Alan J Picken Business Transfer Agents

What Alan J Picken Business Transfer Agents does

Alan J Picken Business Transfer Agents is a family-owned business brokerage firm headquartered in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, that has marketed and sold small businesses and commercial properties across Yorkshire, Lancashire and the North of England since 1976. The firm is operated by founder Alan Picken alongside his son Fraser Picken, and serves two complementary client groups: small-to-medium business owners seeking to sell their enterprises, and entrepreneurs looking to acquire established businesses in the region. Deal sizes typically range from approximately £17,500 to £260,000, spanning categories such as cafes, delis, sandwich shops, glamping sites, holiday cottages, retail shops, telecoms resellers and specialty retail.

The firm's core product is a brokerage service that bundles free on-site valuation (typically arranged within 48 hours), in-person photography, marketing exposure, buyer matching, and end-to-end transaction guidance. Underpinning this is a website-based listings platform with search filters by region, category and price band, supplemented by social channels (Facebook, Twitter) and an email newsletter for buyer-pool cultivation. An in-house Stroma-accredited Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) service, personally delivered by Fraser Picken, operates as an add-on offering for property sales.

Commercially, Alan J Picken operates on a transaction-fee revenue model, earning commission only on successfully completed sales; valuation services themselves are provided free of charge with no obligation. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with direct phone, email, and in-person engagement rather than paid digital acquisition. The firm holds no external funding, has no disclosed partnerships or alliances, no subsidiaries, and no M&A activity, reflecting a deliberately bootstrapped, lifestyle-scale operating model rather than a venture-backed growth business.

Name

Alan J Picken Business Transfer Agents

Legal name

Alan J Picken

Website

https://alanjpicken.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Family-run business transfer agency founded in 1976 and based in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, brokering the sale and acquisition of small businesses and commercial properties across the North of England on a commission basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Brokerage Services

akta.pro primary industry

Main Street Business Brokerage (SMB/Owner-Operated) (FSAEAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Business Transfer Intermediation (Introducers/Deal Sourcing Networks) (FSAEAIAL)

Keywords

• Business brokerage
• Business transfer agents
• Business valuation
• Commercial property sales
• Energy performance certificates

Headquarters

HQ city

Ilkley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Business Sales Commission: The company earns commission from facilitating business sales. Sellers pay fees upon successful transaction completion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Alan J Picken Business Transfer Agents is a regional business brokerage that markets and sells small businesses and commercial properties on behalf of owners throughout Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the North of England. The firm provides free professional business valuations conducted in person at the client's premises, alongside in-house Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) assessments for commercial and residential properties. The core offering is supported by a website listings platform that allows prospective buyers to search businesses by region, category, and price range.

Product overview

Alan J Picken Business Transfer Agents operates as a single-service business brokerage firm rather than a platform product. The core offering is business transfer agency services, supported by complementary services including free business valuations and in-house EPC assessments. No software products, modules, or digital platforms are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Transfer Agency Services Professional business brokerage service facilitating the sale and acquisition of small businesses and commercial properties for SMB owners in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the North of England.
• Business Valuation Service Free professional business valuation conducted by Alan or Fraser Picken at the client's premises, typically arranged within 48 hours and provided with no obligation to sign.
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Services In-house commercial and residential Energy Performance Certificate assessments delivered by a Stroma Accredited Energy Assessor for properties being sold or transferred.

Quantifiable outcome

• Business sale completed in 3 weeks (Hepworth's Deli case)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/alanjpicken
• Facebookfacebook.com/alanjpickenbusiness
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alan-j-picken-business-transfer-agents

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alan J Picken Business Transfer Agents