliance matters to buyers, and how the Building Safety Act has changed the demand profile for fire safety services. We speak your language.
We proactively approach buyers from our network using anonymised profiles. Your business is never listed on a public marketplace. Every approach is targeted and confidential.
Some brokers inflate valuations to win instructions. We give you a realistic number based on current multiples, comparable transactions, and the specific strengths and weaknesses of your business.
You decide which buyers to engage with. You decide the pace. You can pause or stop the process at any point. We are your adviser, not your manager.