How a professional dialogue is now moving companies forward
Interview with Thorsten Gladiator, Managing Partner of Investec about how a professional dialogue is now moving companies forward:
- Why companies should entertain a professional dialogue with their investors and lenders?.
- What other challenges are companies facing?
- As a financial expert and transaction specialist what advice do you have for companies when dealing with debt and equity investors?
- Giving an example.
This video answers these questions and give you an idea and overview in a few minutes.
Finding the right type of capital and investor to help grow your business
Our team has a long track record of successfully raising equity and debt capital and has the necessary expertise and networks:
- Raising capital to support business growth
- Securing capital from private equity and/or other Investors to support MBO/MBI projects
- Securing capital from private equity and/or other investors to manage changes in the shareholding structure (such as supporting the buyout of one or more shareholders and the reallocation of equity shares)
- Project financing: supporting companies in realizing essential investments or working capital
- Refinancing: supporting companies in reorganizing/reducing their debt burden
Good reasons for a sale
In the past, large practice structures in particular were virtually unsellable or could only be sold to a successor for a small fee. The entry of investors has fundamentally changed this situation.
There are many reasons for selling a practice. A decisive factor for many is to hand over the practice, and thus the employees and patients, to suitable successors. But what can be done if there are no internal successors?
In this case, the only option is to sell to a third party. In many cases, this can be and will be doctors who intend to continue running the practice in line with the previous owners’ vision. However, once the practice has reached a certain size, very few doctors feel able to pay an appropriate purchase price. This is where larger groups can fill the gap.
In many specialist areas, investor-financed groups are already active and consolidating the market. They usually pay a (significantly) more attractive price for the practice than other doctors could and also offer support in many administrative areas. However, the doctors remain fully responsible for patient care.
In addition to the financial aspects, choosing the ‘right’ partner for your life’s work is also crucial. According to legal requirements, selling doctors must generally remain employed at the medical care centre for three years, which must be established no later than the date of sale. Practice owners must plan for this time frame accordingly.
In addition, purchase price components are usually agreed in the purchase agreements that only come into effect after two or more years of cooperation.
Do you have questions regarding M&A or selling your business?
We would be happy to schedule a call to discuss further.
Click here to download the report.
Investec is proud to announce that our French team is awarded as one of the Best Investment Bank – LBO Small to Mid Cap with a Silver Award at the recent Sommet des Leaders de la Finance in Paris.
Organised by Décideurs Corporate Finance, this event recognises excellence in corporate finance and highlights the work of professionals who lead complex and strategic transactions.
We warmly thank our teams for their dedication, and our clients for their continued trust.
The outpatient healthcare sector is changing rapidly. While the total number of medical practices is declining, leading software providers are growing by up to 90% annually.
An important driver of this development is mergers and acquisitions. With every practice sale, the likelihood of a change in practice software increases – and with it the opportunity for flexible, specialised providers to gain market share. Specialised solutions for radiology and ophthalmology are growing particularly strongly, despite high integration hurdles.
For our analysis, we compared the installation statistics of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) from 2016 with the latest data from Q4 2022. The analysis is based on publicly available billing data from the associations of statutory health insurance physicians – i.e. the very systems used for billing statutory health insurance. The figures were sorted by annual growth rates to highlight the most dynamic changes.
The result shows that the market is on the move and specialisation pays off. What developments do you see?
We look forward to hearing from you.
Investec announces the appointment of Michael Eriksen as Head of Nordic M&A in support of its strategy to significantly grow its presence in Europe. Michael brings over 25 years’ experience as an M&A advisor to companies in the Nordics.
In his new role, Michael will focus on identifying and pursuing growth opportunities for clients, in line with Investec’s 25-year track record as a trusted M&A advisor to clients globally, particularly in Europe. Investec provides tailored M&A advice to clients, many of whom operate in the mid-market across a wide range of sectors, helping them achieve their growth objectives.
In 2023 Investec acquired a majority interest in Capitalmind and, with effect from today, completes its transition to the Investec brand.
