A historical know-how
Along with innovation—with a steady stream of new, high value-added product launches—acquisitions have been a historical driver for Legrand’s growth.
Since 1954, the Group has thus bought 172 companies in its core businesses, in complementary segments and in the most promising technological areas.
And since 2004, it has made 66 acquisitions representing annual acquired sales of over €2.7 billion. In 2017, Legrand made in particular the largest acquisition in its history: Milestone AV Technologies, a US frontrunner in audio-video (AV) infrastructure and power.
AN ABILITY TO SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES
Legrand teams are constantly on the lookout for new acquisitions, using their in-depth knowledge of local players to identify likely candidates in a fragmented market.
Being close to markets is one key to the success of the Group’s acquisition policy. This makes it easier to locate and assess investment opportunities. It also makes the acquisition process go more smoothly, and facilitate the docking process.
In addition, a dedicated Corporate Development unit oversees the whole acquisition process. The team is more particularly in charge of coordinating action by Legrand’s various teams involved in an acquisition operation.
A WELL-ORGANIZED DOCKING PROCESS
Legrand has set up a clearly defined process with a timeframe for docking new acquisitions. The aim is to bring new companies into the Group smoothly, harnessing all possible synergies while enabling them to achieve their own growth potential.