Today (Friday 21 June 2024) marks national EO Day; a day to celebrate the many employee-owned businesses and employee owners across the country.

This years’ theme is “ProudlyEO” and in keeping with that, the JMW EOT team are celebrating the work that that they have carried out with employee-owned businesses.

Sara Bluston, a senior associate in JMW’s EOT team comments “we are incredibly privileged to have supported over 20 businesses in their transition to employee ownership, with many wonderful success stories to recount.

We would like to take this opportunity to ‘join the party’ and show our support and admiration for employee-owned businesses and the employee ownership model.”

The UK has experienced a substantial uptake in businesses evolving to a shared / employee ownership model, with employee ownership trusts or “EOTs” now widely recognised (and appreciated) as effective and successful business structures.

The EOT structure enables existing business owners to either totally exit, or take a step back from, their business. Shares in the company are transferred to a trust and held for the benefit of the employees as a whole. There are notable tax advantages for employees and business owners in selecting this exit strategy, not to mention the value it places on employee engagement and preserving business ethos, which could be eroded if other exit strategies (such as a trade sale) are selected.    

Great examples of the positive influence of the EOT model can be seen in the following testimonials that the JMW EOT team have received from EOT clients:

If you are considering moving your business over to a Employee Ownership Trust read how our team can help you here.