Big news from the grocery sector: Kroger will buy Harris Teeter for $2.5 billion following the trend of consolidation in the grocery industry. Earlier this year, Empire Ltd, the owner of Canadian grocery chain Sobeys, bought Safeway’s Canadian business for $5.7 billion in a “game changing” deal. As the supermarket industry becomes more competitive, companies …
Category: M&A and External Growth
Uncovering Liabilities Early On
The message I want to share with you here is simple but critical: start your due diligence early. In fact, start it the moment you begin the acquisition process. Conducting due diligence uncovers liabilities or hidden problems that can decide the success or failure of an acquisition. This could include issues such as past litigation, …
Researching “Brother-in-Law Companies”
As I head off to celebrate July 4th with my family and friends, I’m reminded of what we call “brother-in-law” companies. In some ways, the close relationship between family members can resemble the relationship between a buyer and an acquisition prospect. These “brother-in-law companies” are prospects that a CEO believes are a great deal because …
Why a Letter of Intent Should be Strategic
by John Dearing, Capstone Managing Director I recently read an article that listed some standard items, such as type of transaction, employment, transaction contingencies and conditions, to include in a LOI. While I don’t disagree with this “standard” list, I would prefer that the LOI address the strategic intent of the two parties. The LOI …
How to Buy a “Not-for-Sale” Company: Sell Your Vision
As an M&A consultant, I’m often asked exactly how we persuade the owners of not-for-sale companies to sell. My years of experience speaking with owners and facilitating acquisitions makes the process easier, but the real secret is understanding owner psychology. In contacting an owner, you can’t lay out a detailed acquisition plan. The key is …
How a Letter of Intent Can Save Your Deal
About 70% of completed acquisitions fail, and even more attempts at M&A fail to reach a deal. Part of the challenge is the mix of buyers and sellers who envision dissimilar outcomes. In the pursuit of a deal the two sides have different goals and different perspectives. As in a house sale, buyer and seller …
Why You Should Be Wary When Discussing EBITDA In M&A
* Guest post by John Dearing, Capstone Managing Director Just last week during a valuation discussion, I noted to the Board to be wary of EBITDA multiple discussions in the world of M&A. As an article from PE Hub points out, when you ask five different professionals to calculate a company’s EBITDA, you’ll come up with …
Why You Don’t Want a List of Companies
I was on a call with a prospective client when he asked a question I frequently hear: “Will we get a list of companies we can look at to acquire?” It’s a common misconception that your objective in hiring an M&A consultant is a long list of for-sale acquisition prospects. I strongly caution against this …
A Sweet Deal: Pearson Candy Co. Buys Nestle’s Bit-O-Honey Brand
On May 1, Pearson Candy Co., a regional candy manufacturer headquartered in St. Paul, bought one of Nestle’s smaller brands, Bit-O-Honey. The company plans to manufacture Bit-O-Honey at its existing plant in St. Paul along with regional favorites like the Salted Nut Roll. When people think of acquisition, they often think of highly publicized megadeals …
Why Expand Internationally?
* Guest post by Paul Marin, Research Analyst at Capstone Did you know twenty of the fastest growing economies are in Africa or Asia? William Blair reports in the first quarter of 2013, the Americas invested $7.0 billion in Asia-Pacific in cross-border transactions, a 4.6% increase from 2012. This means many of the opportunities for growth …
