Dec. 21, 2010 at 9:31 a.m.
Filed under:
Internet,
M&A,
Technology
By Reuters
Groupon CEO Andrew Mason. (Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune)
Google is in talks with smaller players in the online discount coupon market after Groupon turned down the web giant’s $6 billion buyout offer, the New York Post said, citing a source close to the situation.
Groupon’s smaller rivals LivingSocial and BuyWithMe may now be on Google’s radar after Groupon deal fell through, the Post said.
BuyWithMe interim President David Wolfe, who declined to comment on whether he was speaking to Google, told the Post that he believes Google needs to enter the coupon advertising market. Get the full story »
Dec. 21, 2010 at 6:11 a.m.
Filed under:
Food,
M&A,
Packaged foods,
Updated
By Reuters
In the past five years, Sara Lee Corp. once a hodgepodge of consumer brands, has narrowed its focus to food. But its businesses, which include Douwe Egberts coffee and Hillshire Farm deli meats, still have little in common, one reason the company has become a tempting takeover target.
Earlier this year, Sara Lee’s board rebuffed an approach by private-equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. In recent weeks, it has been considering a sale of the company to Brazilian meat processor JBS SA, people familiar with the matter said. Get the full story »
Dec. 20, 2010 at 3:53 p.m.
Filed under:
Banking,
M&A,
Stock activity
By Reuters
Shares of Bank of Montreal extended their slide on Monday, falling 2.2 percent as analysts chopped their share-price targets following the bank’s $4.1 billion deal to purchase Wisconsin lender Marshall & Ilsley Corp. Get the full story »
Dec. 20, 2010 at 10:49 a.m.
Filed under:
Investing,
M&A
By Reuters
Industrial products supplier WW Grainger Inc. said it sold its library supplies brand Highsmith to DEMCO Inc and is considering the sale of four more specialty brands.
The company, which offers almost everything from abrasives to refrigerants, said it may sell Professional Equipment, Construction Book Express, McFeely’s and Rand — which along with Highsmith accounted for one percent of its revenue.
Chicago-based Grainger said it will continue to invest in the remaining brands including Lab Safety Supply, Imperial, Gempler’s, Ben Meadows and AW Direct, and look for acquisitions. Get the full story »
Dec. 17, 2010 at 5:45 p.m.
Filed under:
M&A
By Associated Press
Shareholders of Alberto-Culver Co., the maker of beauty products such as VO5 and Noxzema, have approved the company’s $3.7 billion takeover by consumer products maker Unilever NV, the companies said on Friday.
The company also said it and Unilever have received a second request for information from the Department of Justice, which is reviewing the deal. Get the full story »
Dec. 17, 2010 at 4:38 p.m.
Filed under:
Food,
M&A
By Reuters
Sara Lee Corp. is considering selling itself to Brazilian meat producer JBS, the Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site, citing people familiar with the matter.
JBS approached Sara Lee first and discussions between the two companies have been on and off for several months, the Journal reported, citing these sources. Sara Lee has been considering JBS’s offer more seriously of late, according to the Journal. Get the full story »
Dec. 17, 2010 at 12:06 p.m.
Filed under:
Health care,
M&A
By Bruce Japsen
The parent companies of Delnor Hospital in Geneva and Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield said Friday that they have signed a definitive agreement to merge their operations into a powerhouse in the western suburbs with a combined $1 billion in annual revenue.
The deal comes as the health care overhaul law is being implemented over the next four years, triggering a wave of consolidation of hospitals and doctor practices across the country. Hospitals are looking to gain care economies of scale, pool resources to invest in information systems and clinical programs and gain negotiating leverage with insurance companies who pay them. Get the full story »
Dec. 17, 2010 at 7:32 a.m.
Filed under:
Banking,
M&A
By Dow Jones Newswires
Bank of Montreal will acquire Marshall & Ilsley Corp. in a stock-for-stock deal valued at about $4.1 billion, further strengthening the Canadian bank’s position in the Midwest.
Bank of Montreal said Friday that, under the definitive agreement, it’s offering 0.1257 of a share for each M&I share. Based on Bank of Montreal’s closing stock price in Toronto Thursday, the deal values M&I at $7.75 a share. Get the full story »
Dec. 16, 2010 at 10:19 a.m.
Filed under:
International,
M&A
By Dow Jones Newswires
FedEx Corp. on Thursday signed an agreement to acquire Mexican express-package-delivery company MultiPack, allowing the FedEx Express business unit to enhance its capabilities in the Mexican domestic-delivery market.
FedEx did not provide further details on the deal, but expects to close the acquisition during the second quarter of 2011, subject to regulatory approvals and customary conditions. Get the full story »
Dec. 16, 2010 at 8:02 a.m.
Filed under:
Health care,
M&A
By Bruce Japsen
Chicago-based private equity firm Water Street Healthcare Partners said it has acquired a company that works with insurers and employers to manage heart and cancer care benefits for an undisclosed amount. Get the full story »
Dec. 15, 2010 at 4:40 p.m.
Filed under:
Health care,
M&A
By Bruce Japsen
Nashville-based hospital operator Vanguard Health Systems said it will purchase Holy Cross Hospital near Chicago’s Marquette Park for an undisclosed sum.
The 331-bed hospital is the latest acquisition by the for-profit hospital operator in the Chicago area, which has become one of its fastest-growing markets. Vanguard last year purchased Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park and West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park from Resurrection Health Care, a Catholic operator of hospitals in the Chicago area. Get the full story »
Dec. 15, 2010 at 5:47 a.m.
Filed under:
Energy,
M&A
By Reuters
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn said he had agreed to buy power producer Dynegy Inc for $665 million in cash, just three weeks after a bid by private equity firm Blackstone Group failed to win over Dynegy shareholders.
The offer of $5.50 a share by Icahn Enterprises LP is 10 percent higher than Blackstone’s bid and calls for Dynegy to continue soliciting other buyers until Jan. 24, the companies said in a press release. Get the full story »
Dec. 14, 2010 at 2:22 p.m.
Filed under:
Chicago executives,
Health care,
M&A
By Bruce Japsen
The Pritzker Group said it has purchased a Utah medical device company for an undisclosd sum from another local private investment firm.
The investment firm, which represents investment interests of Chicago’s Pritzker family, bought Clinical Innovations, a Murray, Utah-based maker of devices used in the care of women and their infants such as specialized catheters. Get the full story »
Dec. 13, 2010 at 4:38 p.m.
Filed under:
M&A,
Manufacturing,
Venture capital
By Becky Yerak
Palatine-based Weber-Stephen Products Co., maker of charcoal and gas grills, said BDT Capital Partners LLC has agreed to acquire a majority interest in the Weber business through a newly formed partnership with the Stephen family.
“This partnership with BDT Capital Partners allows us to continue to invest in the business, produce innovative, high-quality products, deliver strong customer service and build upon the global strength and heritage of the Weber brand,” said James Stephen, second generation chief executive of Weber-Stephen Products Co. Get the full story »
Dec. 10, 2010 at 9:57 a.m.
Filed under:
International,
M&A
By Reuters
Kenya granted Anglo-Dutch consumer goods group Unilever approval to buy Sara Lee’s subsidiary in the east African nation, a government notice showed on Friday. Get the full story »
