The Great British
Ownership Transfer
The UK is approaching the largest wave of private business exits in its
modern economic history. 1.46 million businesses. £769 billion at stake.
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KEY FINDINGS FROM THE REPORT
1.46M
Retirement-driven exits forecast
across UK SMEs between 2025 and 2040
£769bn
Enterprise value at stake
with £615bn tied to businesses requiring active succession support
20%
1 in 5 complete a sale
of UK SMEs that attempt a sale reach a successful completion
65%
Exit planning gap
of UK small businesses are yet to put a formal succession plan in place
32k
Viable firms to support
employer-businesses that could transfer ownership with the right support in place
A landmark analysis of the UK succession crisis
For the first time, Shrine London has quantified the full scale of the UK’s business succession challenge, sector by sector, region by region, across the fifteen years to 2040.
The demographic pressure is already built in. What happens next depends on whether owners, advisers, investors, and policymakers act now.
Sector & regional modelling
Proprietary analysis across 14 sectors and 12 UK regions
Built for multiple audiences
Business owners, advisers, investors, and policymakers
Grounded in public data
ONS, FSB, Armstrong Watson, SGFE and more. Methodology fully disclosed.
27-page full report
Executive summary, full analysis, tables, and a call to action.
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Prepared by Shrine London Ltd · April 2026
128 City Road, London EC1V 2NX
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