United they stand

Though specific talks on Wrocław Impel's takeover of shares in the Warsaw GP Bis lasted only two months, the negotiations were complex. Impel's Grzegorz Dzik and Grzegorz Pytkowski of GP Bis fought tooth and nail for their companies' interests. The first succeeded in taking over more than 54 percent of the Warsaw company. The latter, apart from being sure he could sell Impel his remaining shares by end-2008, also was ensured the GP Bis mark would be present on the market for at least three years.

Playing in a superior league

When Impel took over stock in GP Bis it utterly changed its position on the market of FM-related services. From a company rendering so-called simple services, i.e. protecting and cleaning real estate, it transformed into a group also offering supervision of buildings' technique. Till then Impel had, in fact, been a subcontractor of facility managers, now it has become one of them. It will now directly address its offers to real property managers. Grzegorz Dzik, Impel President since the beginning of January, remarked with a smile: "You are very near the customer and win his trust when performing simple jobs in real estate like Impel does. In turn, GP Bis has a good real estate portfolio and know-how in rendering refined, technical FM services. This marriage means customers are offered a completely new product". At end-2003 Impel received PLN 156 million from its shares emission, which will be used to take over other firms including GP Bis. But you could expect Impel to use part of the finance to expand GP Bis and win new customers. Grzegorz Dzik admits his group's potential is large. The Impel boss is surely right especially when you take into account the alliance of GP Bis with the property management company GE Capital Golub concluded several months ago. Both admitted that they supplement their offer as a facility and property manager. The GP Bis head forecasts his company's imminent conquest of Central Europe markets, with any possible finance from Impel smoothing the way of such expansion. Marek Thau who heads Hochtief Polska Facility Management states he cannot say how cooperation between Impel and GP Bis will affect the Polish FM market, since he has no detailed knowledge of their agreement. He explains: "For instance I don't know whether the finance from selling Impel shares will be invested in GP Bis. The fact is that when two companies, which offer supplementing services, get together - there can be talk of expansion. I am sure the heads of Impel and GP Bis have analysed their firms' business standing in detail and are sure their cooperation will be profitable".

Growth by engulfing

Hochtief Polska Facility Management president explains that his firm's German mother-company decided to take over another FM-services rendering firm since it wants to expand. Agreement was reached on the transaction in late 2003 but Hochtief Facility Management will take over Siemens Gebäudemanagement und Services only if consent is given by the German anti-monopoly office. Marek Thau admits that the company can grow in various ways: by extending operations, by setting up new sections, taking over other firms or establishing joint-ventures with customers or other subjects. None of these is unambiguously the best, with each corresponding to a specific state of affairs. Marek Thau remarks: "We chose purchasing since Siemens Gebäudemanagement's structure supplemented ours. But since SGM does not operate in Poland our linking will have no significance for that market. An intriguing fact is that the merging of the two German FM giants was preceded by a similar takeover in Poland, though of a much smaller scope. One could say that the mother company followed in our footsteps" grinned Marek Thau. Hochtief Polska Facility Management last year swallowed up another facility manager - the Lorne Stewart company.

Small operators under a common name

The Easynet Group was launched in 2003, comprising firms which are usually facility manager subcontractors, They render services together in three Warsaw real properties, where the developer is Skanska Property Poland: Żoliborz Plaza, Atrium Centrum and Atrium Plaza. The group's component firms also render services in other real properties throughout Poland but not under a common name. Justyna Pietrzyk of Easynet International claims: "Operating together has many obvious advantages. Services are rendered directly to a building's manager and not to a hired facility manager. Why do we operate in only a few properties? Since such is our "processing capacity". To increase it requires investments which we are not planning for the moment."