“Companies across multiple sectors in the Nordics are actively seeking opportunities to expand beyond their borders. Michael’s established relationships and expertise will be invaluable as we enhance our M&A advisory capabilities in the region. At the same time, we are committed to bringing our broader expertise to the Nordics, including leveraged finance and fund solutions for private equity, such as GP financing, continuation funds, and NAV facilities.”
Jan Willem, Managing Partner and Board Director of Investec Continental European Advisory BV (ICEA)
“The Nordic region is a dynamic and expanding market. I firmly believe that Investec, with its strong client focus and comprehensive banking capabilities, is ideally positioned to capitalise on the opportunities that lie ahead.”
Michael Eriksen, Head of Nordic M&A
In the past, large practice structures in particular were almost impossible to sell or could only be sold to a successor for a small fee. The entry of investors has fundamentally changed this.
There are many reasons for selling a practice. For many, a decisive point is to hand over the practice and therefore the staff and patients to a suitable successor. But what to do if there is no internal successor?
In this case, the only option is to sell to a third party. In many cases, this can and will be a doctor who will continue to run the practice according to the previous owner’s ideas. However, if the practice has reached a certain size, very few doctors will feel able to pay an appropriate purchase price. This is where larger groups can fill the gap.
In many specialist areas, groups financed by investors are already active today and are consolidating the market. These groups generally pay a (significantly) more attractive price for the practice than other doctors could and also offer support in many administrative areas. However, patient care is still entirely the responsibility of the doctors.
In addition to the financial aspects, choosing the “right” partner for the life’s work is also crucial. Legislation stipulates that the selling doctors must generally continue to work for three years in the medical care centre to be established for the sale at the latest. A corresponding time horizon must be planned for by the practice owners. In addition, earn-out clauses are usually agreed in the purchase agreements, which only come into effect after two or more years of co-operation.
Valuing means comparing: We carry out a structured sales process with all relevant market participants in close consultation with you. The aim is to obtain as many different offers as possible in order to be able to select the most attractive offer.
Click below to read and download the full brochure.
Financial investors and strategists are increasingly targeting company owners directly with purchase offers
SMEs have increasingly been the focus of strategic and institutional investors for many years. By means of unsolicited offers, they try to circumvent a structured process and thus make a favourable deal. Here, the transaction advisor can optimise the result for the entrepreneur, for example, through a tailored strategy and by creating a competitive environment.
Medium-sized companies are sought-after targets for investors
For some time now, many private equity companies and large corporations have focussed on acquiring medium-sized companies in Germany, as these are usually seen as innovative as well as sustainable and responsible. These potential buyers often make unsolicited, tantalising offers or hints to this effect, which, however, do not always reflect the actual market value.
Interested parties often push for early exclusivity
The strategy of ‘pre-emptive bids’ is a common practice of these investors, in which they attempt to bypass a structured sales process and eliminate other bidders at an early stage. For a thorough company valuation, however, it is essential to know the alternatives. Professional M&A advisors can point out additional options and test these in the market together with you, initially on an anonymous basis. This allows you to maximise the price and identify the best investor for the company.
A competitive process optimises the result
When you are approached by an investor, it is important to ensure that you are not selling below value. Our experienced team will enable you to develop a customised sales strategy, maintaining the highest level of confidentiality, aimed at achieving the best possible value and keeping you in control of the sales process.
How a structured process can increase the sales price
Valuing means comparing: We carry out the complex sales process with all relevant market participants in close consultation with you. The aim is to obtain as many different offers as possible in order to be able to select the most attractive offer.
Introduction
INCREASING HEALTH AWARENESS AND CHANGING LIFESTYLES HAVE LED TO A SURGE IN DEMAND FOR DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS. THIS DEMAND HAS FURTHER INCREASED DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WITH A STRONG GROWTH FORECAST FOR THE MARKET VOLUME IN EUROPE IN THE NEXT TEN YEARS.
In recent years, notable transactions and innovations have characterized the supplement market in Germany. The number of start-ups in the sector has been at a high level, as they were able to quickly gain significant attention and market share through targeted marketing, for example through social media.
