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M&A Navigator: Deal pipeline - 29 June(M&A Navigator Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The following is a list a of deals covered in detail by M&A Navigator this week: - LIBREDIGITAL BUYS HARPERCOLLINS E-COMMERCE UNIT SYMTIO US LibreDigital, a digital distributor for publishers, has taken over the Symtio e-commerce business of Zondervan, part of book publisher HarperCollins, for an undisclosed sum. Status: Agreed - GROWTH TECHNOLOGIES WRAPS UP BULOVATECH LABS BUY US disruptive technologies specialist Growth Technologies (PINK:GRWT) said it has finalised the all-stock acquisition of BulovaTech Labs from pyrotechnic devices and munitions maker Bulova Technologies Group (OTCBB:BLVT). Status: Closed - SWEDISH ASPIRO ANNOUNCES SEK42M DEAL TO DISPOSE OF ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS Swedish mobile entertainment company Aspiro (STO:ASP) said it had agreed to sell its Mobile Entertainment operations in the Scandinavian countries to Lobus Mobil for SEK42m (USD5.4m/EUR4.4m) and further earn-out payments. Status: Agreed - HR OWEN BUYS LONDON AUDI AFTERSALES FRANCHISE FOR GBP1.1M UK franchised motor dealer HR Owen (LON:HRO) said it had bought the Burr Road Audi aftersales franchise in London from The Dutton-Forshaw Motor Company, a unit of Lookers (LON:LOOK), for GBP1.1m (USD1.6m/EUR1.3m). Status: Closed - US VERDE MEDIA IN LOI TO TAKE STAKE IN ASTRABLU MEDIA US Verde Media (OTCPK:HMIT), producing, financing and distributing films, said it had signed a letter of intent to buy a stake in film producer and distributor Astrablu Media, without giving details on the price or the stake size. Status: Exclusivity - FINNISH TIETO TAKES OVER INTENSIUM Finnish IT services provider Tieto (HEL:TIE1V) said it had bought healthcare IT solutions and service firm Intensium to bolster offering to the healthcare sector. Status: Closed - RAMIRENT BUYS MACHINERY, EQUIPMENT RENTAL BUSINESS OF CZECH NTS Finnish equipment rental group Ramirent (HEL:RMR1V) said it had bought the machinery and equipment rental operations of Czech NTC Stavebni Tecnika, to boost presence in the country. Status: Closed - NEXTRADIOTV WINS COURT APPROVAL TO ACQUIRE CAP 24 The commercial court in Paris gave the thumbs up to the acquisition of digital terrestrial television channel Cap 24 by media group NextRadioTV (EPA:NXTV) for EUR1.5m (USD1.9m). Status: Agreed - SAINT-GOBAIN SHEDS CERAMICS UNIT FOR USD245M French construction materials maker Saint-Gobain (EPA:SGO) said it had divested from its Ceramiques Avancees unit to US advanced technical ceramic components maker CoorsTek for USD245m (EUR198m). Status: Closed - US LIBERTY CAPITAL SELLS COLORADO BRANCHES TO FIRST COMMERCIAL BANK US financial institution Liberty Capital Inc said it had closed the divestment of two Colorado-based branches of Liberty Savings Bank to First Commercial Bank for an undisclosed sum. Status: Closed - Metals USA announces J. Rubin & Co buy US steel and aluminium products maker Metals USA Holdings Corp (NYSE:MUSA) said it has bought Illinois-based metal service firm J. Rubin & Co. Status: Closed - US DISCUS DENTAL TAKES OVER DENTAL LASER PRODUCER ZAP US Discus Dental LLC, a provider of dental products and equipment, said it had taken over California-based dental laser producer ZAP Lasers LLC for an undisclosed sum. Status: Closed - US PUBLIC MEDIA INKS DEAL TO TAKE OVER VIDEOMATICCANADA US Public Media Works Inc (OTC:PUBM), a specialist in the production and distribution of entertainment media, said it inked a letter of intent to take over Canadian Mediamatic Ventures Inc, for an undisclosed