IP Mergers & Acquisitions Review
The IP Mergers & Acquisitions Review is a monthly round-up of what's going on in the world of M&A from the 15th to the 15th of each month, reporting on news regarding mergers, acquisitions and related newswith a focus on IP.
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IP M&A Review13 April: IBM Acquires Sales Data & Analytics Software Company Varicent
IBM has acquired Varicent Software for an undisclosed sum. Varicent creates sales analytics software which analyses sales data across various sectors of an organisation to uncover trends that can lead to increased revenue. The acquisition is in-line with IBM’s b2b analytics services focus.
TechCrunch
11 April: Yammer announces acquisition of Scottish desktop application service oneDrum
Social network Yammer has bought oneDrum, a desktop application firm with software which allows multi-author document creation & simultaneous editing in programmes such as Microsoft word, in an innovation to the social enterprise graph.
The Drum
10 April: Facebook to buy Instagram for $1 billion
Facebook will pay $1bn cash & stock for photo-sharing application developer Instagram, stunning analysts who valued the company at $500mn. The high price reflects the intense competition to acquire new and exciting apps in the social networking market.
Reuters
04 April: X-Rite Announces Agreement for Danaher to Acquire Company for $5.55 per Share
Danaher will acquire X-Rite Inc. for $625m, a $5.55 EPS cash offer which is 39% above the shares closing price of $4.00 on 9 April. X-Rite will continue to trade under its existing X-Rite, Pantone & other leading brands & operate as a stand-alone company within Danaher.
The Street
03 April: Raleigh bikes to be sold to Dutch rival Accell
Raleigh Cycle is in talks with its Dutch rival Accell about a sale. Raleigh once manufactured 1mn bikes a year from its Nottingham factory but has declined since cheap alternatives saturated the market. Accell is mostly interested in the world famous Raleigh brands such as Diamondback.
The Telegraph
02 April: Avon rejects $10bn bid from Coty
Avon has rejected a £6.2bn bid from perfume maker Coty. Avon branded the $23.25 a share approach opportunistic & accused Coty of trying to get a “free look” at its books. Coty would benefit from the new distribution channels of Avon for its licensed fragrances.
The Telegraph
01 April: Game Group to carry on trading after OpCapita steps in to buy business
GAME has become the latest high street casualty, entering administration last week. OpCapita, the company whcih acquired Comet for £2 last year, has offered a life-line & acquired the group’s UK assets, allowing 333 UK stores to remain trading.
http://is.gd/0a7Zuk
28 March: Hearst Corp acquires stake in research firm
Hearst Corp has acquired a 20% Stake in Stylus Media Group, who track consumer behaviour across industries to spot upcoming trends. Hearst publications include Elle, Cosmopolitan, & Car and they intend to develop more targeted content around its brands with Stylus's input.
Marketing Week
27 March: Rovio Acquires Futuremark games Studio in Its Quest to Become Bigger than Disney
Rovio, the Angry Birds creator, has bought Finnish game developer Futuremark Games Studio, a developer of PC performance test software. This follows their acquisition of Kombo Animation Studio & analysts question whether this deal will help the company overtake rival Disney.
Business Insider
26 March: Hachette UK Acquires Enid Blyton Estate
Hatchette UK has bought the global rights to Enid Blyton’s literary estate, excluding the rights to Noddy which remain with Chorion. The deal of 800+ titles includes digital & dramatic rights. Hachette publish several versions of Blyton’s titles, who is ‘1 of the top 10 most borrowed authors’.
Publishers Weekly
26 March: GAME CEO quits as company enters administration
Specialist retailer GAME has entered administration. Appointed administrators PwC are making drastic changes to the store estate & office to make the business more attractive to potential buyers. GAME has suffered cash flow issues alongside ambitious international expansion.
Metro
23 March: Facebook Buys 750 patents to build legal arsenal
Facebook has bought 750+ patents from IBM which cover a range of technologies such as software & networking. The patents will be used as part of Facebook’s legal defence against the infringement claim from Yahoo! earlier this month.
The Telegraph
22 March: Zynga acquires OMGPOP Games Company for $200mn – source
Zynga Inc. is buying maker of video game ‘Draw Something’, OMGPOP, for $200mn in a move which expands its portfolio of games on mobile devices & Facebook. “Draw something” players make digital sketches of items or pop icons & compete to guess what the drawings resemble.
