Buy at 'Nice Price Tags' During Crisis

“In the beginning, it was possible to buy the companies for relatively little money because no one else wanted them. There wasn’t much trading in the shares either. The banks had no coverage, and the institutions did not want to buy. This led to “nice price tags,” as Melker Schörling expressed it in an interview with Affärsvärlden in 2016. It was also important that there were conditions for an international business within a foreseeable time. That Schörling managed to buy into companies at a low price increased the possibility of substantial value growth.”

“Everyday life as a farmer’s son ended already at the age of 15. The father thought that the brother was more suitable as a farmer and handed over the farm to him. Melker Schörling became an economist at the School of Business, Economics, and Law in Gothenburg instead, after a technical high school in Örebro. He started by acquiring solid industrial experience before making the deal of his life with Gustaf Douglas during the crisis years following the prosperous 1980s. Schörling entered at the right level when he became both CEO and owner of Securitas—and that was something he had consciously aimed for. The investment in Securitas, and several successful deals that followed the first in 1987, meant that the goal of becoming financially independent was realized faster than planned.”