If you’re looking to buy a business in the capital, you’ve come to the right place.
Our list features 13 of the most comprehensive business-for-sale directories available online.
And it’s not just vanilla businesses for sale you’ll find on these platforms – franchises, M&A deals and digital assets can be snapped up too.
All the directories we have included are fully customisable, allowing you to tweak your search criteria and filter business opportunities that are right for you.
Many of the sites also contain a wealth of resources and handy guides that will help you navigate your business-buying journey from start to finish.
Some of the companies we’ve featured also offer bespoke services, which means they can do the legwork of tracking down your next business venture for you.
NB: Our list is in no particular order and the information provided was correct at the time of publication.
1. Hornblower Business Brokers
It’s the perfect resource if you’re looking to buy a business in the industrial, manufacturing and engineering technology, facilities management and construction business-to-consumer (B2C) sectors.
Should you require, Hornblower can also take a hands-on approach to help you find the right businesses for sale – just tell them what you’re looking for and they will source leads for you to pursue.
Key Features
- Comprehensive listings: All Hornblower’s listings include information about the companies’ financial performance, history, market position, and growth potential.
- Acquisitions service: Register your free and Hornblower will actively start to search out off-market deals for you. The service also includes advice on your growth strategy and managing your acquisition. A nominal retainer fee for the initial stages of the process and a ‘success fee’ is charged once a deal has been done. You can upload your criteria to this form.
- Mailing list: Sign up and receive Hornblower’s newsletter, a monthly mailshot that includes the latest businesses listed on its site and top tips on buying and selling businesses. You’ll also get access to the latest news on sales, M&A and acquisitions in the SME market.
Contact Information
- Website: https://hornblower-businesses.co.uk.
- Email: ask@hornblower-businesses.co.uk.
- Phone: 020 8090 9380.
2. Chelsea Corporate
Its business listings span manufacturing, retail, information technology, media, accountancy, logistics, infrastructure, and industrial sectors.
The listings aren’t searchable, but the businesses that appear on the site are very much London-centric and feature some of the hottest businesses for sale in the capital.
Key Features
- Off-market opportunities: Business opportunities you won’t find listed anywhere else.
- Register as a buyer: Send them a few details and outline your requirements and Chelsea Corporate will help you find your next business venture.
- Webinars: They often run online seminars that are useful if you have an issue you want to address and get some top tips from industry-leading experts.
Contact Information
- Website: chelseacorporate.com.
- Phone: 020 3011 1373.
- Email: info@chelseacorporate.com.
3. Transworld Business Advisors
In that time, they have facilitated the sale of more than 10,000 businesses.
Its business-for-sale listing can be searched by location, sector, and price.
More refined searches can use discretionary earnings and down payment to sift the search results.
Key Features
- Industry spotlight: Its in-depth reports on different sectors provide an overview of trends, profitability factors, and market dynamics of the sectors it specialises in – from accounting and automotive to transportation and travel.
- FAQ: A useful page for prospective buyers on what to expect as buyers and some pitfalls to avoid.
- Register as a buyer: Enter your details and tell them a bit about the type of business you are interested in here and you will receive notifications when a business comes up meeting your criteria plus access to Transworld’s advisors, who are ready and able to guide you through the buying process.
Contact Information
- Website: tworldba.co.uk.
- Email: ukoperations@tworlduk.com.
- Phone: 020 3911 1059.
4. Turner Butler
They maintain a comprehensive database of businesses for sale across sectors such as e-commerce, IT, manufacturing, transport, catering, construction, and engineering.
Prospective buyers can tweak their searches and filter results by location, business sector, and ask price.
More advanced filters allow you to sift its database by financial performance metrics such as gross turnover and gross and net profit.
Key Features
- Register: By registering with the site, you gain access to detailed information about the businesses they have listed for sale, receive email notifications of new listings, and get access to the site’s additional buying features.
- Newsletter: Simply enter your contact details, and the site will send you businesses matching your criteria to your inbox.
- Search Tips: A dedicated section of the website explains how to get the most out of your searches on the site.
Contact Information
- Website: turnerbutler.co.uk.
- Email: info@turnerbutler.co.uk.
- Phone: 01895 817 930.
5. Christie & Co
It specialises in selling businesses in these sectors: hotels, pubs, restaurants, childcare, healthcare and medical, convenience retail, and leisure.