Reuters India
20 March: Poundland picks up eight Peacocks stores
Struggling retailer Peacocks was acquired by Edinburgh Woollen Mill in February bar 244 of its 632 branches. Poundland has picked up 8 of these, located in Seacroft, Haringey, Newmarket, Yate, Brighton, Dartford, Falkirk & Hoxton. Talks are on-going about a possible further deal.
Real Business
20 March: Jet Airways merges JetLite with JetKonnect
JetAirways announced today that from March 25th its low-cost arm JetLite will no longer operate, after being merged with their other no-frills brand JetKonnect. This forms part of a major rebranding & restructuring exercise by Mumbai’s largest airline JetAirways which was announced last July.
The Economic Times
19 March: UPS buys TNT to expand European parcel business
Leading global parcel-delivery firm UPS will buy TNT Express in a £4.3bn deal, winning the battle for the firm over rival FedEx. The move will strengthen UPS’s presence in transatlantic markets UK, France & Germany, & in emerging markets Brazil & China.
The Guardian
19 March: Amazon Acquires Kiva Systems in Second-Biggest Takeover
Amazon will acquire Kiva Systems Inc. for $775mn cash. Kiva makes robots that move items around warehouses & Amazon hopes to gain economies of scale. Analysts note that as they are not just licensing it, ‘it also potentially removes the advantage for any competitor.’
Bloomberg
13 March: Twitter buys Posterous blogging business
Twitter has bought micro blogging start-up firm Posterous. Twitter stated that Posterous had ‘built an innovative product that makes sharing across the web & mobile devices simple’. Posterous is similar to Twitter but has a focus on media-sharing. Financials of the deal are witheld.
The Inquirer
12 March: US Air Buys AMR Web Names
The 5th biggest U.S airline by traffic, US Airways Group Inc. has purchased several domain names which hint at a merger with American Airlines’ parent AMR Corp. US Airways stated that the purchase would protect others using their marks in ways detrimental to their brand.
Wall Street Journal
09 March: Songkick acquires $10mn funding from Sequia
The 2nd largest online concert site after Ticketmaster, Songkick, has acquired $10mn of funding from venture capital firm Sequoia. The companies share the ‘long-term vision for innovation in the music industry & getting more people to more shows.’
Music Week
07 March: Asda snaps up George supplier GAAT
ASDA is buying the largest supplier of its George fashion label, GAAT. The company is part of the Turkmen Group which works with 80 manufacturers to manage production in locations such as Turkey, Sri Lanka and Egypt. The deal should close in the middle of this year.
The Grocer
05 March: Tate buys eight million Ai Weiwei sunflower seeds
The Tate has acquired Ai Weiwei’s 8mn+ famous porcelain sunflower seeds. Ai Weiwei is China’s most famous living artist and the Tate acquired his work with the help of a grant from the Art Fund charity. A previous Sotheby’s auction of the seeds sold for £3.50 per seed.
The Guardian
04 March: Cadbury acquires a taste for US owner Kraft at last
Cheese and soluble coffee company Kraft took over Cadbury 2 years ago andflourished the business and brands despite initial teething problems. Kraft is more engaged with the community than Cadbury ever was and grew 2.2% last year, 80% faster than UK market averages.
The Telegraph
02 March: Shutterfly acquires Kodak for $23.8 Million
Shutterfly will buy bankrupt online photo service Kodak Gallery for $23.8mn, acquiring its 75mn users to consolidate their leading position in online consumer print. Shutterfly reported $473.3mn revenue in 2011 and income of $35.4mn. Shares were trading up 20% yesterday.
Z6 Mag
28 February: Pfizer acquires leading vitamin supplements company Alacer Corp
Pfizer has added the Emergen-C brand to its portfolio with an acquisition of Californian maker and distributor Alacer Corp. Emergen-C products are the most popular branded vitamin C line in the US and Alacer produces over 500mn packets annually. Financials are undisclosed.
Pharmabiz
28 February: UBM Acquires South-East Asia’s Largest Furniture Trade Show
UBM events has acquired Malaysian events company MIFF, who run South-East Asia’s largest annual furniture exhibition in Kuala Lumpur. MIFF has over 450 exhibitions and 20,000 visitors with annual revenues of approximately $6.6mn.
Market Watch
27 February: Buddy Media acquires Ad-Buying Tool Brighter Option to Sync Paid and Owned Marketing
Brands buying social advertising increasingly take build off of published content such as Sponsored Stories and Promoted Tweets. Social marketing platform Buddy Media has acquired Facebook ad-buying tool Brighter Option to integrate into its business.
