Wintergerst sole advisor to the shareholders of Laauser & Vohl on the sale to NIES electronic

Wintergerst Societät für Unternehmer-Beratung acted as the sole advisor to the shareholders of Laauser & Vohl GmbH, Ostfildern, on the sale of their shares to NIES electronic GmbH in Frankfurt am Main and its managing shareholder within the framework of a succession solution. The former sales director Friedemann Wüstner succeeds Thomas Korthals as the new managing director.

Within the course of the transaction, NIES electronic GmbH (“NIES”), based in Frankfurt am Main, and its managing shareholder acquired all the shares in Laauser & Vohl GmbH (“L&V”). With this move NIES reinforces its professional audio technology division by adding major brands with great appeal. In future, L&V will be managed by its former sales director, Friedemann Wüstner, who succeeds Thomas Korthals as CEO. After more than 30 years at the head of the company, Thomas Korthals enters his well-earned retirement, but will keep working for the company for a transitional period.

NIES shares the same values and mindset

“In NIES electronic GmbH, an owner-operated company, we have found the ideal shareholder who not only has a comparable history to us but also shares the same values – we have a very similar mindset,” states Friedemann Wüstner. By using the sales team of NIES and exploiting its geographical reach, the sales system of Laauser & Vohl can be expanded and its exclusive sales brands better represented in Germany.

Succession issues successfully resolved

In the course of the transaction, Wintergerst Societät für Unternehmer-Beratung provided extensive advisory services to the shareholders of L&V. The former majority shareholder, Laauser & Vohl Verwaltung GmbH (“LVV”) intends to place its future strategic focus more closely on developing its real estate portfolio, its actual field of business. The former managing director Thomas Korthals will retire in the mid-term.

“The transaction process for this niche market was very challenging in terms of the available buyer universe. However, special challenges during a transaction process are not just a motivation for us, but a specialty of our firm,” explains Christian Kunz, a partner at Wintergerst. “Finding a successor to the managing director within the course of a sale is frequently one of the exciting challenges we face. We are satisfied that we have found the optimal solution for all involved.”