Change of ownership in painting group with 150 employees

With the change of ownership, HG Danmark has acquired four companies with approximately 150 employees who, until the generational change, have had the same ownership group and work closely together on a daily basis on the often highly specialized tasks.

The tasks of the four companies include the maintenance of our common cultural heritage such as Christiansborg, Det Kgl. Theater and Tivoli Gardens. There is also a collaboration with Carlsberg. which stretches all the way back to the establishment of C. Møllmann in 1879.

John Nygaard and Ulf Steiness from Business Broker been advisors to the owners of C. Møllmann & CO and the other three companies in the sales process.

Painting group sold to the right buyer

Seller and former majority shareholder Christian Ravn, who is CEO of C. Møllmann & CO, has no doubt that the owners have reached an agreement with the right buyer.

"HG Danmark is the right buyer for us because we will be able to maintain our independence. Operations and management remain unchanged after the change of ownership, which means a lot to us and our employees," he says.

Business Brokers has therefore involved a focused process that has secured the deal for the owners of the painting group, explains John Nygaard, one of C. Møllmann's business brokers.

Ulf Steiness, who has also assisted C. Møllmann & CO, adds:

"HG is a large professional player that has a fixed structure for how their acquisitions proceed. It can be difficult for the seller to change the model. We have assisted the owners behind the companies to optimize the seller's terms in the change of ownership."

Salesperson Christian Ravn agrees with this assessment. He is extremely satisfied with the advice provided by John Nygaard and Ulf Steiness and is convinced that having business brokers such as Business Broker his advisory team has been extremely valuable, especially in a change of ownership situation where the pool of buyers is limited.

"Business Broker our business right from the first meeting, and we have benefited greatly from being able to consult with them throughout the process. They have looked after our interests from a holistic perspective. Even though we had an accountant and a lawyer as advisors, selling a business is about much more than numbers and legal clauses. For example, there are many decisions and models whose consequences must be understood. Business Broker has Business Broker top-class advice," says Christian Ravn, adding:

"Ulf and John have helped us set a strategy and stick to it. This means that we have a deal we couldn't have negotiated without them on the sidelines."

Business continues to operate as before sale

As part of the deal, the now former owners of the companies have reinvested part of their proceeds in the Norwegian parent company Håndverksgruppen AS. This makes them co-owners of a company with a targeted and significant growth strategy.

The HG Group owns almost 100 companies and has close to 3,000 employees.

Christian Ravn and the other sellers of the companies will continue in their management positions and continue to run the companies as before, but now with synergy opportunities and professional inspiration from new colleagues throughout the HG Group.