Tech Crunch
25 February: Nearing 25bn Downloads, Apple Buys Chomp to Get Out of Its Tr-App-ic Jam
Apple’s App Store has over 550,000 apps and is struggling to provide its customers effective “app discovery.” In response, the company has bought Chomp for $50mn. Chomp’s algorithm allows apps to be searched based on what they do and not just what they are called.
Forbes
23 February: Edinburgh Woollen Mill buys Peacocks
Clothing group Edinburgh Woollen Mill has rescued Peacocks from administration, acquiring the brand, 338 stores and 49 concessions. Philip Day, Edinburgh Woollen Mill’s manager, has previously successfully revived failed fashion retailers.
The Independent
22 February: Aegis buys US digital agency Roundarch
Aegis Group will buy U.S agency Roucharch Inc for $250mn. Aegis will combine the firm's ditital solutions with Isobar, Aegis Media’s digital creative network based in the US. Initially Aegis will pay $125mn with a maximum performance determined payment of $360mn.
Reuters
20 February: Groupon acquires location services start-up Hyperpublic
Groupon has acquired Hyperpublic for an undisclosed sum. Hyperpulic develops location-based technology which Groupon plans to integrate into its software allowing it to offer local deals and events to customers based on their location.
Computer World
17 February: Virgin Atlantic complains to European commission over IAG’s purchase of bmi
Virgin is attempting to block IAG’s £172.5mn takeover of bmi from Lufthansa. Virgin have complained to the European commissions that IAG, the parents company of British Airways, are creating a local monopoly as merger will leave IAG with over half Heathrow’s landing slots.
The Guardian
16 February: Browser maker Opera acquires two mobile ad networks
Opera Software has acquired mobile ad companies Mobile Theory and 4th Screen Advertising to extend into the mobile market and diversify revenue sources. Opera browsers will become more important as advertising vehicles with the acquisitions of the demand-side ad networks.
CNET
15 February: Kellogg goes pop and acquires Pringles Brand
US based cereals company Kellogg acquired the Pringles brand for Proctor & Gamble for $2.7bn after outbidding Diamond Foods. Kellogg estimates the acquisition will add between $0.08 and $0.10 to its 2012 earnings per share (EPS). Kellogg shares are up 4.1%.
IFA Magazine
14 February: Carlsberg looks for acquisitions in Asia as Europe stagnates
Carlsberg A/S, the world’s fourth-largest brewer, has begun seeking acquisitions in Asia following slowing growth in Europe. Chief Executive Officer Joergen Buhl Rasmussen claimed the company wants to boost investment both organically and through acquisitions.
Bloomberg Business Week
14 February: Google cleared to buy Motorola Mobility
Google’s $12.5bn (£8bn) purchase of Motorola Mobility has been approved by US and European regulators but they have promised to maintain a watchful eye on the search giant to ensure patents critical to the telecommunications industry are licensed at fair prices.
The Telegraph
09 February: Misys and Temenos merger plans confirmed
UK based Misys has confirmed plans to merge with Tenemos in a business venture that will create the largest specialist software supplier to the fincancial sector.
Computer World UK
09 February: Cisco back on the acquisition trail
Cisco Systems, the network equipment maker, is searching for new acquisitions after a major reorganisation last year. The company is expecting to be “more active with acquisitions” in the coming quarters after ceasing investment in 10 areas of its business.
Financial Times
08 February: Renesas, Fujitsu and Panasonic to merge chip operations
Renesas, Fujitsu and Panasonic, three of the four biggest Japanese chip vendors, will merge their plant operations in order to become more competitive. Toshiba, the only other major Japanese chipmaker, could see its position become more perilous following this move.
The Inquirer
06 February: Law firm McGrigors announces merger
McGrigors, one of Scotland’s largest law firms, has announced it will merge with London-based firm Pinsent Masons. The combined firm will operate under the name and brand of Pinsent Masons meaning the McGrigors name will disappear from Scottish Law.
BBC News
05 February: Vodafone set to abandon Greek merger plans
Vodafone will abandon attempts to merge its Greek business with rival Wind Hellas over worries that the deal would fall short of EU regulations. The proposed merger would give Wind, Greece’s third-largest telecoms operator, and Vodafone almost 50% of the market.
Reuters UK
01 February: Walt Disney acquires controlling stake in India’s UTV
Walt Disney has agreed to acquire a controlling stake in UTV, one of India’s biggest media companies. Andy Bird, chairman of Disney International, stated that they were keen to increase Disney’s ‘brand presence’ in key international markets.
