Succession solution at Autocenter Baschnagel, Switzerland

April 13, 2017 – The families who own the Baschnagel Autocenter have sold the business to the interim managing director. “We are very happy that there is certainty about what will happen next, especially for the 90 employees,” says Jürg Koller on behalf of the seller families. Proventis Partners AG in Zurich provided advisory support on the succession solution.

A year before its 100th anniversary, the Baschnagel Autocenter is changing hands. Rene Fischer, interim managing director, bought the car center and the associated land from the four owner families Margrit Huser-Baschnagel, Pia Bilgerig-Baschnagel, Ruth Koller-Baschnagel and Bruno Baschnagel-Demonti as part of a “management buy out”. It was agreed not to disclose the sales price. “We are very happy that there is finally certainty about what will happen next, especially for the 90 employees,” says Jürg Koller on behalf of the seller families.

“Of course, the sale was not an easy step for us owning families, and we thought about it carefully,” says Koller. The fact is that despite, or perhaps because of, nine children in the fourth generation, no internal solution has emerged. And selling to investors was out of the question – even though they were repeatedly asked. For them, maintaining around 90 jobs was their top priority. We are now all the more pleased that this has been achieved and that the car center will remain in family ownership. Rene Fischer returns the ball and emphasizes that the takeover was only possible thanks to the great support and trust of the owner families.
Fischer speaks of a turning point in the automotive business. “New drive models are coming onto the market, workshops have to redefine themselves and completely new sales models will emerge in the future.” As the next big step, Autocenter Baschnagel will open a new showroom with state-of-the-art infrastructure in Spreitenbach in spring 2019. “Our customers will be able to experience our vehicles in a completely new way using multimedia and virtual forms of presentation.” The new owner is convinced: “In the future, sales and the technical areas will be separated even more.” With sales and presentation you have to go where there is high frequency – for example in Spreitenbach.

How the area on Landstrasse in Wettingen will develop depends on the partial change to the “Landstrasse Wettingen” usage plan, which is expected to be legally binding in the next few months. “We will then develop the area in accordance with the urban development model and in close coordination with the local authorities,”
says Rene Fischer.