M&A advice for family businesses
Family businesses are something special. Since we are a family business ourselves, we know the specific challenges of family-run companies — it’s part of our DNA. Family entrepreneurs usually only sell their company once. In this respect, they require more intensive advice than corporate groups or financial investors. What’s more, the emotional attachment to a company that has been family-owned for generations is usually very strong. Many decisions are made more emotionally. We understand what moves the owners and are particularly responsive to their needs. — This applies to process organization and support as well as support with strategic decisions.
Our clients are as diverse as the companies they run. In the initial phase, we therefore focus very strongly on what motivates the entrepreneur. For example, is it a majority sale or the sale of a minority stake, is capital to be raised, is it the exit of individual family members or new growth opportunities for the company? Entrepreneurs want to know that their own company is in good hands.
They expect us to provide excellent support during the process, a new owner who is attractive to all parties involved and, of course, a first-class valuation for their company. We have a large network with direct and personal access to owners, family offices, companies and investors at national and international level.
Japan and Germany are geographically far apart from each other — and in but still very close in many respects. — Due to the more advanced demographic development in Japan and the associated lower economic growth, many Japanese companies are looking for expansion opportunities abroad. Due to a similar economic structure and many technologically leading companies, Germany has a large number of potential acquisition candidates or partners. This involves market access, customers, products, technology, but also local management capacities. There are also many overlaps between the two countries: Japanese and Germans are similar in many basic values such as punctuality, reliability and a long-term approach. This makes German companies attractive to the Japanese.
We have had excellent contacts in Japan for many years and have been advising Japanese companies buying in Germany for more than twenty years. With Our office in Tokyo, Metzler Japan Holdings (MJH), is the local contact for Japanese companies and investors planning cross-border partnerships and transactions in Europe, particularly in Germany.
Kim Comperl has worked for Metzler since 2018 and is a member of the Executive Board of B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG. He is Managing Director of B. Metzler GmbH and responsible for the Corporate Finance division. Mr. Comperl has over 30 years of professional experience in corporate finance, and has held senior positions at HSBC and Dresdner Kleinwort in London and Frankfurt am Main. In his last role at HSBC, he built up and headed the M&A Sell Side EMEA division in London from 2014; prior to that, he was co-head of the M&A Germany department in Frankfurt am Main for six years. Prior to that, Mr. Comperl worked at Dresdner Kleinwort in Frankfurt am Main and London: From 2004 to 2008, he was responsible for the Financial Sponsor Coverage Germany division. He studied economics at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main and graduated with a degree in business administration.