Bilanea

Court-supervised takeover

Take over a company: Consulting and engineering

Every insolvency proceeding opened in this sector over the last twelve months, read from a buyer's point of view: how many files still accept offers, which regions and courts concentrate the openings, and which companies to study first.

Openings since 31 Jul 2026

965

Safeguards, receiverships and liquidations

Takeover windows open

943

Offers still accepted, no ruling yet

Companies with 10+ employees

82

Out of 483 known headcounts

Share of national openings

7 %

Over the last 90 days

What the figures say

Between 31 Jul 2026 and 23 Oct 2026, the French official gazette of civil and commercial notices (BODACC) published 965 opening judgments in this sector: 697 judicial liquidations, 239 receiverships and 29 safeguard proceedings.

This sector accounts for 7% of the opening judgments published in France over the last 90 days, among companies whose activity is known.

943 of these proceedings are still in the period during which a buyer can submit an offer to the court-appointed administrator or liquidator, with no ruling on their fate so far. This is the pool you can actually act on.

Among the 483 companies whose headcount is known in the national register, 82 employ at least ten people: these are the files where the court looks hardest for a buyer to save jobs.

Rulings already handed down on these files: 0 sale plans, 0 continuation plans, 16 conversions into liquidation and 5 closures.

Over the same period, 61 business sales were published with a stated price, at a median price of €120,000. This benchmark sets the price of a healthy business against a court-supervised takeover.

Most affected regions

Opening judgments published in the BODACC since 31 Jul 2026
RegionOpenings
Île-de-France322​
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes122​
Hauts-de-France77​
Nouvelle-Aquitaine74​
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur74​
Occitanie67​

Busiest courts

Opening judgments published in the BODACC since 31 Jul 2026
CourtOpenings
Tribunal des Activités Economiques de Paris145​
Tribunal des Activités Economiques de Lyon46​
Tribunal de Commerce de Bobigny39​
Tribunal de Commerce de Lille Métropole36​
Tribunal de Commerce de Bordeaux31​

Opportunities to study first

Open proceedings graded A by our engine: identified and still active company, at least 20 employees, takeover window open and an indicative valuation available.

Latest proceedings opened

The most recent opening judgments, with their takeover interest score.

What to watch for in a takeover in this sector

Consultancies, engineering firms and group head offices: the value rests on teams and client contracts, which can leave quickly after the opening. A proceeding against a holding company often concerns a whole group: identify the subsidiaries and their situation before studying the file.

How a court-supervised takeover works

In receivership as in judicial liquidation, the court can order the sale of all or part of the business. The administrator or liquidator sets a deadline for offers and informs the candidates; after that date an offer can only be changed in a way that better serves the aims of the sale. In safeguard proceedings, a sale only covers part of the business, as part of the plan.

The offer is made in writing and states, among other things, the scope taken over, the price and how it is paid, the business and financing forecasts, the level and outlook of employment and the guarantees given (article L. 642-2 of the French Commercial Code). The court picks the offer that best secures lasting jobs, the payment of creditors and the strongest guarantees of performance, not necessarily the highest price.

The company's managers and their relatives cannot, as a rule, bid. Contracts needed for the business (lease, equipment leasing, supplies) can be transferred with it by court order. Deadlines are short: spot files early, ask the court officer for the documents and arrange financing in parallel.

Companies to take over by sector

Our method for scoring and selecting opportunitiesThe national observatory of business failures

Sources: French official gazette of civil and commercial notices (DILA), national business register (INSEE Sirene), Bilanea observatory. Updated daily; latest notice included published on 23 Oct 2026.

These figures describe the published judgments; they say nothing about a company's situation or the outcome of the proceeding. Only the court officer provides the file.