Developing the legal framework for the takeover of a company
Verified 27 September 2023 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
When you resume a individual business, you can resume the entire occupational heritage or only the fund (without debts). When you resume a businessNo, you're resuming its securities (shares or shares).
What applies to you ?
Individual business You are resuming a
The resumption of a company implies the resumption of the elements intangible and corporal of the fund (commercial, craft). However, you can decide with the seller to resume the entirety of his professional heritage, i.e. the fund (assets) and debts (liabilities).
Recovery of the fund
The fund to be taken over shall comprise the following elements:
- Clientele
- Brand and trade name
- Right to lease : right to take over from the holder of a commercial lease, occupy the premises and enjoy a right to renewal of the lease
- Employment and insurance contracts
- Literary, artistic and industrial property rights (patents, software, trademarks, domain name)
- Administrative licenses or authorizations : for regulated businesses, e.g. pharmacies or beverage outlets
- Furniture
- Equipment and tools : property required for the operation of the fund (machinery, computers, offices)
- Stock of goods : in most cases, the stock is valued separately and settled separately.
Recovery of all assets
The professional assets to be taken over shall comprise the following elements:
- Clientele
- Brand and trade name
- Right to lease : right to take over from the holder of a commercial lease, occupy the premises and enjoy a right to renewal of the lease
- Employment and insurance contracts
- Literary, artistic and industrial property rights (patents, software, trademarks, domain name)
- Administrative licenses or authorizations : for regulated businesses, e.g. pharmacies or beverage outlets
- Furniture
- Equipment and tools : property required for the operation of the fund (machinery, computers, offices)
- Stock of goods : in most cases, the stock is valued separately and settled separately.
- Claims and liabilities : debt repayment obligations and operating debts (in particular from suppliers)
- Miscellaneous Contracts : Supplier contracts, for example
- Books and commerce and accounting documents : in principle, the last 3 accounting years should simply be searchable for 3 years.
If the seller owns the commercial walls (the premises in which the fund is operated), you can offer to take them back. This investment ensures that you can have the premises over time and allows you to develop and diversify your heritage.
Recovery may also include digital fund elements, crucial for the continuity of the company:
- Domain Name and linked business email addresses
- Website
- Accommodation contract
- Google My Business (GMB)
- Client File and audience analysis services (e.g. Google Analytics)
- Social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn)
- Account on a marketplace or a booking tool (e.g. Amazon, Cdiscount, Booking, Tripadvisor...)
These digital elements enable the purchaser toaccelerate its implementation local and on the internet. They may do so be valued on the transfer of the goodwill.
Please note
You can use a FranceNum activator (digital expert) to be accompanied when the digital elements of a business are taken over.
Whether you are alone or accompanied by partners, you can take back the target company by creating a takeover holding.
The holding company will be borrower necessary to take over the fund.
Loan maturities (or financing debt) will be paid through dividends distributed by the business taken over.
The holding company may any legal form (SA, SAS, SARL, EURL, etc.), but the most common form is the SAS which is distinguished by its management flexibility.
If you can't afford to immediately invest in a fund, you can opt for the management leasing agreement.
The management leasing allows you to freely exploit the fund without being the owner. In return, you have to pay the owner a fee fixed or based on turnover.
Management leasing requires you to be trader.
Please note
One security deposit may be required by the lessor to ensure payment of the fees. It will be returned at the end of the contract.
The management leasing contract may be concluded for a period of time fixed or indefinite. It is usually concluded for 1 year, which may be tacitly renewed.
When the contract expires, 2 situations are possible:
- The lessor sends you the goodwill (free of charge or against payment)
- Lessor takes over goodwill (he chooses to operate it himself)
You're taking over corporate titles
Unlike the fund's takeover, the takeover of social securities involves both asset and liability recovery.
- Asset Recovery : it corresponds to all the rights and assets owned by the company.
You can see fixed assets intended to serve the company in a sustainable manner (customers, right to leasesecurities, securities, furniture, equipment) and current assets which can be mobilized in the short term (debts, inventories, treasury). - Resumption of liabilities : it corresponds to the overall indebtedness of the company towards its members (capital injections, partner's current account advances) and in respect of third parties (loans, supplier debts, tax debts, staff salaries).