For Germany, we identified more than 400 relevant companies in the sector. From these, we have summarized what we consider to be the 40 most attractive in a ranking. To accomplish this task, a comprehensive review of all 400 companies was conducted, assessing them based on five key factors deemed relevant to our evaluation criteria: revenue, revenue growth, employee growth, web traffic, and diversity of distribution channels served. In all areas, a higher number correlated with a more favorable ranking.
In order to be included in our ranking, companies had to possess a unique characteristic that sets them apart from their peers. This could be anything from an extraordinary story or an emerging trend, to a unique market approach or growth pattern. Our Fabulous 40 list consists only of companies that have this unique quality. This means that even smaller companies have the potential to make it to the top of our Fab40 list. It is worth noting that all companies on our list are considered to be among the top 10% of companies in their sector.
Investec has acquired a strong expertise in the Healthcare sector by accompanying large groups, entrepreneurs, and mid-caps in their sales processes, acquisitions, and financings. Together with Investec as a significant majority shareholder, Investec has a global reaching network of M&A professionals.
The Rheingau Music Festival is one of the largest music festivals in Europe and organises over 170 concerts every year throughout the region from Frankfurt and Wiesbaden to the Middle Rhine Valley.
Unique cultural monuments such as Eberbach Monastery, Johannisberg Castle, Vollrads Castle or the Wiesbaden Kurhaus as well as picturesque vineyards are transformed every summer into concert stages for stars of the international classical music scene and interesting up-and-coming artists from classical music and jazz to cabaret and world music.
In over 30 years, the Rheingau and its festival have become a centre of attraction for music enthusiasts from all over the world in a unique interplay of culture and nature, music, enjoyment and joie de vivre.
Investec is delighted once again to sponsor the Rheingau Music Festival 2024 and invites you to join us from 22 June to 7 September 2024!
A special feature this year? For the first time, there will be two opening concerts: Traditionally, the festival opens in the Eberbach Monastery, followed by another opening concert in the Kurhaus Wiesbaden. This year’s focus artists are also particularly outstanding: violinist Christian Tetzlaff, cellist Anastasia Kobekina, pianist Bruce Liu and jazz saxophonist Candy Dulfer.
Once again this year, various themes and focuses will ensure a varied and exciting programme. Under the motto “Spot on: Hollywood”, the world of film music comes to life in twelve concerts. Under the motto “Brazil!”, the contrasts and beauties of the country will be explored musically. The programme is also dedicated to the works of Antonín Dvořák and a true classic: Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”.
The stages of the 37th festival season will be graced by numerous stars from the worlds of classical and pop music. Highlights include star pianist Lang Lang, singers Álvaro Soler, Max Mutzke and Max Giesinger, violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, opera singer Rolando Villazón and entertainer Eckart von Hirschhausen.
Investec has been a committed sponsor of the Rheingau Music Festival for more than 15 years. This long-standing partnership is characterised by our deep appreciation for the arts and a strong connection to local culture. We look forward to experiencing a rousing summer full of music together with you again this year.
You can view the detailed program here.
Interview
As we enter 2024, the M&A landscape shows signs of recovery, albeit cautiously.
In the episode of the February 20, 2024 of No Ordinary Wednesday, Jeremy Maggs in conversation with Investec experts Jürgen Schwarz, Marleen Vermeer, and Kilian de Gourcuff, Investec’s Head of Cross-Border Finance and International Advisory Charles Barlow, on what key sectors, trends and risks to keep an eye on in 2024.
Click below to listen to the podcast:
Where does opportunity lie for dealmaking in 2024? (investec.com)
Hosted by seasoned broadcaster, Jeremy Maggs, the No Ordinary Wednesday podcast unpacks the latest economic, business and political news in South Africa, with an all-star cast of investment and wealth managers, economists and financial planners from Investec. Listen in every second Wednesday for an in-depth look at what’s moving markets, shaping the economy, and changing the game for your wallet and your business.
Listen to the best of No Ordinary Wednesday: https://www.investec.com/en_za/focus/no-ordinary-wednesday-with-jeremy-maggs.html
Extensive track record combined with deep industry knowledge
Interview with Matthias Holtmeyer, Managing Partner of Investec about the changing scenarios for medical practices:
- What are possible initial scenarios in which doctors want to sell their successful practice?
- Is the purchase price the decisive factor in the projects?
