Piepenbrock, one of the most popular family businesses

As one of ten companies in Lower Saxony, Piepenbrock bears the quality seal "Most Popular Family Business – Award Winner 2021" (Image: Piepenbrock Unternehmensgruppe GmbH + Co. KG)

Piepenbrock is one of Germany's most popular family businesses. This is the conclusion of a nationwide survey conducted by the business magazine FOCUS-MONEY together with DEUTSCHLAND TEST and the consulting and analysis company ServiceValue. In Lower Saxony, Piepenbrock ranks among the top 10 and can now carry the quality seal "Most Popular Family Business – Award Winner 2021".

As a building services provider, Piepenbrock has been synonymous with quality, competence, and customized solutions for its clients since 1913. Founded on tradition, the family business always thinks one step ahead and is a driver of innovation. The foundation is built on solid values that are not solely aimed at maximizing profit but focus on continuity, customer satisfaction, and employee development. "We don't think in quarters, but in generations," says Arnulf Piepenbrock, Managing Partner of the company group of the same name, "and stand for sustainable thinking as well as a responsible approach to employees and business partners – today and in the future." This combination of tradition and modernity makes Piepenbrock a successful family business for over 100 years, now in its fourth generation of ownership.

Tradition has a future

Employees benefit from flat hierarchies, a personal atmosphere, and a good work-life balance. The fact that this approach convinces is demonstrated, among other things, by long-standing company loyalty. "Our employees are the heart of our company," emphasizes Olaf Piepenbrock, also Managing Partner of the family business. "They directly contribute to business success. Therefore, their satisfaction as well as professional and personal development are very important to us." The award "Most Popular Family Business – Award Winner 2021" confirms the company's orientation of the Osnabrück-based building service provider. "We are very pleased with our ranking as one of the most popular family businesses and take it as motivation to continue aligning our actions with the interests of our clients and employees," says Arnulf Piepenbrock.

Popular among consumers

For the sixth time, FOCUS-MONEY, DEUTSCHLAND TEST, and ServiceValue have ranked the most popular family businesses. As the basis for the survey, they used the list of the largest family businesses published by the economic media "Die Deutsche Wirtschaft" as well as the TOFAM ranking by Matchbird GmbH. Additionally, they filtered companies based on other criteria. For example, these had to have an annual turnover of at least 35 million euros and maintain direct contact with end customers. A total of 124,197 consumer judgments were collected and analyzed in the nationwide online survey. Participants rated the family businesses based on their own experiences, with ratings from "excellent" to "poor." The goal of the study was to find out which German family businesses are the most popular among consumers.