Education

Beacon was engaged by a private career college which offered specialized training in police foundations. The training institute had a 30-year history and was recognized as a top tier school in law enforcement. Due to Beacon’s strong presence in Ontario and extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, Beacon was chosen as the exclusive broker and provided sell-side transaction advisory services through the entire sale process.

Beacon began by compiling a fairness opinion to determine the business’ true fair market value and proceeded to compile deliverables and confidentially market the mandate to potential buyers. As a learning institution, which relied on the knowledge and experience of its instructors, it was extremely crucial to retain the business’ human resources through the sale and transfer of ownership. Beacon’s focus on confidentiality and its secure buyer selection ensured that the business’ key employees were retained. Through our large network of buyers and industry professionals, we were able to attract several buyers for the business. Based on the seller’s criteria and vision, as well as our financial acumen, we were able to pre-screen buyers and solicit offers from serious buyers.

Beacon’s team assisted our client through every step of the sale process, and successfully completed the transaction. Beacon effectively negotiated a deal with an overseas private buyer who had previous experience in the industry. Our team advised the seller through the buyer due diligence process, ensuring transparency between both parties while maintaining confidentiality. In addition, Beacon made sure that the business was prepared for the successor to maintain smooth operations through the transition period without damaging value.

This industry includes schools, colleges, universities, professional and career development and training services, language instruction schools, music and fine arts schools and coaching services, not elsewhere classified. The key suppliers for this industry include books, office supplies and stationery suppliers; computer and electronic equipment retailers; security and janitorial services; catering services. While the majority of these services are targeted towards children and teenagers, the target demographic may include young working professionals and business people depending on the nature of the business. The industry is in its mature stage and institutes with long history generate and a strong track record, generally, outperform newer schools due to an established brand name. Colleges and universities are heavily regulated in Canada; however, educational service businesses and coaching services are lightly regulated. The demand for college and university education has a strong correlation with the population growth rate. In recent years due to immigration, higher birth rate and escalating political tension, Canada have witnessed an influx of international students which has driven demand for educational services, especially language schools. Institutes that are supported by government grants and subsidies are more defensive while private educational facilities depend on disposable income and household debt. The industry is expected to continue growing at a steady rate over the next five years.