BBC News
01 February: Spanair ceases operations, cites financial woes
Loss-making Spanish airline Spanair ceased operations, immediately grounding all of its flights. Qatar Airways had been in talks to buy a stake in the airline but the potential rescue plan fell apart earlier in the day.
Reuters
01 February: Agreement reached over sale of Bmibaby
Bmibaby, the low-cost airline, is in talks with a mystery buyer. The deal covers 100% of the shares and all assets and liabilities. Currently the terms are non-exclusive allowing BMI to continue discussions with other interested parties.
Travel Weekly
26 January: Rhapsody acquires Napster’s European assets for Spotify Battle Boost
Rhapsody has announced it is buying subscription music service Napster International, following its October 2011 Napster deal which excluded European assets. Rhapsody did not disclose the financials of its first venture into the European market.
Venture B
25 January: Brothers sell software firm Playtech in £15m deal
Playtech has aqcuired Geneit for £11m, with another $4m pay out due if Geneit hits its targets. The business revenue is around £2.3m annually. Playtech hopes the move will help them expand into the competitive sports-betting market.
The Independent
24 January: Bonmarché snapped up for £10m but 1,600 jobs to be lost
Yesterday, Sun European Partners acquired Bonmarché out of pre-packaged administration for £10m.Whilst there are expected to be around 1,600 job losses, Sun European is acquiring roughly 230 of Bonmarché’s stores from the chain’s administrator KPMG.
The Independent
23 January: Designer Parfums acquires Ghost Fragrances from P&G Prestige
P&G Prestige have reached an agreement to see Designer Parfums acquire Ghost Fragrances. Ghost is a leading premium fragrance brand in the UK market with retail sales of £35m. Designer Parfums will add the brand to its current portfolio including Agent Provocateur.
The Moodie Report
20 January: Groupon Buys Social Shopping Platform Mertado To Bolster Groupon Goods
Groupon has acquired YConbinator start-up Mertado which uses Facebook as a distribution platform for its shopping service. Mertado’s mission is to offer goods through ‘shopping experiences that build bridges between content, commerce and community’. TechCrunch
TechCrunch
19 January: Former trailblazer Kodak files for Chapter 11
Kodak, once the market leader in film photography, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it tries to raise cash to stay in business. Kodak has a strong brand reflected in the fact that ‘everyone is saddened it[‘s bankruptcy].’
The Wall Street Journal
19 January: Peacocks calls in the administrators as rescue fails
Fashion chain Peacocks has called in administrators from KPMG as a £60m rescue package collapsed. The Peacocks brand has great heritage and chief exec Richard Kirk expressed ‘deep sadness’ at the situation. Sister chain Bonmarche is not in administration.
The Independent
18 January: Germany’s Muller group to take over Robert Wiseman Dairies
British milk producer Robert Wiseman Dairies will be taken over by German Muller Group for £297.5m. After the announcement Wiseman shares increased by 18% to 388p. Muller’s chief exec expressed excitement for the strategic move into a new UK market segment.
The Guardian
18 January: Yahoo’s founder leaves company paving way for possible sale
Yahoo’s founder Jerry Yang announced his resignation, leading speculators to suggest that his exit paves the way for a restructuring and/or sale of the company.
The Independent
13 January: Lion’s Gate Acquires Summit
Lions Gate Corp has acquired Summit Entertainment LLC, uniting two of Hollywood’s biggest independent film studios, in a £412.5mn deal. The ‘friendly competitors’ have described the merger as a ‘natural fit’ which should give Lion’s Gate a leading position in the young-adult market.
The Wall Street Journal
09 January: JD Sports buys failing Blacks Leisure
JD Sports has bought Black’s out of administration and will acquire the 98 Blacks outlets, 208 Millets stores and Peter Storm & Eurohike brands. KPMG administered the £20m deal which Blacks will use to repay its debt to the Bank of Scotland. JD shares closed up 46.51p.
The Telegraph
09 January: BSkyB buys stake in app firm Zeebox
BskyB has bought a 10% stake in app Zeebox and will incorporate their technology which integrates social networking, live programme info and real-time viewing figures into its Sky+ and Sky Go services. The move is a ‘natural step’ to cater to Sky's growing demand on portable devices.
The Guardian
09 January: Alshaya Buys Lion Capital’s La Senza Out of Administration
Middle-Eastern group Alshaya has agreed to buy struggling lingerie retailer La Senza out of administration, saving 1100 jobs in the acquisition of 60 of 146 stores. KPMG was appointed in December to administer the Lion Capital owned chain bought by Theo Paphitis in 2006.
