Why the sector is on the cusp of a strategic turning point despite weaker momentum

Following several years of exceptionally high growth rates, the German facility services market is showing signs of a noticeable normalisation. Economic uncertainty, cautious investment and increasing price competition are slowing the momentum of an industry that had benefited in recent years from issues such as sustainability, energy efficiency and outsourcing. Nevertheless, the market remains on a growth trajectory – whilst simultaneously gaining new strategic significance.

The latest Lünendonk List 2026 of leading facility services companies illustrates this shift. Whilst the 25 largest providers continue to grow, they are doing so at a significantly slower pace than in previous years. At the same time, the role of many service providers is shifting: traditional building operators are increasingly becoming partners for resilience, compliance and the protection of critical infrastructure.

Growth returns to normal

With an average increase in turnover of 6.3 per cent, the 25 largest facility service providers continued to record solid growth in 2025. Compared to the exceptionally strong years following the pandemic, however, this marks a return to the long-term growth rates that characterised the market between 2011 and 2019.

Market observers expect similarly moderate growth in the coming years. Forecasts up to 2030 are in the region of around seven per cent per year. While this keeps the sector stable, it moves away from the double-digit growth rates that individual market segments have recently been able to achieve.

The main factors behind this trend are the ongoing economic weakness and the reluctance of many companies to invest. In particular, special projects, modernisation works and major infrastructure measures are being postponed or reprioritised more frequently. At the same time, competition for tenders is intensifying, which is further increasing pressure on margins.

The billion-euro league continues to grow

Despite the more challenging market environment, the largest providers are continuing their expansion. For the first time, five facility services companies in Germany have exceeded the one-billion-euro turnover mark.

Apleona remains at the top of the rankings, having increased its turnover to over 3.2 billion euros. It is followed by Spie Germany Switzerland Austria and Wisag Facility Service, which are maintaining their leading positions. It is particularly noteworthy that Piepenbrock has exceeded the billion-euro mark for the first time, thereby entering a new league.

Companies such as Strabag Property and Facility Services and Dussmann are also approaching this threshold or have already surpassed it at an international level. This development highlights the ongoing consolidation of the market and the increasing importance of large integrated service platforms.

Dynamics in the mid-table

Whilst the leading group largely maintains its positions, there are significant shifts among the chasing pack. Several new entrants are altering the market structure and increasing competitive pressure.

Particularly striking is the strong growth of individual providers benefiting from specialisation, acquisitions or new market requirements. At the same time, it is evident that even double-digit growth rates do not necessarily lead to a higher ranking when new competitors enter the market or larger players accelerate their expansion.

The increasing professionalisation and specialisation of the market means that traditional building services are increasingly merging with technical services, security services, energy management and digital solutions.

KRITIS becomes a growth driver

A key future factor for the sector is emerging outside the realm of traditional building management. With the implementation of new regulatory requirements for critical infrastructure, the demands on operators of data centres, energy suppliers, healthcare facilities, transport networks and industrial plants are increasing.

In particular, the KRITIS Framework Act and the resulting requirements for resilience, emergency management and operational safety are creating new market opportunities for facility services companies.

There is a growing demand for services that go far beyond cleaning, maintenance or technical operations management. Operators of critical facilities require support with security concepts, emergency plans, redundancy strategies and ensuring ongoing operations under crisis conditions.

As a result, facility management is increasingly becoming an integral part of operational security and resilience strategies.

From cost centre to value-adding partner

At the same time, the perception of the sector on the customer side is changing. Whilst facility services were long regarded primarily as a cost item, issues such as energy efficiency, ESG requirements, cyber security, building digitalisation and business continuity are now coming to the fore.

Companies increasingly expect their service providers to offer consultancy, analysis and management services. Facility services are thus becoming a tool for meeting regulatory requirements, achieving sustainability goals and reducing operational risks.

This development is also changing the positioning of the providers themselves. Many companies are investing more heavily in digital platforms, IoT-based building control, data analysis and integrated service concepts in order to establish themselves as long-term partners to their customers.

Digitalisation is transforming the business model

Another driver of this transformation is digitalisation. Sensor technology, Building Information Modelling (BIM), digital twins and AI-supported analytics are opening up new possibilities for building operations.

Instead of resolving problems only after they have arisen, data-based models are increasingly enabling predictive maintenance. At the same time, the importance of real-time information regarding energy consumption, building safety and resource usage is growing.

This is giving rise to new business models that rely less on individual services and more on continuous data analysis and process optimisation.

Critical digression: Is the sector up to the task of acting as a resilience partner?

As compelling as the new role of facility services companies as resilience and transformation partners may sound, it also raises questions. This is because many market players continue to face considerable cost pressure. Tenders are often still decided primarily on the basis of price, whilst a shortage of skilled workers, rising labour costs and investments in digitalisation place an additional burden on providers.

At the same time, expectations from politicians and clients are growing. In future, facility services companies are expected to support sustainability goals, secure critical infrastructure, master digital building technology and ensure the operational capability of key facilities in the event of a crisis.

Whether all market players can actually meet these requirements remains to be seen. Smaller and medium-sized providers in particular could struggle to sustain the necessary investments in staff, technology and compliance in the long term.

Added to this is a fundamental question: if facility services are increasingly viewed as part of critical infrastructure, this should also lead in the long term to a reassessment of procurement models and pricing strategies. After all, resilience, security and availability can only be procured to a limited extent via the lowest price.

The coming years will therefore show whether the sector can successfully complete the transition from an operational service provider to a strategic infrastructure partner – or whether the rising demands are growing faster than the economic capabilities of many providers.