The Merger Will Foster Synergies and Develop Market Potentials
The Warth & Klein Grant Thornton AG has bought stakes in the HANSE-Consulting group in Hamburg.
After an initial transition period, HANSE Consulting will trade unter the name „HANSE Consulting – affiliated with Warth & Klein Grant Thornton“ and will additionally emphasize its affiliation with Warth & Klein Grant Thornton by adapting the company’s branding accordingly.
The HANSE Consulting group is well established and highly regarded among clients. By buying stakes in it, Warth & Klein Grant Thornton hopes to expand its skills in the fields of perfomance improvement, restructuring and recovery, M&A offer as well as the interim management of medium-sized companies with an appropriate perception on the market. For the HANSE Consulting group however, the merger opens up new fields of competence, for example corporate finance & advisory services as well as auditing and tax consultancy.
By gaining access to international markets, HANSE Consulting hopes to provide improved service solutions for existing clients. HANSE Consulting also expects new growth opportunities to open up – nationally and internationally. HANSE Consulting will remain an independent actor on the market and provide services such as recovery, restructuring, earnings increase, distressed M&A and interim management. The seven partners will continue to manage the company and they will retain their stakes in the company.
Better together
Dr. Kai Bartels, Senior Partner at Warth & Klein Grant Thornton stated that the merger simply follows the logic that both companies together will be able to provide a more attractive service offer to the market than each of them could on their own.
Bartels continued saying that size in itself is not a sign of quality and does not constitute a unique selling point, and that that is the reason why the potential and the use that the merger will yield to clients, the market offer and the employees will remain paramount to the company’s efforts.
Increase competitivity and use synergies
Stefan Kleiner, founding partner of the HANSE Consulting group, says that the merger will yield significant competitive advantages for both partners. He stated that especially in medium-sized companies, the need for consulting services in order to improve performance and increase earnings has been increasing and that both companies will be able to provide better services, economically as well as with regards to content.“
Expand the international business
The joint venture will further develop the international business under the umbrella of Grant Thornton.
Warth & Klein Grant Thornton senior partner, Dr. Kai Bartels stated that the German Mittelstand (medium-sized companies) is becoming increasingly oriented towards international markets, and that qualified consulting services for perfomance improvement are a necessity, regardless of the country. Mr. Bartels also said that the company has been successfully cooperating with Grant Thornton for years and that it will also expand its international services in the field of management consulting.
About Warth & Klein Grant Thornton:
Warth & Klein Grant Thornton ranks among the ten largest German audit companies. Around 900 employees attend to a large amount of German medium-sized companies at ten locations in Germany. The company focuses on auditing, tax consultancy and legal assistance as well as corporate finance & advisory services. The company operates within the worldwide network of Grant Thornton which has about 50.000 employees at more than 700 locations in more than 135 countries.
About the HANSE Consulting group:
The management consultancy firm HANSE Consulting, which is located in Hamburg, has successfully completed more than 600 projects for German medium-sized companies in the past 23 years. Several HANSE Consulting consultants have truly made a name for themselves, especially in the fields of perfomance improvement and restructuring of medium-sized companies.
The HANSE Consulting group is active in Hamburg, Duesseldorf and Munich an employs a total of 42 employees, 25 of which work at the Hamburg office.
Whom to contact for further queries:
Karl-Heinz Heuser
Heuser Agentur für Strategie- und Kommunikationsberatung
Telefon: + 49 221 397 503-50
Email: kh.heuser@heuser-kommunikation.de
for the Warth & Klein Grant Thornton and the HANSE Consulting group
Download der Pressemitteilung als PDF (only available in German)
