M&A activity in the first 9 months of 2015 remained strong reaching $3.2 trillion globally. It was the strongest first 9-month period since 2007 for global mergers and acquisitions. The trend of large, mega deals continued in the third quarter of 2015. Global deal value increased by 32% in the first 9 months of 2015 …
Tag: acquisitions
Anheuser-Busch to Gain Access to Fast-Growing Markets through SABMiller Acquisition
SABMiller has agreed to Anheuser-Busch InBev’s $106 billion offer to acquire it. Together, they will form a global beer conglomerate with $64 billion in annual revenues that is estimated to make up 29% of global beer sales. The new company would be three times bigger than its next competitor, Heineken. Given that this is such …
The Best Advice for M&A Success
In my over 20 years of pursing strategic, not-for-sale acquisitions for clients, the most important piece of advice I have is: be prepared. It may sound simple, but I cannot stress enough how critical preparation is to M&A success. This applies to every stage of the Roadmap to Acquisitions, our M&A process, from initial strategy …
What Leads to Premium or Discount When It Comes to Valuation Multiples?
As you might expect, sellers look for a premium multiple. Buyers typically will only consider paying a premium to market if they are adequately convinced that the value of the potential target justifies it. This begs the question: How does one derive a rationale for discount and premium multiples on a business? There are a …
Keys to Successful Minority Investment
On yesterday’s M&A Express videocast, The Hidden Power of Minority Ownership, I mentioned Marcus Lemonis, a businessman who turns around struggling businesses in the CNBC show, the Profit. I’ve written about Lemonis before on the blog, and how he really prefers to use minority ownership so that the founders or original owners of the business continue to …
Looking to Africa for Growth
What do you do when sales decline? If you’re Diageo, you move to Africa. Diageo, the maker of Smirnoff vodka and Johnnie Walker whisky, has been a global liquor powerhouse for years. However, the company’s growth has been slowing in its traditional markets of North America, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. In other words, …
Successful Acquisitions Blog — New Look
If you’re reading this post, you’ve probably noticed the Successful Acquisitions Blog has a new look. You can still find the latest on middle-market M&A at our redesigned site. This mobile-friendly site features a fresh design that’s easy to read on all your devices. So now you can follow middle-market M&A whether you’re in the office …
Employees vs. Contractors ─ A Due Diligence Challenge
It seems as though the employee vs. contractor issue is popping up all over the news. Virtual assistant startup company Zirtual just fired over 400 employees by email because the company couldn’t sustain its payroll once it converted contractors to employees. The Wall Street Journal has also highlighted the many startups that are now grappling …
Strategic M&A: Berkshire Hathaway to Buy Precision Castparts
By now, many of you will have heard of Berkshire Hathaway’s $37.2 billion acquisition of Precision Castparts Corp. (PCC), an aerospace parts manufacturer. The acquisition is Berkshire Hathaway’s largest to-date which goes to show with each strategic acquisition, Berkshire Hathaway must make bigger and bigger deals to “move the needle.” Strategic and to the Point …
Who is Your M&A Champion?
Q: Who is the internal champion on the M&A team? What is their role? A: The internal champion is an important member of your M&A team. Your acquisition team should include people from your own company such as the CEO, CFO, the internal champion, and functional leaders, and external experts such as lawyers, accountants, valuation experts, due diligence experts …