Michael Kors will purchase Versace for $2.1 billion as part of a plan to build a luxury fashion empire. After the deal closes, Michael Kors will change its name to Capri Holdings and have 18,000 employees worldwide. While you may (or may not) be a fashionista, here are three lessons any strategic acquirer can learn …
Tag: demand
Ikea Buys Freelance Platform TaskRabbit so You’ll Never Have to Assemble Their Furniture Again
If you have ever purchased Ikea furniture, you understand the struggle of trying to assemble it. The “simple” diagrams are not easy to follow, some of the screws or nails go missing, and sometimes the piece falls apart after you finish building it. Ikea is hoping to solve this problem for future buyers with its …
Nestlé Bets on Fast Growing Markets with Sweet Earth and Blue Bottle Coffee Deals
Nestlé is scooping up two brands in fast growing markets to expand its product offerings in North America. The Swiss company will acquire Sweet Earth, a maker of plant-based foods, as consumer demand for natural, organic and healthy food grows. Nestle expects the market to reach $5.21 billion by 2020. Based in Moss Landing, California, …
Verizon to Acquire Straight Path to Build 5G Network
Verizon will acquire Straight Path Communications for $3.1 billion, beating out AT&T’s initial offer of $1.25 billion. The primary driver for the deal is accessing Straight Path’s millimeter wave spectrum which will be key to building a faster 5G network. Disruptive technology and evolving consumer habits are reshaping the telecommunications industry at a rapid pace …
Firms Use Acquisition to Stay Ahead of the Curve
Are you keeping up with industry changes fast enough? Or are you being left behind? It’s no secret that technology is disrupting industries from manufacturing to telecommunications to retail. “…The risk of being left behind because of technological disruption and change is driving companies to make acquisitions faster,” Steven Davidoff Solomon writes in Dealbook. For many …
Why Unilever Paid $1 Billion for Unprofitable Dollar Shave Club
Unilever purchased Dollar Shave Club, a startup that sells razors and grooming products to men, for $1 billion. That price may seem absurd for a company that is not yet profitable, however Dollar Shave club is growing quickly. The company’s revenue is expected to jump from $152 million in 2015 to $200 million in 2016. Dollar …
Why You Shouldn’t Rely on Just the Internet for Information
In today’s internet age it seems like information is widely and almost instantaneously available. Just open up a web browser and type your search into Google and thousands of hits show up in less than a second. But how much of that information is accurate? Precise data is critical to every business decision, especially when …
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, …
Forget the Competition. Think Customers.
Don’t let the competition define your external growth strategy. Instead, plan for the people who matter most ─ your customers. Let’s face it ─ we all care about what other people think, and in business that often means measuring how we stack up against the competition. While it’s important to keep an eye on competitors, …
Facebook Finds the Next “Big Thing” with Oculus Acquisition
Facebook acquired Oculus VR, Inc, a maker of virtual-reality glasses for $2 billion. This is Facebook’s second big acquisition in 2014 – it recently purchased WhatsApp for $19 billion. With these two acquisitions Facebook is expanding beyond its current social network platform by adding new capabilities and products. According to Facebook, wearable technology is the …
