About Buying a competitor
Joseph Ellul (5 Dolce Vita Corte, Triq San Mikiel, San Gwann, SGN 2303, Malta). He runs this site, reads every brief himself and replies directly.
Why this site exists
The rules on buying a competitor are spread across an Act, a schedule that amended it in 2024, a CMA fee notice and the National Security and Investment Act. We read each from the authority's own page on 28 October 2026 and put the tests a buyer can run on their own figures in one place, every row linked to its source.
Who it is for
Owners and managers of UK businesses thinking of buying a competitor, who want to know whether the deal could need the CMA or the government, and what the legal work costs, before they approach anyone.
What is on this site
One question, "buying a competitor", answered with a quote form that works on the page with no account, 2 guides on the questions around it, a data table you can cite (the figures and their method), and the sources every figure rests on.
- Buying a competitor business in the UK: the CMA tests, step by step: Buying a competitor business in the UK: run the CMA's jurisdiction tests on your own figures, the £10m safe harbour, the merger fee, and the NSI Act check.
- Acquiring a competitor: legal fees and the other costs: What acquiring a competitor costs in the UK beyond the price: published legal fees from £500 and £5,000, the CMA fee where it applies, and stamp duty on shares.
What it does not do
- No ranking, no best-of list and no scores: the table is sorted by the figure, not by us.
- No paid placement, no affiliate links and no sponsored rows.
- No invented figure: a provider that publishes nothing is listed as publishing nothing.
Who answers for it
Joseph Ellul-Turner, the person who reads every enquiry this site takes.
Reach us
Contact for a question about the site, or enquiries@buyingacompetitor.co.uk. The legal terms are on Terms and Privacy.
This is a free information site run by Joseph Ellul. When you send a brief, he reads it and replies to you himself; it is not passed to any broker or firm, and you pay nothing to ask. The site carries no advertising, no sponsored placement and no affiliate links, and no firm in a table has paid to be there. Every figure is read from the named firm's or authority's own public page on the date shown. Nothing here is tax, legal, regulated or investment advice; check the source before you rely on a row.