- What predestines Investec to advise physician clients on transactions?
- In which areas of medicine have you assisted clients with transactions?
- And how do you achieve the best result?
This video answers these questions and give you an idea and overview in a few minutes.
The large and rapidly growing Healthcare sector is offering dynamic business perspectives due to demographic tailwinds, increased chronic illness, and medical advancements that facilitate new diagnostic options. We advise private and public companies in this sector and focus on sub-sectors that show the best growth and/or consolidation opportunities. Most of our transactions are cross-border – within Europe and beyond – and are executed by an international team of experienced advisors with extensive sector expertise.
Thanks to our international presence, we are able to operate in all relevant European and non-European markets.
Understanding your organisation and your market environment are key factors for the success of your business.
Interview with Matthias Holtmeyer, Managing Partner of Investec about sector trends in Healthcare:
- Digitilization has been the buzzword for years. Why does it play such a big role in the health sector?
- Why is this sector so interesting for investors?
- What predestines Investec to advise on transactions in this area?
- Please describe a case.
This video answers these questions and give you an idea and overview in a few minutes.
The far-reaching changes in the international healthcare markets often require decisive entrepreneurial action in order to overcome the new challenges that have arisen. However, this also opens up a wide range of economic prospects for the players involved.
We advise companies in the inpatient and outpatient sectors, including clinics, laboratories and medical groups, on sales, succession solutions, acquisitions and financing issues. A particular focus of our advice is in the outpatient sector, where we support companies in the development and financing of group formation concepts.
Thanks to our international presence, we are able to operate in all relevant European and non-European markets.
Financial restructuring for Shareholders & Lenders
Helping clients to navigate uncertainties while putting their businesses back on track
Interview with Jürgen Schwarz, Managing Partner of Investec about Restructuring with the help of a M&A process:
- How did the market change in recent years?
- What is your approach?
- Giving an example
This video answers these questions and give you an idea and overview in a few minutes.
Sale from insolvency
Due to our pan-European presence and track record we are well placed to advise on international and cross-border restructurings.
Our international sector teams implement more than 50 transactions p.a. and in many sectors they know the active buyers, the acquisition criteria, the behaviour of individual decision makers. We also have an up-to-date overview of the market prices paid, which vary considerably over time and depending on the positioning in the sector.
Investec has direct access to numerous international equity and debt capital providers and has carried out numerous restructurings ranging from approximately 10 million Euros to several billion Euros.
Financiering en markttrends | 2023
Waarom de Duitse industrie grote behoefte heeft aan investeringen.
De Duitse industrie staat voor grote uitdagingen, waaronder de effecten van digitalisering, de verschuiving van analoge naar digitale bedrijfsmodellen, de behoefte aan milieubeschermende maatregelen en duurzame productieprocessen, evenals demografische veranderingen, die leiden tot een tekort aan geschoolde werknemers en een vergrijzende beroepsbevolking. Om deze processen succesvol te beheersen, zijn aanzienlijk hogere investeringsinspanningen nodig dan in het verleden.
Digitalisering en Industrie 4.0: Op dit moment staat Duitsland op zijn best in de middenmoot van de EU wat betreft het gebruik van digitale technologieën in de economie1. De Duitse industrie moet investeren in digitale technologieën en automatisering om concurrerend te blijven. Maar om de achterstand op vergelijkbare landen in te lopen, zouden de investeringen in IT en digitalisering in Duitsland moeten verdubbelen of verdrievoudigen van 49 miljard euro naar 100 tot 150 miljard euro per jaar. Alleen al in het mkb zouden de uitgaven voor digitalisering moeten stijgen van 18 miljard euro in 2019 naar 35 tot 50 miljard euro per jaar.
Duurzaamheid en milieubescherming: Bedrijven richten zich steeds meer op milieuvriendelijke technologieën en processen om hun duurzaamheidsdoelstellingen te halen en hun impact op het milieu te verminderen. Deze investeringen dienen niet alleen om het milieu te beschermen, maar dragen ook bij aan het concurrentievermogen op lange termijn. Een recente studie in opdracht van KfW schat de klimaatbeschermingsinvesteringen die nodig zijn om de doelstelling van klimaatneutraliteit tegen 2050 te bereiken op ongeveer 5 biljoen euro of ongeveer 190 miljard euro per jaar1. Dit enorme bedrag maakt duidelijk dat er aanzienlijk grotere inspanningen nodig zullen zijn om de doelstelling te halen dan tot nu toe het geval is geweest.