The Wall Street Journal
04 January: Sara Lee acquires Tee Forte
Sara Lee has announced the acquisition of Massachusetts-based Tea Forte, a leader in the ultra-premium tea category. Sara Lee hopes this will strengthen its position and expertise in the luxury tea segment, which is growing rapidly. The financials of the deal are undisclosed.
The Sacramento Bee
03 January: Dnata acquires leading online travel agency, Travel Republic
Dubai-based air services provider Dnata has acquired a majority stake in Travel Republic, the largest private owned UK travel agency. Travel Republic is expanding into Europe with websites being launched in Italy, Spain and Ireland and will continue under its current branding.
Gulf News
03 January: Google acquires more IBM patents
Google has acquired 222 patents from IBM, adding to the 2000 previously bought. The portfolio includes a variety of technologies and it appears that the acquisition is to protect the company from intellectual property lawsuits in the midst of a patent war.
PC World
21 December: Amazon planning to buy RIM?
Amazon have reportedly recruited an investment bank to analyse a potential merger with Research in Motion. The offer was immediately declined by the Blackberry and PlayBook maker as RIM struggle to resolve their internal crisis.
IT Pro Portal
21 December: Amazon’s LoveFilm Secure Sony Pictures Content
Amazon-owned LoveFilm, a UK based digital and DVD rental service has announced striking a multi-year deal with Sony Pictures TV for exclusive streaming rights to its movies and TV shows. The deal is effective from June.
Home Media Magazine
20 December: AT&T drops bid for T-Mobile USA
AT&T has withdrawn its £39bn application to acquire T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom which raised series competition concerns. AT&T will pay a $4bn charge as part of the break-up fee and the companies will enter a mutually beneficial roaming agreement.
ZDNET
20 December: Apple buys Israeli flash storage maker in $500m deal
Apple has bought Isreali flash storage technology company Anobit for $500m. Anobit has developed a flash drive performance enhancing chip that could double memory in mobile devices and computers and is already installed in some Apple devices.
The Guardian
19 December: Twitter’s Fit for a Prince
Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed has invested $300m in Twitter Inc in a move which expands his media empire into social media. According to an October valuation Twitter is worth $8.4bn, placing the Prince’s stake at 3.6%.
The Wall Street Journal
16 December: Europe’s ills threaten M&A market
Market analysts have warned that unless the EU summit can restore market confidence dealmakers will face a stagnant year. However if Europe stabilises the macro-factors for M&A are positive, with the Asia-Pacific region M&A volume forecast to rise in 2012 as cash-rich companies take advantage of depressed prices in Europe. The Guardian
The Guardian
14 December: UAE: The Coca-Cola Co to buy half of Aujan drinks businesses
Coca-Cola will buy 50% of Aujan Industries to strengthen its long-term investment plan in the Middle East. In the £980mn deal, Coca-Cola will acquire half of Aujans beverage business & 49% of their Middle-East bottling distribution unit. Aujan brands include Rani & Barbican.
Just Drinks
12 December: Google, Motorola Merger Review In Europe Delayed
Google’s proposed $12.5bn takeover of Motorola has been suspended so regulators can request more information from Google. Google have said the acquisition of thousands of Motorola patents will protect its Android software system.
Wall Street Journal
12 December: Sara Lee Acquires Dutch Coffee Chain
Sara Lee will acquire CoffeeCompany, a Dutch coffee chain majority owned by KRC Capital. Sara Lee hopes the move will boost its brand platform and strengthen its position in the out-of-home coffee consumer market. CoffeeCompany has 60 cafes with over 7 million annual visits.
Market News Video
12 December: British Airways rivalry with Virgin resumes over bmi airline sale
Rivals BA parent IAG and Virgin Atlantic have resumed talks to buy airline bmi. IAG’s previous bid was controversial due to the 53% control it would have of Heathrow’s landing slots. Virgin would control just 3% and is using this as leverage.
The Guardian
07 December: Yahoo Seeks Better Stake Bids
Yahoo’s board are weighing up a variety of proposals from potential buyers. The directors view current offers as placing too low a premium on Yahoo’s shares & there are also tensions over the amount of control private equity buyers are requesting.
Wall Street Journal
01 December: New Yahoo bid ups price to $25bn
Private equity firms Blackstone Group and Bain Capital are preparing a bid for the entire of Yahoo with Asian partners in a deal suspected to be $25bn. This follows earlier bids valuing the web portal at $20bn. The bid would pressurise the board who initially intended to sell a 25% stake.