The takeover of securities (shares or shares) can be carried out by following one of the following methods.
Direct acquisition of securities
The takeover of a business by the acquisition of all or part of the transferor's securities is the traditional method of taking over small businesses (TPEs, SMEs).
If the sale price is not too high, you can acquire the securities directly by buying them back with your own funds and possibly by means of a personal loan.
The securities will be transferred directly to you as soon as you have paid the price agreed in the act of final assignment.
Trade-in Holding
Whether you are alone or accompanied by partners, you can finance the purchase of the target company's securities by creating a takeover holding.
This legal arrangement generally concerns the takeovers of larger companies which require the mobilization of external financing.
The holding company is borrower necessary for the recovery of securities. You do not incur any personal debt. The maturity of the loan (or financing debt) is settled through the dividends distributed by the business taken over.
The holding company may any legal form (SAS, SARL, EURL, SA, etc.), but the most common form is SAS which is distinguished by its management flexibility.
The takeover holding company makes it easier for you to retain control of the target business in the event of an acquisition of equity by outside investors.
Example :
By detaining 51% of the capital of the holding holding itself 51% of the capital of the business taken over, you gain control of the business taken over by ultimately holding only 26% of its capital (51% x 51% = 26%).
Capital increase
A new partner has the opportunity to integrate a business when it performs a capital increase.
During this operation, you can to acquire the new securities issued by the business by providing:
- cash (cash contribution)
- or property such as a business or real property (contribution in kind).
Fusion-absorption
If you already have a business that you want to grow by integrating one of your competitors or a new add-on business, you can take over a target business by fusion-absorption.
The fusion-absorption operation consists, for the target business, in to pass on all of his assets to your business. The associates of the absorbed (and dissolved) business then become associated with the absorbed business.
Merger-absorption allows you to gain market share, expand your business and achieve economies of scale by expanding your structure.
Rental of securities
The rental of securities allows you to benefit from trial period before confirming your intention to participate in the equity of a business. This allows you to better assess risk.
During the rental, you benefit from a right to dividends and a right to vote for decisions other than amendments to the statutes.
The leasing of securities concerns only :
- The shares in businesses subject to business tax (SI)(businesses subject to income tax (IR) by right or by option cannot rent their shares)
- Shares in unlisted businesses (shares in listed businesses and shares awarded free of charge to the company's managers or employees may not be rented out).
The rental of titles is reserved for natural person taker and must be provided for in the statutes of the target business.
The lease may be accompanied by a call option to enable you to acquire the securities at the end of the contract, we are talking about leasing of securities.
Purpose of the guarantee
When you buy the business securities, you take over the whole of a heritage, i.e all assets and liabilities business.
There is continuity of business and you must keep the commitments of the transferor (the seller).
Thus, the business remains liable for debts previously incurred even if they are not yet known at the time of the takeover (tax adjustment, Urssaf, litigation with an employee...).
The appearance of unknown debts at the time of transfer is a major risk that you must avoid to ensure the company's sustainability.
Thanks to the asset-liability guarantee clause, the transferor guarantees you that all the information provided to you is reliable: company activity, social accounts, customers and suppliers, salary costs, possible participation in other businesses, ongoing disputes, etc.
This warranty clause protects you against:
- The Discovery of a Liability which had not been reported at the time of the transfer (it must be a debt that arose before the take-over and is revealed after the take-over)
- Incorrect valuation of the asset whose value is ultimately lower than agreed.
If any of these assumptions are confirmed after takeover, you can activate the warranty to obtain compensation from the transferor.
References to the guarantee clause
The asset-liability guarantee clause shall contain the following information:
- Warranty Start Date : the date from which the prior or subsequent origin of the debt can be assessed.
- Term of the clause : between 3 years and 5 years.
- Calculation of compensation : percentage of the debt that the transferor undertakes to bear. This percentage may decrease over time.
- Guarantee floor amount : The amount from which the guarantee can be activated.
- Maximum amount of compensation : The maximum amount to which the transferor is committed. He will not be obliged to pay more than that.
- Implementation arrangements : additional information needed to apply the guarantee (justification of the liability, method of sending the claim, etc.).
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Formalities for the sale of goodwill
Management leasing of the goodwill
Capital increase
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