Lees de volledige insight hier.
Thorsten Gladiator, Managing Partner Investec: As corporate finance advisors, we see the importance of ESG in general and sustainability aspects in particular in almost every transaction, both in M&A situations and in financing mandates.
Equity and debt investors place a strong focus on ESG compliant investments in the interest of their financiers and / or due to investment criteria that are binding for them.
For business sellers as well as CFOs, this has pricing and process consequences:
- A clearly defined and documented ESG strategy creates confidence among investors and the company’s other stakeholders
- The same applies to the (early) implementation of legal requirements for sustainability reporting (CSRD)
- A focus on sustainability aspects provides positive differentiation features compared to competitors and can thus have a value-creating effect
- The lack of a corresponding strategy can lead to price discounts in the valuation as well as higher financing costs
- In the due diligence phase of a transaction, lack of ESG information leads to prolonged processes, higher management burden and the withdrawal of investors with clearly defined ESG investment criteria
The following article from AIM – Advice in Motion highlights the various aspects for medium-sized companies and shows examples of successful ESG strategies.
Opportunities and challenges of sustainability for smaller and medium-sized enterprises
The sustainability performance of a company today is the decisive factor for its competitiveness tomorrow. In this context, medium-sized companies in Germany in particular are faced with tasks whose extent has not yet been fully recognized in many cases and which involve major challenges in terms of resources, time and expertise.
Even though sustainability is a ubiquitous and much-discussed topic that is omnipresent both in the media and in public debate, it is by no means a new issue. Rather, sustainability has a long and exciting history that spans centuries and has been shaped by various actors and concepts.
Where do the roots of sustainability lie?
As far back as the Middle Ages, the moral ideal of the honorable merchant played a decisive role in promoting sustainable principles. Many a family entrepreneur rightly sees himself or herself in the tradition of the honorable merchant and aligns his or her business conduct with principles such as honesty, responsibility and sustainability.
In the 18th century, the Saxon chief miner Carl von Carlowitz coined the term sustainability in his work “Sylvicultura Oeconomica.” He introduced the idea that forest resources should be managed sustainably by cutting only as much wood as can naturally grow back. What was interesting about Carlowitz’s concept of sustainability was that sustained yield was precisely not antithetical to sustainability. Rather, forestry yield acted as the cornerstone for this oft-cited source of the concept of sustainability. The mining area of the Erzgebirge was simply dependent on the sustainable use of wood for construction, mining and smelting purposes.
Another significant milestone in the development of sustainability was the Brundtland Report, published in 1987 under the title “Our Common Future”. The report defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Here, sustainability clearly went beyond a purely economic consideration. The report emphasized the need to integrate economic, social and environmental aspects to create a sustainable future.
Since then, the understanding of sustainability has evolved to encompass a variety of dimensions. One key concept is ESG (environmental, social, governance) criteria, which encompass environmental, social and governance-related factors. Differentiation of individual sustainable development goals is achieved through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted in 2015. The SDGs include 17 global goals to promote sustainable development at the economic, social and environmental levels by 2030. These goals range from poverty reduction, health, education and gender equality to renewable energy and sustainable cities.
The SDGs are an excellent framework for linking the principle of sustainability with economic, ecological and social development and provide a suitable orientation framework for a company’s sustainability strategy:
- SDGs as guidelines for sustainable management
- Alignment of products and services with the SDGs
- Business activities can contribute directly to achieving the SDGs
Nowadays, at the current edge of development trends around sustainability, so to speak, ESG expression is thus considered a leitmotif and fundamental approach for responsible and sustainable development. It is about combining economic, social and ecological aspects in order to create a world worth living in for present and future generations.
The individual SDGs are suitable targets for integrating ESG into corporate strategies, as they are more concrete and easier to measure using indicators than the more fundamental ESG concept.
