On April 23, 2026, during the “Objective Takeovers” event organized in Bercy, the government officially declared business transfer a major national economic cause. Led by Serge Papin, Minister for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, this structuring plan aims to address a major challenge: ensuring the continuity of the French economic fabric in the coming years.
A Massive Challenge for the French Economy
Business transfer is no longer a peripheral issue. According to the Directorate General for Enterprises (DGE), nearly 500,000 business leaders will retire in the next ten years, impacting over 3 million jobs. In the shorter term, 350,000 businesses will need to find a successor within five years. However, a worrying reality persists: one in two businesses fails to find a successor.
In a country where 98% of the economic fabric is composed of SMEs, the stakes are crucial. Without anticipation or support, the risk is real: business closures, loss of expertise, and economic desertification in certain regions.
The “Objective Takeovers” Plan: A Structured Strategy
To address this challenge, the plan launched by Serge Papin is based on a global approach structured around three pillars, with a clear objective: to streamline and secure business transfers.
1. Informing and Raising Awareness Among Sellers and Buyers
The first pillar aims to remove obstacles related to a lack of anticipation and information:
- Individual contact with every leader over 55, to raise their awareness of the challenges of business transfer.
- Provision of a comprehensive practical guide for “successful business acquisition and transfer,” which outlines the transfer process step-by-step and the various actions and mechanisms that can be utilized.
- Integration of business acquisition into the entrepreneurial culture of young people, particularly in vocational high schools and higher education, through the deployment of educational content and the promotion of this path.
- Mobilization of chartered accountants as key relays, through awareness-raising actions in each department.
This component is essential: today, fewer than 30% of sellers initiate a transfer process more than two years before the sale, leading to rushed, often suboptimal, transfers.
2. Facilitating Connections Between Sellers and Buyers
The second pillar aims to resolve one of the main obstacles: matchmaking.
- The transformation of Bpifrance’s business transfer exchange into a genuine matchmaking platform, akin to a “dating app” for sellers and buyers.
- The organization of regular regional events, fostering connections and opportunities.
The objective is clear: to reduce information asymmetry and accelerate connections between parties, by structuring a market that is still too fragmented.
3. Supporting and Assisting Operations
Finally, the third pillar aims to secure transfers through adapted mechanisms:
- The preservation of family transfers, particularly through the Dutreil Pact, which remains largely unknown to more than 4 out of 5 business leaders.
- Support for employee buyouts, through share ownership and value sharing.
- The development of solutions such as vendor credit.
- Enhanced mobilization of Bpifrance’s financing tools and better dissemination of existing mechanisms.
Anticipation: The Key to a Successful Transfer
One of the strong messages of the “Objective Takeovers” plan is the importance of anticipation. Transferring a business is not merely a financial operation; it is a strategic process that involves:
- Preparing the business (organization, governance, performance).
- Valuation at a fair price.
- Finding the right buyer.
- Managing the transition.
Insufficient anticipation can lead to rushed sales, or even the absence of a buyer.
Acquisition, a Virtuous Model
Beyond the economic stakes, business acquisition offers solid advantages:
- A higher sustainability rate than new business creations.
- Improved productivity.
- And generally higher revenue from the outset.
Encouraging acquisitions, especially among young people, thus constitutes a powerful lever for economic revitalization.
Governance and Ongoing Monitoring
The “Objective Takeovers” plan is a long-term initiative. It provides for the establishment of a national committee, replicated at the regional level, which will ensure quarterly monitoring of actions and the submission of a final evaluation report in the second half of 2027.
This structure aims to ensure the effectiveness and continuous adaptation of the mechanism.
In conclusion
By elevating business transfer to the rank of a major national economic cause, the government sends a strong signal: business continuity is a strategic issue for the country’s economic future.
While tools and mechanisms are being structured, their success will largely depend on the ability of leaders to anticipate and seek support. In this context, transfer is no longer merely a final stage of a cycle, but rather a strategic project in its own right.
Given the complexity of transfer operations, expert support appears to be an indispensable key factor.
At NG, we support leaders at every stage of their transfer project, whether through conducting vendor due diligence or buyer due diligence, to secure their operations and maximize value creation.