Acquiring established businesses · UK & Ireland
Ghost & Oak Holdings acquires and builds exceptional established businesses — protecting what already works, investing in growth and building for the long term.
Who we are
We are hands-on entrepreneurs, operators and investors with more than 30 years of combined experience across sales, marketing, technology, communications, partnerships and commercial growth. We acquire established businesses with strong foundations, protect what already works and bring the capability and capital to build the next stage - organically and through selective acquisitions.
Experience across business, sales, marketing, technology, communications and commercial growth.
We combine the instincts of operators with the discipline of investors - focused on sustainable growth, strong performance and long-term value creation.
Our wider team brings significant experience across acquisitions, finance, food, distribution, hospitality and business growth.
We acquire businesses to build them over the long term. We are not working to a conventional private-equity exit timetable.
The people behind it
From the first conversation through to completion, owners and advisers deal directly with Jamie and Caspar - the people acquiring and building the business.
Founder of Harkin.ai · Co-founder, Ghost & Oak
Jamie has 15+ years’ experience across business development, sales and marketing and is the founder of Harkin.ai, a profitable technology business working predominantly with food, beverage and hospitality brands across seven countries. He brings hands-on experience in B2B sales, customer acquisition, technology, data, commercial partnerships and building businesses from the ground up.
Director, Communications EMEA @ Uber Eats · Co-founder, Ghost & Oak
Caspar has 20+ years' experience across communications, marketing and commercial strategy, including around a decade helping Uber scale across Asia and Europe, with most of that time focused on Uber Eats. His experience spans brand, partnerships, customer acquisition and commercial growth, with deep exposure to the UK restaurant and hospitality sector. Through Uber Eats, he has operated within an ecosystem spanning more than 80,000 restaurant and grocery businesses across the UK - from independents to major national groups.
Acquisition criteria
Established, profitable businesses with something worth building on.
We are deliberately selective, but not rigid. We look for businesses with strong fundamentals, good people and customer relationships, and clear opportunities to grow. If a business sits close to the criteria below, we would rather have a conversation than rule it out on a technicality.
Ideal owner situations
An owner ready for a well-earned exit and a new chapter, who wants the business they have built to be in careful hands.
An established business without a natural family or internal successor, where continuity for the team and customers matters.
An owner looking for a buyer who will respect the business’s legacy, look after its people and customers, and take it forward.
Clean reporting · Reliable cash conversion · Quality customer relationships
Our approach
Protect what works. Invest in what comes next.
We acquire good businesses because of what has already been built - not because we want to tear them apart and start again. Our first priority is understanding the business: its people, customers, culture, operations and the things that have made it successful. From there, we work with the existing team to identify where our experience, relationships and investment can help unlock the next stage of growth.
Clear thinking, planning and disciplined execution.
Work alongside the existing team to understand the business, strengthen what works and remove barriers to growth.
Build stronger sales engines, partnerships, customer acquisition and new routes to market.
Practical use of technology, data and AI to improve customer acquisition, decision-making, efficiency and scale.
Disciplined capital allocation, acquisition expertise and access to funding for growth.
Protect strong teams, develop leadership and build the capability required for the next stage.
How we think about growth
We are particularly interested in established businesses where strong foundations have been built over many years, but there is an opportunity to create the next phase of growth. That might mean developing a more structured sales function, winning larger customers, entering new regions, improving marketing and customer acquisition, investing in capacity or technology, or acquiring complementary businesses. We are not looking for short-term financial engineering. We want to build larger, stronger and more valuable businesses over time.
01
New customers, markets and routes to market.
02
Sales, key accounts, partnerships, marketing and customer acquisition.
03
Capacity, systems, technology and people.
04
Selective acquisitions that add customers, geography, capabilities or products faster than building them organically.
For the right business, growth may extend beyond the existing company - using selective acquisitions to add customers, geography, capabilities or complementary products.
Our acquisition approach
Every business and owner situation is different, so we do not believe every transaction should have the same structure. Depending on the circumstances, a deal may combine buyer equity, acquisition finance, seller financing and retained equity. For the right business, we are particularly open to owners retaining a minority stake and participating in the future value we create together. What matters is finding a structure that works for both sides while leaving the business appropriately financed for its next chapter.
Direct buyers · Flexible structures · Experienced capital · Long-term ownership
Confidential conversation
Most owners speak to us long before they are ready to sell. There is no obligation, no process to enter and nothing is shared with anyone else.
We welcome introductions from business owners, advisers and brokers alike.