Importance of the midmarket
As the backbone of the economy, the SME sector comprises a large number of companies that operate both regionally and internationally. It is of great importance for economic performance and employment in the country. Around 2.5 million companies in Germany belong to the Mittelstand, in the definition of a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME). These range from microenterprises to medium-sized companies with up to 250 employees, which generate around one-third of total sales for Germany and employ more than half of all employees.
Expectations around an ESG expression of the SME business model arise in a wide variety of internal and external stakeholder groups. Typical stakeholders include shareholder families, employees, customers and suppliers, financiers (EC and FC), NGOs and the media, and to an increasing extent regulatory policy.
The reasons for which companies address ESG requirements also vary. The most common motives include:
- The assumption of ecological and social-societal responsibility,
- Ethical reasons and intrinsic motivation,
- Requirements of customers and employees,
- Cost reduction and expectation of increasing sales,
- Requirements of capital providers,
- And last but not least, the increasing regulatory requirements.
The majority of companies are in the early stages of sustainability management.
Pressure to act and status quo around ESG in SMEs
The pressure to develop and implement ESG strategies is immense and relevant stakeholders are demanding this. In addition to opportunities of an ESG orientation such as cost reduction, successful positioning of the company, revenue and profitability advantages, there are clear business risks of a lack of consideration of sustainability requirements up to the withdrawal of the “license to operate” (violation of regulatory requirements, exclusion from supply chains, lack of financing or perspective withdrawal of insurance coverage).
If, against this background, surveys come to the conclusion that, despite pressure to act and explicit expectations of the relevant stakeholders, only around half of the companies in the SME sector have developed and implemented ESG strategies, the question arises as to why.
A ´decisive factor is the lack of time and resources in many SMEs to deal with the challenges and requirements of sustainability. Time is traditionally a scarce commodity, especially in owner-managed companies. Teams and specialists for ESG strategies and sustainability cannot simply be plucked out of the ground: the market for ESG specialists is empty and salary expectations are correspondingly high.
Support from external consultants is the obvious choice, but here, too, capacities are stretched and for many a large consulting firm it is obvious and more lucrative to advise the large DAX companies with entire teams of consultants before they delve into the peculiarities of the business model of a geographically decentralized SME.
AIM – Advice in Motion GmbH
This is where AIM, as an independent sustainability consultancy and partner in the Investec network, can provide effective support. AIM thinks and speaks medium-sized. Their clients include medium-sized companies from a wide range of industries in Germany, France, Portugal, Luxembourg and Switzerland. AIM supports with:
- Creation, coordination and implementation of ESG strategies in medium-sized companies,
- Preparation for mandatory sustainability reporting (CSRD),
- Directive-compliant calculation of the carbon footprint of companies (CCF) and products (PC),
- Preparation of climate strategies, derivation of targets and measures from the climate footprint,
- Communication around ESG and climate protection: avoidance of reputation risks.
Examples of successful ESG implementation in medium-sized companies:
I. Initial situation: Sustainability requirements for a medium-sized company in the wood industry in Germany with around 1,200 employees. In addition to the intrinsic motivation of the shareholders, a major impetus for action arose from the initiative of the industry association, which demands the implementation of climate protection measures for all member companies. Another impetus for action was for the company, as a supplier in the value chain of a large trading house, to support its ambition (climate protection and other social goals throughout the supply chain). AIM supported the development of a climate strategy, the calculation of the corporate carbon footprint and the compensation of unavoidable emissions in order to achieve climate neutrality.
II. Initial situation: market positioning of a 5-star resort hotel in Provence with its own vineyard. A key impetus for action was to reconcile a luxury resort with sustainability requirements and climate change mitigation measures. AIM developed an ESG strategy for the resort. This was based on a selection of sustainable development goals (SDGs) to which the resort can contribute. Corresponding measures were defined and implemented. At the same time, climate neutrality was achieved for the resort by offsetting unavoidable emissions. (AIM has implemented a comparable project with a resort in Portugal, which has since been nominated for the Sustainability Award of the Portuguese Tourism Association).