The Guardian
01 December: Merger milestone: United, Continental now single airline to FAA
United and Continental now operate under a single operating certificate, issued today. This signals a milestone in the merger however customers will not see a difference until early 2012 when the brand interface is set to merge.
USA Today
30 November: Facebook closes in on $100bn flotation
Facebook is hoping to trade on the US stock market by June-end and the company is readying to file a prospectus for its floatation, with 10bn shares available and an expected $100bn company valuation. Analysts say this reflects Facebook’s concerns for the market outlook.
The Independent
30 November: Adobe Buys Efficient Frontier to Boost Its Online Advertising Capabilities
Adobe Systems has acquired Efficient Frontier to enable advertising to consumers through campaigns which use search engines & social networking sites. Adobe stated the deal closing in early 2012 will improve their forecasting & optimization capabilities across multiple channels.
PC World
29 November: American Airlines Parents Files for Bankruptcy
American Airlines parent company AMR Corp has filed for bankruptcy protection while it tries to reduce labour costs and crippling debt. AMR hope to mimic competitors Delta & United Airlines, who have become profitable since restructuring and recently expanded through mergers.
New York Times
29 November: Lions Gate Said to Be in Merger Talks With ‘Twilight’ Film Producer Summit
Independent film and TV producer Lions Gate Entertainment Corp is in merger talks with Summit Entertainment LLC, behind the Box Office hit ‘Twilight’ movies. The companies wish to keep the talks private until they have some assurance that a deal will be reached. Watch this space.
Bloomberg
25 November: SABMiller acquisition of Foster’s approved
The Australian Federal Treasurer has approved SABMiller’s takeover of local brewer Foster’s Group. This approval marks the final regulatory condition to be satisfied ahead of the 1 December shareholder vote.
Business Report
25 November: AT&T and DT withdraw merger applications
Deutsche Telekom & AT&T have withdrawn their merger applications to US telecoms regulators following comments from an FCC chairman who stated the £25bn deal would create greater concentration than ever seen in the US market. AT&T still expect T-Mobile USA to be sold to them.
ZDNET
21 November: eBay Acquires Recommendation Engine Hunch.com
eBay are taking innovative steps in the personalised shopping experience through the acquisition of Hunch, an online platform that gives customised recommendations to based on individual consumer tastes through their patented prediction technology known as ‘taste graph’.
Market Watch
17 November: Virgin buys Northern Rock for £747m
Virgin has bought the ‘good’ part of Northern Rock for £747m, roughly half the £1.4bn government bailout in 2007. The sale marks the end of Britain’s infamous high street bank brand which marked the beginning of the financial crisis. If approved the sale will complete later this year.
Financial Times
16 November: Velti Acquires Mobile Interactive Group
Velti has acquired UK rival Mobile Interactive Group for $25m to form a mobile marketing superpower. Both firms are major players in the mobile marketing space acting as brand platforms. Velti reported $100m revenue and $20m net income in 2010.
Mobile Entertainment
16 November: Hawesko acquires majority in specialist for Spanish wines Wein & Vinos
Hawesko Holding AG will acquire 70% of German wine trader Wein & Vinos from 2012. Wein & Veinos is the leading multi-channel retailer for Spanish wines in Germany with 2010 sales of €17mn. Under the agreement, Wein & Vinos will retain a minority share & continue management.
Reuters
15 November: Disney Online Acquires Blog Network Babble Media
Disney Online acquired blog network Babble Media to strengthen Disney’s interactive ‘moms and family’ portfolio. Babble has 2.1mn monthly hits, with 483,000 being women with children aged 2-17. Disney hopes the investment will increase profits. Financials are undisclosed.
Media Post
14 November: Salesforce Acquires Social and Mobile Cloud Computing Consultancy Model Metrics
Salesforce are acquiring cloud computing services startup company Model Metrics for an undisclosed sum. Model Metrics is a consultancy which helps clients adopt technologies, with a focus on social enterprise. Their partners include global giants Apple and Google.
TechCrunch
10 November: Starbucks acquires Evolution juice business for $30m, plans to add juice bars
Starbucks Corp has acquired Evolution Fresh Inc juice maker for $30m, with the intent of reinventing the $1.6b super-premium juice segment. This acquisition is part of a broad move by Starbucks to pursue a multi-million health and welfare business, which offers more than just coffee.
Washington Post
09 November: Kesa disposes of loss-making retailer Comet for £2
Kesa sold loss-making high street electricals chain Comet for just £2 to Hailey Group, advised by OpCaptia. Analysts view this as sign of UK high street turmoil. The deal includes a £50m investment into the holding company ensuring Kesa benefit from a future sale, if it exceeds £70m.
