For intermediaries
We work with the brokers, accountants, lawyers and bank managers who advise Portuguese business owners.
I · Our mandate
| Sector | HVAC, electrical and plumbing |
|---|---|
| Size | Revenue between €3 million and €20 million a year, or EBITDA from €300,000 |
| Where | The whole country, including Madeira and the Azores |
| Structure | Purchase of the whole share capital. Part of the price may be paid over the following years |
| Situation | An owner deciding what comes next: succession, liquidity, a partner leaving, or heirs who do not want to run it |
If a company is close to this, send it anyway.
II · How we answer
We reply to every approach the same day. After a first conversation and a set of accounts, we give a clear yes or no, usually within two weeks. When it is no, we say why. When there is interest, we put an indicative value and terms in writing early, before anyone has spent months on it.
The final price starts from the indicative value, is adjusted for cash and debt at completion, and moves away from it only if diligence shows a company different from the one described to us.
III · What we need to look at a company properly
| Accounts | Three years. The IES is enough to begin |
|---|---|
| People | Headcount, and who supervises the work day to day |
| Customers | The largest three as a share of turnover |
| Licences | Any IMPIC alvará or título de registo, and DGEG installer registration where it applies |
| What sits where | Property, vehicles and owner remuneration, inside or outside the company |
We can work from less. A rough picture is enough to begin.
IV · Mandates and confidentiality
Where an owner is represented, we deal with their adviser and we respect the mandate. We do not go around you. We sign a confidentiality agreement at the first contact, before confidential information changes hands, and we will sign yours rather than insist on ours.
Where an introduction falls outside an existing mandate, we agree terms in writing before information is exchanged.
V · Our capital
We are a company with no fixed life, and we do not buy companies in order to sell them. The capital behind us comes into the group, not into a single transaction. We invest our own capital and that of a small group of private investors, alongside Portuguese banks. We signed our first letter of intent in September and expect to complete the purchase by the end of the year.
VI · Fees
We do not pay fees to whoever introduces a company to us, and our position does not depend on who makes the introduction. Where the owner is represented, it is the owner who pays his adviser, and we do not interfere in that relationship.
The next step
Send us the company: geral@grupocerne.pt, or call Pedro on +351 918 330 399.