III. Initial situation: product positioning for a manufacturer of high-quality competition racing bikes from Switzerland. The company wants to make competitive sports compatible with sustainability and climate protection in particular. In order to provide buyers and users of the competition bike with an assessment of the carbon footprint of the racing bike product, AIM calculated the product-related carbon footprint for the bike, taking into account all phases of the life cycle of the racing bike, from cradle to grave.
IV. Initial situation: A medium-sized holding company with around 1000 employees in Germany will be subject to mandatory sustainability reporting in accordance with CSRD for the first time from the calendar year 2024. The extended reporting affects around 15,000 companies in Germany. The company’s sustainability performance will be considered from two perspectives: the impact of sustainability aspects on the corporate business model and the impact of the company’s activities on the environment and stakeholders. At the same time, the company aims to create a comprehensive ESG strategy that brings together all the actions taken to date to support sustainability goals. AIM has worked with the company to develop an ESG strategy that is aligned and parameterized with metrics to best prepare for upcoming sustainability reporting.
The development of company specific ESG and climate strategies and the requirements associated with the expansion of sustainability reporting pose major challenges for entrepreneurs in the SME sector. We support your company effectively in the sustainable transformation to ensure together with you the future and the competitiveness of your company for you and future generations.
Author: Andreas Kuschmann, Founding Partner AIM – Advice in Motion GmbH.
THE PURSUIT OF SPEED, QUALITY, AND COST EFFECTIVENESS IN PHARMACEUTICALS
Summary
Outsourcing has become increasingly popular in the pharmaceutical industry due to its ability to reduce costs. Various large outsourcing services now cover the entire value chain, from discovery to sales, with a focus on research, development, manufacturing, packaging, and sales. Technology and service providers are now essential to pharmaceutical companies as they help speed up research and development, optimize time-to-market, and maximize commercial success. The outsourced pharma sector thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic and has shown resilience against harsh economic conditions.
Strategic buyers are driving merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the outsourced pharmaceutical market, which is consolidating as participants acquire the necessary scale and capabilities to become more relevant to their biopharma customers. Financial buyers and strategic investors are showing increased interest in outsourced pharma service providers due to their attractive margins, and potential for expanding their product range and market share. These service providers boast healthy margins and trade at high multiples. The desire of pharma companies to deal with fewer and larger CDMOs and CPOs accelerates consolidation in the outsourced services sector.
Key Takeaways
Trends: As pharmaceutical companies seek to speed up research and development, optimize timing to market, as well as maximize commercial success, they increasingly rely on technology and service vendors.
M&A activity: Transactions in the outsourced pharma sector thrived under COVID-19 and show to be resilient against harsh economic conditions. M&A activity is dispersed over the globe. Healthy margins and low systemic risk make CDMOs attractive for private equity investors.
Buyer characteristics: While PE-backed investors follow buy-and-built strategies, most transactions are performed by strategic buyers who expand their global and services reach, accelerating consolidation.
Valuation: Over the past years, transaction multiples in the outsourced pharmaceutical industry have steadily increased, Listed providers trade at 15x EBITDA and above, reflecting higher valuations than the overall market, reflecting a strong interest in the industry’s potential for growth.
Click here to read and download the full report.
Unlocking Working Capital potential to fuel operational growth
Amidst the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and persistent inflation, it is crucial for companies to prioritize efficient working capital management (WCM) in order to navigate near-term uncertainty and foster growth during the economic recovery. We identified four key reasons that make WCM crucial:
1. Economic headwinds are expected to be persistent: Despite the recovery of most advanced economies to pre-pandemic levels of output, growth in 2023 is projected to be sluggish. Recent downward revisions in growth forecasts highlight the challenges that lie ahead. For instance, the GDP growth forecast for the EU has been reduced to around 0.75%, a mere one-fifth of the previous year’s growth1. The IMF has also predicted that Germany will be the second weakest G7 economy next year, following the UK, with an anticipated GDP contraction of 0.11%1. Moreover, recent data reveals that the German economy contracted slightly for two consecutive quarters, by 0.5% in Q4 2022 and 0.3% in Q1 20232.
