The Platform Group acquires a majority stake in Werner Lott Kfz- und Industriebedarf GmbH

June 2021 — The managing shareholders of Werner Lott Kfz- und Industriebedarf GmbH (Lott Autoteile), have sold a majority stake to The Platform Group GmbH & Co. KG, Wiesbaden.

Lott Autoteile is an established German trading company for automotive parts. The company’s headquarters, including its own e-commerce warehouse,
are located in Uslar, near Göttingen, and offer a broad product portfolio of over 300 brands and more than one million products. With 47 employees, Lott Autoteile sells its products via its own online store as well as via digital marketplaces to a diversified customer base of over 4,000 national and international B2B and B2C customers.

The Platform Group is a dynamic group of e-commerce businesses with over 3,700 dealers in 14 industries across various sectors. In 2020, approximately 120 million items were sold to commercial and end users through its 53 online shops. The company started as a family stationery business, which then grew into the shoe trade. In 2012, Dr. Dominik Benner took over the company from the fifth generation of owners and initiated the change to an internet platform by connecting it to existing online platforms, such as Amazon and eBay. Through numerous acquisitions in Europe, the group grew rapidly.

Our role in the transaction

Oaklins’ team in Germany acted as the exclusive M&A advisor and supported the shareholders of Werner Lott Kfz- und Industriebedarf GmbH throughout the entire sale process. In an internationally structured process tailored to the wishes of the sellers, The Platform Group was able to assert itself as the optimal strategic partner.