Advice: PM+M corporate finance team director Peter Kelly A BLACKBURN accountancy firm has reported a significant spike in interest amongst North West businesses looking to become employee owned trusts. PM+M, based on Greenbank Technology Park, says that the coronavirus pandemic has been a key factor behind the trend which has seen more and more firms express interests in selling themselves to Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs). The company's corporate finance team director Peter Kelly said he expects to see this trend continue. He said: "The pandemic has made businesses of all sizes reassess how they operate. "Many now realise that their people are the backbone of their operations so implementing an EOT model is the next natural step in their evolution, especially as a combination of shared ownership and employee participation can deliver superior business performance."