Generational change: threatened loss of substance due to a lack of company succession

There are completely different threats waiting for the location “below the waterline”: Many companies that use market strength to assert themselves in a location that has become difficult cannot find anyone who wants to take the helm and take over the “ship”: thousands of offices, companies, practices or law firms are facing a generational change. If you can't find a successor, not only will a business disappear, but structures will disappear. Germany is threatened with a completely underestimated and suppressed massive loss of economic substance.

According to ZEW and Creditreform, of the 187,744 companies closed in 2025, 87 percent ended their economic activity without becoming insolvent. The largest economic group was medical practices, with around 5,500 closures.

The pressure to act is growing. 57 percent of medium-sized entrepreneurs are now at least 55 years old. According to KfW calculations, around 109,000 companies want to find a successor every year by the end of 2029. For the first time, there are even more companies considering closure: around 114,000 per year. The most common hurdle is not a lack of economic potential. 69 percent of companies cite finding suitable successors as a problem.