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Across Germany, there are many large family-owned businesses some of which go back several hundred years.
So, with more than $35 billion in his war chest, Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK-A) Warren Buffett wants to buy some of them.
In fact, this week he's on a tour of Germany – as well as other European countries -- to let people know that he's ready for deal making.
Of course, in the United States, Buffett has been successful in buying up family-owned businesses. For example, he has recently helped with the purchase of Wrigley (NYSE: WWY).
But will Germany warm up to him?
Perhaps so. After all, Buffett allows managers to remain independent. Plus, Germany has many traditional businesses, such as in consumer products and manufacturing.
Something else: Timing is important. After World War II, Germany had to rebuild its industrial infrastructure. And, no doubt, the owners of these businesses must now deal with the complex issues of succession.
Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-20-2008 @ 7:19AM
Michael Schneider said...
He said there are plenty of good investments in Europe so it will be interesting to see what he ends up buying. His recent buys include investments in European health care companies Glaxo and Sanofi Aventis. I suppose he will go to Switzerland where you have big insurance and drug companies but if I had to bet on something I might bet on some company with a lot of exposure in Eastern Europe ( Central European Distribution?).
Many items on Warren Buffett, including a just posted synopsis of a recent article about his investments are available free in the Billionaire Watch section (yellow label, top) at http://www.Barrelomoney.com.