Its website contains an up-to-date business-for-sale listing of over 1,000 UK-based businesses, 90+ London-based.
Users can perform basic searches by location, business type and price range.
More advanced filters allow the database to be searched by keyword and reference number.
Key Features
- Register: Sign up and get access to full sales information, an enhanced search via map view of the businesses for sale and the ability to save your searches.
- Notifications: When a new business is registered with a site that meets your criteria, the site will let you know.
- Latest news and insights: A collection of up-to-date articles, press releases and publications is available.
- Guides: Handy guides written by the company’s experts on how to navigate the key stages of the business buying process.
Contact Information
- Website: https://www.christie.com.
- Phone: 020 7227 0700.
- Email: enquiries@christie.com.
6. BusinessesForSale.com
Today, it has over 50,000 businesses listed for sale on its site, over 1,000 of them located in London.
The platform offers advanced search tools, allowing prospective business buyers to filter by location, industry, and price range.
The site also features a section where buyers can find advice on how to value a business accurately, a legal section and tips on how to transact a business deal successfully.
Key Features
- M&A vault: A curated list of high-value businesses for sale on the site. If you wish to enquire or bid on any of the listings, you will first need to complete the site’s buyer verification process.
- Register: Sign up to access detailed business listings and be notified when a business that meets your criteria has come up for sale. There are two types of accounts you can register:
- Standard (free): Basic accounts that give users basic features such as saved searches, email alerts, and pre-filled forms.
- Premium (£14.99/month or £89.99/year plus VAT): Users get access to prioritised inquiries, access to seller contact details and customer support.
- Franchises: A list of new franchise opportunities if you’re looking to buy into an established business and work with a partner.
- Guides: A library of useful resources and guides that assist prospective business buyers on how to find the right business and seal a deal.
Contact Information
- Website: businessesforsale.com.
- Email: enquiries@businessesforsale.com.
7. Daltons Business
It is currently one of the largest and most popular business listing sites on the internet, with more than 20,000 businesses for sale and 90,000 visitors each month.
Over a thousand of them are based in the London area.
It boasts an extensive range of business categories for you to peruse, including outfits in the retail, hospitality, food, and manufacturing sectors.
Key Features
- Register: Complete the online form and Daltons will send you businesses for sale that match your criteria.
- Agents directory: An A-Z listing of the agents registered with the site. They can help you find a new business and close a deal.
- Search filters: Buyers can search for businesses based on location, price, industry, tenure type and many others.
- Franchise listings: A dedicated section of the site for prospective franchise buyers.
Contact Information
- Website: daltonsbusiness.com.
- Email: info@daltonsbusiness.com.
8. Smergers
Its searches are highly customisable, meaning you can search for businesses to buy by sector and location, as you’d expect, as well as by the number of employees, EBITDA Margin, and current status.
The platform features over 118,000 pre-screened businesses and investors spanning more than 900 industries across 170 countries.
There are currently over 200 London-based businesses for sale on the site.
Key Features
- Customisation: Searches can be tweaked and filtered to give just the info you require, including run rate sales, EBITDA, EBITDA margin, assets, year established and type of legal entity.
- Investor profiles: Buyers and investors can create profiles and register their interest in a business by connecting with other users on the site.
- Verified Profiles: All the businesses listed on the site are first verified by the site’s owners, ensuring the authenticity of the listing and the seller’s profile.
- Confidentiality: Users have full control over their privacy by controlling the amount of information they share with the site.
Contact Information
- Website: smergers.com.
- Email: support@smergers.com.
9. RightBiz
It currently has over 2,400 businesses for sale in London.
The site allows you to search in four categories: business, commercial, online and franchise.
The site’s comprehensive listings give the full low-down on important information such as location, financial performance, and any potential growth areas the site has identified.
Key Features
- Register: Free registration gives you access to a range of services, including messaging, saved searches and email alerts so you’ll never miss an opportunity,
- Distressed businesses: A special section of the website lists businesses considered ‘distressed’, offering buyers an opportunity to bag a business and turn it around.
- Premium buyer account: For £129 annually (£10.75 per month) or £23 monthly, the Premium Buyer account offers:
- Direct contact with sellers via phone and email.
- Priority over other buyers.
- Access to confidential statistics for each listing.
- Find a solicitor: Simply send Rightbiz a few details and they will put you in touch with a bunch of local commercial property solicitors.
Contact Information
- Website: rightbiz.co.uk.
