Articles

Consolidation

In the 1970’s, many believed the world would soon be running out of oil. In the 1980’s I remember hearing that all the small family owned propane and heating oil companies would be gobbled up by a few large companies. Neither of those projections held true. The world is producing more oil and propane than ever before and I don’t know if in our lifetime, we will see the level of consolidation that was once predicted.

We are however seeing an uptick in acquisition activity, and I am often asked my opinion as to what is driving it. There are several reasons why family owned businesses are sold.

1. Retirement continues to hold the #1 spot, with increased activity due to less family transition. The Millennial generation seeks socially conscious careers and flexible work hours. While our industry is adapting, it is not high on the career path list and owner’s children are less likely to take over the family business than they were in the past.
2. Enjoying life without the day to day worries has become another leading reason for selling. Some business analysts also call this FBB (fatigue, boredom, and burnout). Most owners have done well but at the cost of getting burnt out, especially during difficult winters.
3. The owner’s financial situation, good or bad can cause a company to come on the market. Typically, we see distressed companies looking to sell, however we have seen the opposite several times. We saw one owner’s company come on the market after hitting the lottery for several million.
4. Medical condition is an unfortunate reason; however, we do see some clients who want to settle their estate while they are still able to do so.
5. Concern for the future of the industry has become more of a reason, especially for heating oil companies who have not diversified into propane. This is highlighted in certain geographic areas where conversion away from oil heated homes has been as high as 5% annually.
6. Fairly new to our list is the difficulty in finding drivers and qualified technicians. Many owners have had to step in and hit the streets in a truck or service van to take care of customers.

The good news for sellers is that there are still multiple buyers in most markets. In this past year we helped a dozen companies with acquisition transactions and very few were gobbled up by the big guys. We averaged twenty-one interested buyers for the companies we presented for sale and we had as many as thirteen offers on a single company. The buyers who have committed to staying and growing are eager to acquire companies.

The good news for the buyers is that industry is still consolidating. Home energy acquisitions continue to present buyers with a great return on investment. All the reasons listed above continue to bring new opportunities to buyers. It should be noted that there are also new family owned businesses entering the industry. Consolidation is happening and that brings opportunity for both buyers and sellers.


Current Business Listings

View All

Completed Transactions

View All

We were very pleased to have such a knowledgeable and experienced company in our corner with the team at Cetane. It was obvious that they knew the best process and how to get the ball over the goal line. Their advice throughout the process was greatly appreciated and we thoroughly enjoyed working with them.

— Steve Lombardi, Brodeur’s Oil, Moosup, CT