Shaw & Co, the specialist corporate finance advisory firm, has launched its second annual in-depth report into the Professional Services industry, the latest in its regular series of reports that offer business leaders a powerful sector overview and benchmarking tool to aid their decision making.

The report segments nearly 3,300 businesses with earnings in excess of £1m by size and subsector to track their performance, profitability, debt levels and M&A activity.

Key findings include:

• A Resilient Industry: Professional Services businesses weathered the Covid pandemic in impressive fashion, adapting swiftly to new technologies to continue servicing clients.

• 181 M&A Deals: Deal activity has been buoyant in the last year, but headwinds are emerging including rising inflation and the worsening geopolitical situation.

• Relative to other industries of the economy, Professional Services businesses are modestly levered and have credit capacity should they need external funding. The lending landscape is constantly evolving and ambitious companies in the sector should explore the alternative lending options. The lending markets are currently supportive with funding available for strongly performing businesses.

A full copy of the report is available here