The Platform Group AG (TPG) is expanding its business portfolio and is entering the market for glasses and hearing acoustics. As the Düsseldorf e-commerce group announced on Friday, TPG takes over majority investments on the optician groups Best Spossichts GmbH and Karrasch & Nolte GmbH. In the future, both companies will act under one roof together with the MyGLASSES platform that has already belonged to the group.
The takeovers are part of a three-stage expansion plan with which TPG wants to establish a completely digitized customer journey in the area of optics and hearing acoustics-due to the close integration of stationary locations with the online platform. “The entry into the optician industry is planned strategically long -term and a central takeover,” explains Dominik Benner, CEO of The Platform Group AG. “70 percent of the correction glasses are still being sold inpatient – the online channel becomes a bridge between offline and online. Our analyzes of the past two years show what a profitable model must look like in this market.”
The two companies adopted operate around 30 branches nationwide with a focus on optics and hearing acoustics and deal with around 200 employees together. The acquisition takes place as part of a Share deal. The purchase price is in the double -digit million range and consists of a bar component – financed by own funds – and a share remuneration. The exact amount was agreed. The closing is expected for July 2025.
In a second step, TPG plans the takeover of further opticians in Germany and in other European countries. According to the company, specific discussions are already being held with 15 target companies. By the end of 2026, a separate group segment “Optics & Hearing” is to be established, with a planned contribution contribution from the acquired companies of 55 to 60 million euros and an EBITDA margin of at least 25 percent. In addition, the proportion of online business should grow continuously.
From the end of 2025, in phase three of the plan, the MyGlasses platform will be opened for external opticians. The aim is to bundle up to 1,000 local optics and hearing aid acoustics specialist shops from Germany, Austria and Switzerland on the platform. TPG would like to position itself as a leading B2B e-commerce platform in the industry and open up a digital sales channel to local specialist retailers.
As early as the 2025 financial year, The Platform Group expects a turnover of over 30 million euros for the new Pro-Forma-based segment as well as a result of special effects before interest, taxes and depreciation (EBITDA) between 8 and 10 million euros, with an EBITDA margin of at least 25 percent.