The most important medium-sized companies owned by investors in Germany

This article has been updated on 14.05.2020.

German medium-sized companies in demand: No asset class for investments offers more exciting returns on investment than a well-running company. And on the other hand, the entry of financially strong partners is often just the right impulse for new growth dimensions. DDW has compiled the 1.950 most important examples in a list.

DDW has gathered medium-sized companies held by private equity and holding companies. These companies include large market participants such as Karstadt (Signa Holding), BURGER KING Deutschland GmbH (3G Capital) or TAKKO Holding GmbH (Apax Partners), but also smaller medium-sized companies such as the commercial vehicle manufacturer Kieback (Indus Holding), Hakle GmbH (Palero Capital) or KRÖGER Greifertechnik GmbH & Co. KG (Elbe Partners Industries).

Foreign holding companies strongly involved

Almost exactly half of the 1950 companies listed are held by foreign investment companies. The most strongly represented is the US-American Advent International, which has 44 investments, including AQUA VITAL Quell- und Mineralwasser GmbH from Neuss, Allnex Germany GmbH from Wiesbaden or Bonitas Holding GmbH from Herford. This is followed by the Carlyle Group (43 investments), which is also based in the USA, the German Indus Holding (41) and the French Chequers Capital (39). The Swedish EQT Partners is also strongly represented with 37 investments (e.g. kfzteile24 GmbH, Avenso GmbH, Apleona GmbH).

Of the German investment companies, Indus Holding is leading by a significant margin with 41 investments. The company was founded by Winfried Kill in Bergsich-Gladbach in 1989 and has been listed on the stock exchange since 1995. Its holdings include the air-conditioning and heating technology company REMKO in Lage, Hauff-Technik in Hermaringen and the metalworking company Betek in Aichhalden.

VR Equitypartner from Frankfurt, a subsidiary of DZ-Bank, is in second place among German market players with 18 holdings, including PILLER Entgrattechnik GmbH from Ditzingen, GHM Messtechnik Group (Erolzheim) and UTT Technische Textilien GmbH & Co KG, Krumbach. Third place is shared by Deutsche Beteiligungs AG and Hannover Finanz, each with 17 investments.

Industrial companies are highest in demand

Investment partners are particularly strongly involved in industrial companies, which account for 52 percent of the 1,950 companies listed. 42 percent are invested in service companies, while only five percent of the companies can be assigned to the retail sector.

These segments are at the top of the list by sector:

1. Mechanical engineering: (162) Companies
2. Health: (151) Companies
3. Real estate companies: (95) Companies
4. Chemical industry / Electrical engineering: both (92) Companies
5. IT consultants: (85) Companies
6. Gastro-Tourism: (75) Companies
7. Consumer goods: (67) Companies
8. Steel industry: (60) Companies
9. Media agencies: (57) Companies
10. Finance: (52) Companies

More on this topic:

• The 10 largest German companies owned by investors
• The list of the 1.500 most important family offices and investors in Germany
• The list of the 10.000 most important medium-sized companies in Germany

The list of the 1,500 investor companies from Germany is available with many company key figures and data in the DDW reader service: Order here