Company Sales

The sale of one’s company is not easy for anyone. Particularly owners of long-established companies struggle to hand over their life's work to outsiders. Under certain circumstances, however, this is exactly the right decision in order to handle company assets responsibly and secure their value in the long term. After all, not only the seller benefits from an ideal solution, but all stakeholders of the company. IMAP also advises companies on partial sales such as the sale of subsidiaries, partial operations and brands as well as spin-offs.

The reasons for a company sale are manifold. Frequently, the owner is not able to identify a suitable successor. The main concern is to secure the success of the company and the jobs of the employees for the future. Succession planning should, therefore, be tackled early and accurately. Sometimes a gradual exit through the initial sale of a minority or majority stake may represent a suitable solution for the seller, the buyer and the company.

In order to secure strategic growth, e.g. through entering new markets, launching new products or realizing major projects, companies sometimes require additional capital. There are various options available for companies to obtain growth capital. IMAP offers capital-seeking companies access to professional financial investors, family offices as well as mezzanine lenders and provides professional support in finding the right partner and to achieve optimal conditions.

For corporations and diversified groups of companies, the sale of non-core or underperforming operations or business units represents an opportunity to improve competitiveness, efficiently use management capacity and capital and create shareholder value. With professional support, a win-win situation for all parties involved can be created. Due to our vast experience in such transactions, we are accustomed to successfully manage the interests of all stakeholders. From, employees and works councils that consider job security to the management of the seller that pays attention to a fair separation and the firm’s reputation.

AS part of our comprehensive service offering, we advise Private Equity investors on the sale of portfolio companies with regard to available strategies, expected valuation of the company, potential buyers and deal structures, timing and special process considerations.  We leverage our international network, industry knowledge and experience in order to find the best solution available.

The sale of companies in special and distressed situations is a complex challenge that requires decisive action. Here speed   is particularly critical to success. We advise and support companies and their shareholders as well as trustees, insolvency administrators and investors. We quickly and reliably develop the optimal transaction solution, considering the various interests involved. Our range of services is individually tailored to the initial situation. 

The takeover of a company can also be structured as a management buy-out or buy-in. In this case, the company is either acquired by an existing (buy-out) or a newly added (buy-in) management. Through our network of financing partners such as private equity companies, industrial holdings, family offices, banks and debt funds, we help managers to purchase a majority stake and replace existing shareholders even with limited equity. We accompany the sellers and/or management from the selection of co-investors to the structuring of the takeover and the contractual relationships.

We guide companies through the entire sales process from the initial idea to the closing of the transaction. A process always includes a comprehensive analysis and assessment of the company, including an indicative valuation on this basis, we develop an investor-friendly equity story and meaningful documentation. We assess the willingness of suitable buyers to invest - always with due confidentiality - and manage the due diligence process, including dataroom management as well as conducting the negotiations up to the signing of the contract and successful closing. During the process we are solely committed to the interests of our client.

Mergers or joint ventures also present alternatives for the sale of a company. In these forms of strategic partnership, two companies usually want to bring together either specific business units / technologies [SC1] or their entire companies to strengthen their joint presence in the market. In such a process, numerous tasks must be solved, ranging from the valuation of the respective entities to mutual due diligence and corporate governance issues.