- Email: info@rightbiz.co.uk.
10. Franchise UK
Established over twenty years ago, Franchise UK is the UK’s largest directory of franchise opportunities.
The listings feature some of the most profitable UK-based franchises across sectors as diverse as accountancy and vending machines.
The listing is easy to browse and features hundreds of prime business opportunities, including new-to-market and home-based franchises.
Key Features
- Customisable search: Find franchise opportunities by industry, location and price.
- Blog: Stay up to date with the latest franchising news and get the latest upcoming events in the world of franchising.
- Free franchise guide: A downloadable guide that goes over the basics of franchising and explains how to start your search when you set out looking for a franchise.
Contact Information
- Website: franchise-uk.co.uk.
- Email: info@franchise-uk.co.uk.
- Phone: 01257 451 500.
11. DealStream
It features over 100,000 dealmakers from around the world and over 80 businesses for sale in the London area.
The listing features businesses for sale across several sectors, but it’s especially good if you’re looking to purchase a tech startup or a niche business in the medical sector.
Key Features
- AI-powered search: Exploits the power of artificial intelligence to find the deals that align perfectly with your business interests.
- Niche opportunities: Specialised listings like medical practices, franchises, and technology startups often appear on the site.
- Custom filters: Buyers can filter listings by industry, location, price range, revenue, and other key criteria.
- Daily email: Sign up and a customised list of businesses for sale will drop in your inbox each day.
- Membership Options:
- Free: Basic access allows you to browse listings and connect with sellers.
- Pro: A paid option that offers advanced search features and priority access to new opportunities.
- Save and track: You can save your search and come back to it later. The system also allows you to track inquiries and monitor your interactions with sellers.
- Alerts and Notifications: Get instant alerts for new listings or updates that match saved searches.
- Guides and Articles: A repository of useful articles featuring guides that help buyers understand the process of purchasing businesses and investing. Articles also feature useful information on the legal and financial aspects of transacting a deal.
- Step-by-step guides: Detailed breakdowns for conducting due diligence and completing transactions.
Contact Information
- Website: dealstream.com.
- Email: support@dealstream.com.
12. Flippa
The site was founded in 2009 and today boasts the largest collection of online businesses for sale you’ll find online.
It matches over 10 million buyers and sellers every month and receives around 1.4 million visits monthly.
Key Features
- Expert guidance: Partner with specialised brokers who are there to provide tailored advice, manage your negotiations for you, and ensure a smooth digital-asset purchasing process.
- Integrated legal-as-a-service and payment solutions: The site provides legal documents secured by Dropbox Sign, embedded letters of intent and integrated asset purchase agreements.
- Customisable search: The site’s search box offers dozens of tweakable search criteria that allow buyers to pinpoint the digital assets that are right for them.
- Flippa premium: A paid-for service that gives subscribers early access to exclusive listings, in-depth data insights, and a suite of services that will allow you to make better buying decisions.
Key Information
- Website: https://flippa.com/.
- Email: support@flippa.com.
13. Cogogo
It currently has around 100 businesses for sale in the City of London and the Greater London area.
Its businesses-for-sale listing is easy to use and can be tweaked so you can search by location, sector, asking price and annual turnover.
Key Features
- Buyer financing assistance: Cogogo has a sister company, Hilton Smythe, that specialises in commercial finance, so if you need a loan to finance your purchase of a business listed on its site, the company can help you with raising the necessary capital.
Guidance and support: A team of specialists ready and able to provide you with support and advice at every stage of your business buying journey – they can even recommend a trusted solicitor. - Info hub: The site sports a wealth of resources for prospective business buyers, including business insights, case studies, top tips and business-buying guides.
Contact Information
- Website: https://letscogogo.com/
- Email: hello@letscogogo.com.
- Phone: 01204 556300.
Final Thoughts
There are somewhere in the region of 3.5 million active businesses in the UK.
At any one time, just over 1% of them are available for sale.
The featured 13 directories are an ideal place to start locating a gem among that 1%.
Share your business acquisition story!
If you’ve recently bought a business in London or are in the process of trying to find one, get in touch!
We’ll be happy to share your business-buying journey with our readers.
Author Profile
- Online Media & PR Strategist
- As a London-based Chief Marketing Officer at the digital marketing agency ClickDo Ltd I blog regularly about London, lifestyle, technology, business and many more topics.
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