A new report has revealed that agriculture business owners are least likely to sell up after a challenging year.

The UK Business Investment Report was carried out by equity management platform Vestd, after the latest government figures revealed that firms going bust are at their highest levels since 2009. 

The report analysed business data from sale platforms RightBiz and BusinessForSale and then compared the results to the number of registered businesses per industry. In doing this, they identified the regions and areas that have the highest proportion of companies on the market.

At the bottom of the table, owners of agriculture businesses show no sign of closing up shop with just one in every 943 businesses up for sale. With 215,000 businesses registered, 228 are currently up for sale. 

Transportation and software/IT business owners followed in a similar vein with one in every 802 businesses being up for sale. 

Commenting on the research Ifty Nasir, founder and CEO at Vestd said:

"It's been an incredibly challenging time for businesses over the past year and beyond and our data makes it all too clear that the cost of living crisis is continuing to hit businesses where it hurts, their bottom line. 

"It's a difficult landscape for business owners looking to put exit exit strategies in place. It's important that you think about this process well in advance and familiarise yourself with the different ways you are able to sell your business and the pros and cons of each. 

"Planning an exit that meets your individual requirements, as well as those of your business, will make the process of selling as stress-free as possible but that is easier said than done with the current set of challenges.

"If you're planning to sell your business, make sure you've got your team engaged and are working to increase productivity. One way to encourage this is for business owners to share a piece of the pie with their employees through enterprise management incentives. This too can also provide welcome relief to the company tax bill and reward your employees in the process."

To view the full report please visit: https://www.vestd.com/blog/uk-business-investment-report-which-industries-are-selling