13. Maggio 2026
Succession with growth: How Buy & Build enables family businesses to have a second career
Managing company succession is one of the most emotional and complex tasks in the German SME sector. If one’s own children take a different path or there is a lack of qualified managers in the company, there is often a threat of the end of a life’s work that has been built up over generations.
Traditionally, owners are then faced with the choice of selling the company to a competitor (often associated with the loss of identity and jobs) or the classic sale to a financial investor who primarily focuses on cost savings. However, there is a third option that sees succession not as a retreat, but as the starting signal for a second career for the company: the buy & build strategy. AUCTUS is a pioneer in the German-speaking buy & build segment and has accompanied numerous companies on their way to market leadership over the last 25 years. This article looks at the opportunities of a buy & build concept for medium-sized companies.
The principle: from local champion to market leader
In a buy & build strategy, an experienced investor (such as a private equity company) acquires a stable medium-sized company as a so-called platform company. This company forms the solid foundation.
In the next step, further organic growth of the platform company is targeted. In addition, (smaller) companies from the same or a complementary sector will be acquired (so-called add-ons). The formerly owner-managed family business will thus become the core and driving force behind a new, rapidly growing group of companies.
Why Buy & Build is the ideal succession solution
- Preserving the identity: The platform company remains the core. The name, culture and values of the founder are not rationalized away, but used as a basis for further growth.
- Central “operational backbone”: tasks such as IT, controlling, HR and purchasing are professionalized at Group level. This relieves the burden on operations and creates space for real growth.
- Financial security & upside potential: The entrepreneur liquidates a large part of his assets on the initial sale. However, he often retains a minority stake and benefits massively from the increase in value of the entire group on the subsequent overall exit. The family’s assets are no longer largely tied up in the company, but are “behind the firewall”.
Practical example: When a craft business becomes a champion
Conclusion: The second career for your life’s work
Informazioni su Auctus
Con oltre 470 investimenti negli ultimi 25 anni, AUCTUS è la società di investimento più attiva per le PMI europee. I nostri investimenti si concentrano su partecipazioni di maggioranza in aziende con un fatturato annuo compreso tra 10 e 150 milioni di euro.
AUCTUS è sinonimo di crescita organica sostenibile, ma anche di crescita inorganica attraverso le acquisizioni. Raggiungiamo questo obiettivo grazie a una partnership di fiducia con i dirigenti delle nostre aziende. Siamo specializzati nella creazione di gruppi di aziende di medie dimensioni di successo: creiamo leader di mercato. Gli oltre 35 esperti di investimenti di AUCTUS gestiscono attualmente circa 50 investimenti della piattaforma in vari settori dell’economia. Gli investimenti della piattaforma, per un totale di oltre 200 singole aziende, generano un fatturato annuo di oltre 4 miliardi di euro. >Le vendite e gli utili sono cresciuti del 10% all’anno per anni.
Il nostro lavoro di successo viene regolarmente premiato con prestigiosi riconoscimenti e classifiche internazionali.