Marketing Week
09 November: Japan’s Rakuten to Acquire Maker of Kobo E-Reader
Rakuten Inc. will pay $315m cash for Kobo Inc, maker of popular e-reader majority-owned by Indigo Books & Music. Kobo are the third player in the tablet market dominated by Apple and Amazon. The reader was recently launched in the UK and is expanding into European markets.
Wall Street Journal
09 November: Cider maker C&C set to acquire Hornby’s
US cider brand Hornby’s is being bought by C&C group in a deal worth up to €20m. C&C have projected US cider market growth at 20% a year and the company also plan to launch the brand in the UK where consumer preference is turning to locally produced ciders.
Financial times
07 November: Discovery acquires Betty
Discovery Communications has bought indie producer Betty, behind programs The Joy of Teen Sex and Dirty Sexy Things. This is one in a number of deals which Discovery hopes will increase its lifestyle programming portfolio to extend its global reach.
Broadcast
04 November: British Airways owner IAG to buy rival bmi
B.A’s owner IAG is looking to acquire rival bmi so it can fly to popular Asian destinations. Loss-making provider bmi’s only valuable asset is its Heathrow air slot portfolio. Rival Virgin has claimed that this deal will negatively affect consumers.
The Guardian
01 November: G4S board fails to secure ISS takeover
G4S failed to takeover Danish rival ISS for £5.2bn due to a shareholder revolt. The high-risk deal involved a £2bn right issue to fund the deal and involved G4S moving away from security services into areas such a catering and cleaning. The failed deal has cost G4S £50m in fees.
The Guardian
01 November: Thomson and First Choice to merge on high street
Thomson and First Choice merged in 2007 and TUI UK is implementing an £8m initiative to merge the high street brands, spent largely on shop frontage. Moving forward, Thomson will offer designed holidays and First Choice all-inclusive holidays.
Marketing Week
28 October: Lufthansa signals it is ready to break up BMI
Lufthansa is considering the sale of loss making BMI British Midland. BMI has reported losses of €154bn for the 9 months leading up to September 2011. Virgin Atlantic and British Airways have expressed interest in buying the carrier.
Marketing Magazine
27 October: Ericsson sells its 50% Sony Ericsson stake to Sony
LM Ericson & Sony Corp are going their separate ways after Sony bought Ericsson’s 50% stake in Sony Ericsson for $1.46bn. Sony Ericsson will integrate into Sony & whole ownership presents an opportunity to integrate smartphones with electronic products such as tablets & PCs.
Economic Times
26 October: Aegis to acquire leading Dutch Media Independent
The Netherlands largest independent media planning and buying agency is to be acquired by Aegis for an undisclosed sum. Kobalt was established in 1974 and has risen to success working with some of the Netherlands top advertisers.
Campaign Live
24 October: Google looks at bid for troubled rival Yahoo
Google has allied with private equity players to consider a joint bid for struggling Yahoo. The bid will compete with rival Microsoft for Yahoo’s network of websites, email services and advertising partnerships. Competition authorities are expected to block the bids.
The Independent
24 October: Mattel to Acquire HIT Entertainment for $680m
Mattel has agreed to buy HIT Entertainment for $680m from a group led by Apax Partners. The deal will add iconic brands such as Thomas the Tank Engine & Bob the Builder to Mattel's portfolio alongside Barbie & Fisher Price. Mattel is paying 9.5 times HIT’s 12 month EBITDA.
New York Times
24 October: Swedish Automobile Rejects Chinese Bid to Acquire Saab
Swedish Automobile NV has terminated an agreement to sell a majority stake in Saab to 2 Chinese companies and rejected offers to buy Saab's entirity. Discussions are ongoing but analysts believe only a big automaker has the resources to revive the struggling company & brand.
Bloomberg Businessweek
21 October: Radox in first brand extension under Unilever ownership
Unilever is launching the first new line for recently acquired beauty and personal care brand Radox. ‘Radox Spa’ is a range of luxury products inspired by Spas and will be launched with a £2m marketing spend behind it focusing on digital activity.
Brand Republic
17 October: Unilever snaps up Kalina for $700M
Unilever will buy Russia’s largest beauty products manufacturer Kalina for $700m in a bid to boost its strength in the Russian cosmetics market. Kalina is being bought for 11.7 times its expected pre-acquisition EBITDA which is said to reflect the benefits Unilever will get from the deal.