2. Inflationary pressure remains high until at least 2024: The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to skyrocketing energy and food prices, resulting in persistent inflationary pressures. Additionally, rising material costs and supply chain challenges pose a threat to inventory levels, leaving businesses susceptible to supply shortages and price fluctuations. Although the IMF predicts a decline in inflation in Germany from 8.7% in 2022 to 6.1% in 2023, a return to the 2% target is not expected until at least 2025. Consequently, some companies have turned to forward buying and speculative upstocking. However, this strategy strains working capital and depletes cash reserves.
3. Interest rate peak has probably been reached: Central banks across the world have continued to tighten monetary policy and roll back quantitative easing to defeat red-hot inflation. In Europe, the ECB has raised its key interest rate by 0.25 percentage points to 3.5% in June, marking the eighth consecutive increase since July 2023. This rate-hiking cycle is the fastest in the ECB‘s history. ECB President Christine Lagarde announced further rate hikes in July, indicating an ongoing trend. According to a survey conducted by Bloomberg, it is projected that the peak will be reached at 4% in September 2023. Consequently, financing and working capital is becoming increasingly expensive.
4. Corporate cash flows are coming under increasing pressure: According to PwC, Days Cash on Hand of companies decreased by 10% in 20214. In 2022, the intensified efforts of central banks worldwide to combat inflation by raising interest rates have significantly impacted corporate cash flows. Mounting challenges stem from factors such as cost inflation, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical events like the war in Ukraine, which have also influenced lender sentiment and global debt markets. In Europe, institutional loan issuance suffered a decline of 42% so far in 2023 compared to the previous year (as of July)5. As a result, the management of liquidity and working capital has become increasingly important.
Thorsten Gladiator, Managing Partner Investec: Supply chain issues and increasing (raw) material prices lead to higher funding requirements in working capital. A variety of working capital financing products allows for tailor-made solutions.
Nordic Healthcare & Life Sciences sector reaches highest deal activity over the last 6 years, with increasing appetite from private equity companies and public buyers looking to consolidate smaller clinics to create larger medical provider chains.
The Nordic Healthcare & Life Sciences sector continues strong M&A activity in H1’22 with deal volume up c. 4% from the record breaking H1’21 and significantly higher than previous years. Public buyers are the main driver in the Healthcare & Life Sciences space together with an increasing private equity appetite illustrated by a new high within platform investments and add-ons accounting for 39% of all transactions in H1’22. The Medical Providers segment is targeted in 3 out of 10 platform investments, whereof more than one third of these transactions involve companies working with Long-term care. The most active strategic buyer country, both public and private, is Sweden accounting for 37% of all strategic transactions, followed by Finland (20%), Norway (9%) and The US (8%). Financial sponsored buyers are often located in Denmark, accounting for 11% of these deals only exceeded by Sweden.
Key insights:
- 84 transactions were recorded during H1’2022, which is slightly above the volume as of H1’2021 (#81) and up c. 22% compared to H2’2021. Most transactions were recorded in the Medical Providers segment.
- 39% of H1’2022 transaction had PE-involvement, up from 35% in 2021 and significantly higher than the PE-involvement in 2017 (23%) and 2018 (26%). The increase in PE-involvement is the first since 2019-2020.
- Big consolidators continue to acquire smaller clinics to create larger medical provider chains within e.g., primary care, dental care, and long-term care. PE-firms are also backing leading providers in this space.
- We have seen a couple of headline deals during the first half-year of 2022: 1) Triton (UK) adds to their presence in the Nordic Medical Providers segment with the acquisition of Esperi Care (FI), 2) Axcel (DK) announced the acquisition of the Swedish dental care provider Oral Care AB (SWE) from Accent Equity, 3) Cochlear (AUS) acquired Oticon Medical (DK) from Demant for c. EUR 114m.
- PE platform investments tend to target the segments Medical Providers, Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences and Medical Products & Services, accounting for 7 out of 10 deals involving new platform investments.
- The Publicly listed Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences companies are experiencing the highest EV / NTM EBITDA valuation multiples (22.2x) on their rolling 3-month average together with Medical Products & Services (18.2x) and Health Care IT companies’ (17.1x), while Medical Providers trade at significantly lower multiples (7.5x).
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