Moscow Times
14 October: Microsoft Acquires Skype for £5.3bn
The $8.5bn (£5.3bn) Microsoft buy-out of Skype has finally closed. Microsoft continues to offer the Skype product but is also integrating it with Microsoft products. The acquisition is said to benefit both consumers and enterprises as it empowers people globally to connect in new ways.
Computing
11 October: Facebook Buys Q&A Site Friend.ly
Facebook has bought 2 year old question-and-answer site Friend.ly. The site invites users to answer questions by ranking and is popular with users. This is Facebook’s latest conquest in a string of buy-outs to expand and capitalise on its online communications.
Mobiledia
11 October: D J Sainsbury (J) PLC Acquisition
Sainsbury’s has acquired online entertainment company Global Media Vault Ltd from MBL PLC to support its expansion into the online and digital entertainment market. GMV's database has over 3mn music, film and game assets available to browse and purchase on digital platforms.
London Stock Exchange
11 October: Gaming giant Ladbrokes pulls out of takeover moves for Sportingbet
Ladbrokes have walked away from their second attempt to acquire Sportingbet this year. Ladbrokes considered a 70p per share bid however the chief exec has now claimed the company will instead focus on organic growth by means of a brand re-launch and national TV campaign.
Business Scotsman
10 October: RIM buys NewBay
Blackberry maker RIM has bought Irish company NewBay, a leader in digital content delivery. Speculators suggest the move aims to compete with rivals in high-end Android and Apple devices. RIM has confirmed an agreement has been signed but is withholding further information.
Tech Eye
10 October: South Africa resists March of Walmart
Walmart is facing opposition from a coalition of local unions, politicians and anti-capitalist campaigners in South Africa. Walmart acquired a 51% stake in Massmart in June however three government departments and the shopworkers union have lodged an appeal to overthrow the deal.
The Guardian
10 October: Bankrate to buy InsWeb’s businesses for $65m
Personal finance content online publisher Bankrate stated it will buy InsWeb Corp’s insurance lead generation and marketing business for $65m. InsWeb would retain their e-commerce and online insurance distribution patents on a royalty-free, non-exclusive basis.
Reuters
10 October: Steve Jobs the movie: Sony buys rights
Sony Pictures will acquire the rights to the book ‘Steve Jobs’ from Time Magazine for a 7 figure sum. Since his death, pre-orders alone for Isaacson’s biography ‘Steve Jobs’ saw it hit No 1 on Amazons bestsellers list. Mark Gordon will produce the film version of the bestselling book.
The Guardian
09 October: Lawsuit won’t stop T-mobile sale – D Telekom CEO
Deutsche Telekom is confident the antitrust lawsuit to block the sale of T-Mobile USA to AT&T will be unsuccessful. The CEO has insisted the sale benefits all parties however the U.S Justice Department is concerned that the acquisition will mean higher prices for wireless services.
Reuters
06 October: Coca-Cola Amatil’s alcohol expansion with Foster’s spirits the next target
Coca-Cola’s MD has stated interest in buying the spirits, ready-to-drink mixed spirits and non-alcoholic Fosters brands, only possible when SABMiller’s acquisition of Fosters is complete.
AFN
05 October: Bric focus as Interpublic spree goes on
US PR and advertising firm’ Interpublic Group’ has acquired 14 firms in just 10 months as part of an aggressive strategy to gain share in Bric countries such as Russia and India.
Financial Times
04 October: Spirits firm plays it straight and calls itself Beam
Fortune brands split into 3 companies, selling its golf & home and security units before renaming themselves after their top brand: spirit Jim Beam. The sale of the 2 other companies will strengthen Beam’s balance sheet and aid in making strategic decisions for Beam brands.
New Zealand Herald
03 October: Rakuten acquires Play.com
Rakuten have agreed a £25m acquisition of Play.com in a bid to expand their reach into the European and global e-commerce markets. UK-based pioneer Play.com is the most successful business in Europe’s largest e-commerce market. Rakuten now operates in 10 countries.
MandaDeals
03 October: Deals Fall by the Wayside
Global Mergers and Acquisitions volume is down 21% from the same quarter last year, according to Dealogic. This downward trend is set to continue as volatile markets and national debt crises send signals of a double dip recession.
Wall Street Journal
03 October: Rhapsody buys Napster to counter its Spotify envy
On-demand music pioneer Rhapsody announced a deal to acquire Napster from Best Buy. The deal brings two iconic Web music services together in a bid to combat competition from a growing number of rivals including Apple iTunes and Spotify. The deal should close in November.
Gigaom
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