sum. Status: Exclusivity - SUPERIOR INDUSTRIES BUYS MINORITY STAKE IN INDIAN PEER US aluminium road wheels Superior Industries International (NYSE:SUP) said it has purchased an 8.7% stake in Indian privately-held peer Synergies Castings for an undisclosed amount. Status: Closed - US SALIENT TAKES OVER SECTOR COMPANY SGIS US IT and engineering company Salient Federal Solutions Inc said it had bought San Diego-based federal government contracting firm SGIS from US IT company Skillstorm for an undisclosed sum. Status: Closed - INFOGROUP SHAREHOLDERS TO VOTE ON USD460M BUYOUT BY CCMP The shareholders of US business and consumer database provider Infogroup (NASDAQ:IUSA) are scheduled to vote on the company's proposed USD460m (EUR372m) takeover by private equity firm CCMP Capital Advisors. Status: Agreed - EC CLEARS GERMAN MAHLE TO TAKE 60% OF BEHR INDUSTRY The European Commission (EC) said it had approved the acquisition by German automotive components maker Mahle of 60% in Behr Industry, a unit of German Behr Group. Status: Agreed - BELL MICRO SHAREHOLDERS GREENLIGHT TAKEOVER BY AVNET US data storage and software products distributor Bell Microproducts (NASDAQ:BELM) said that its stockholders have cleared the proposed acquisition by peer Avnet (NYSE:AVT) for USD252m (EUR204m), plus the assumption of USD342m in debt. Status: Agreed - FORNIX APPROVES ALK BUY OF ARTU UNIT FOR EUR19.6M Danish-based drugs firm ALK-Abello (CPH:ALK B) said it had been notified that shareholders of Dutch biotechnology company Fornix (AMS:FORBI) have cleared the proposed acquisition by ALK of Fornix's allergy unit Artu for EUR19.6m (USD24.2m) cash. Status: Agreed - BOARD OF ITALIAN BORGOSESIA CLEARS MERGER WITH GABBIANO Italian textile and real estate holding Borgosesia (BIT:BRGI) said its board approved the merger with its main stockholder Gabbiano. Status: Agreed - XCOUNTER TAKES FULL CONTROL OF FINNISH OY AJAT Swedish XCounter (LON:XCT) said it had bought the residual 50.2% of Finnish Oy Ajat, in a stock deal valuing the stake at some GBP1.1m (USD1.6m/EUR1.3m). Status: Closed - SWEDISH SYSTEMAIR BUYS GREEK POLIPLEVRO Swedish ventilation company Systemair (STO:SYSR) announced the acquisition of the assets in Greek ventilation products distributor Poliplevro, without providing financial details. Status: Closed - US CULLIGAN TO OFFLOAD VENDED WATER OPS TO PRIMO FOR USD105M US water treatment systems provider Culligan International Company said it had agreed to divest its vended water business to North Carolina-based Primo Water Corporation for USD105m (EUR84.9m). Status: Agreed - US ASPEN EXPLORATION TO TAKE OVER DILLCO FLUID SERVICES US Aspen Exploration Corporation (OTC:ASPN) will take all the outstanding shares of US oilfield services provider Dillco Fluid Services in exchange for some 14.5 million of its own newly issued ordinary shares. Status: Agreed - GERMAN RWE WITHDRAWS FROM BUYING INTO POLISH ENEA German utility RWE (ETR:RWE) has called off the planned acquisition of a 51% stake in Polish electricity producer Enea (WAR:ENA). Status: Terminated - US GOTV TO MERGE WITH PUBLIC COMPANY US Global Online Television Corporation, or GOTV, has signed a merger contract with a publicly traded company. Status: Agreed - US PINNACLE TAKES OVER FABRICATION NETWORK US Pinnacle Precision Sheet Metal Corporation has taken over local sector company Fabrication Network Inc for an undisclosed sum. Status: Closed - US DATA STORAGE TAKES OVER LOCAL SECTOR FIRM SAFEDATA US electronic data storage and protection solutions company Data Storage Corporation (OTC:DTST) said it had bought local sector firm SafeData for an undisclosed sum. Status: Closed - CHLORIDE SAYS TO DISCUSS SWEETENED BID WITH EMERSON The board of directors of British power solutions maker Chloride (LON:CHLD) said it would start talks with US technology and engineering services group Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) over the latter's improved USD1.5bn (EUR1.2bn) takeover offer. Status: Bidding - CAIXA GALICIA, CAIXANOVA BOARDS CLEAR MERGER PLAN The boards of directors of Spanish savings banks Caixa Galicia and Caixanova gave the go-ahead to their planned merger. Status: Agreed - VEB REPORTEDLY AGREES TO SELL STAKE IN ROSTELECOM Russia's lender Vnesheconombank (VEB) has agreed to unload its 10% stake in telecom group Rostelecom (MCX:RTKM) to state-run telecom holding Svyazinvest for at least RUB230 (USD7.42/EUR6) per share. Status: Agreed - KROMEK WRAPS UP BUY OF US NOVA UK Amphion Innovations (LON:AMP), investing in medical and technology companies, said that its partner company Kromek had closed the cash and stock purchase of US NOVA R&D. Status: Closed - EGL BUYS 46% OF SPANISH WIND PARK OWNER Swiss energy trading company EGL (SWF:EGL) said it has purchased 46% of Spanish wind farm operator Parque Eolico La Penuca SL, which owns the La Penuca wind park. Status: Closed - RUSSIAN LADOGA TAKES FULL OWNERSHIP OF CZECH ALCOHOL MAKER The shareholders of Russian alcohol maker Ladoga have gained full control of Czech peer Fruko Schulz after lifting their stake to 100%. Status: Closed - SIEMENS TO BUY 49% OF A2SEA FOR DKK860M German engineering group Siemens (ETR:SIE) said it was buying 49% of Danish A2SEA A/S, providing installation services for the building of offshore wind farms, for DKK860m (USD143m/EUR116m). Status: Agreed - FRENCH SCOPELEC TAKES OVER SETELEN, GMS-OSN TO EXPAND French Scopelec, a power and telecommunications infrastructure company, has bought sector players Setelen and GMS-OSN, to grow in France. Status: Closed - EMERSON HIKES BID FOR CHLORIDE TO TRUMP RIVAL SWISS OFFER US technology and engineering services group Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) said it has sweetened its cash offer for UK power solutions maker Chloride (LON:CHLD) to USD1.5bn (EUR1.2bn) in an effort to outbid the rival USD1.25bn offer of Swiss ABB (VTX:ABBN). Status: Bidding - ABBOTT MULLS OVER SELLING FLU VACCINE BUSINESS US drugmaker Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) is seeking to sell its flu vaccine business, which it recently bought from Belgian peer Solvay (EBR:SOLB). Status: Auction - ALGORITHMICS BUYS UK VIPITECH Enterprise risk management solutions provider Algorithmics, part of French Fimalac SA (EPA:FIM), announced the acquisition of UK actuarial modelling software firm VIPitech from professional services firm Towers Watson (NYSE:TW). Status: Closed - DEXIA CEO SAYS IN NO RUSH TO SHED TURKISH INSURANCE ARM Belgium-based financial services group Dexia (EBR:DEXB) is in no hurry to dispose of its insurance unit in Turkey. Status: Auction - CONAGRA FOODS WRAPS UP AMERICAN PIE TAKEOVER US ConAgra Foods (NYSE:CAG) unveiled the completion of the previously announced acquisition of frozen fruit pies manufacturer American Pie, without providing financial details. Status: Closed - HONEYWELL WRAPS UP CANADIAN MATRIKON TAKEOVER US manufacturing and technology group Honeywell International (NYSE:HON) said it has completed the acquisition of Canadian industrial intelligence solutions provider Matrikon (TSE:MTK) for some USD139m (EUR112.4m). Status: Closed - SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT BIDS FOR SPANISH UTILITY AIGUES DE SABADELL French water and environmental utility Suez Environnement (EPA:SEV) said it would offer to buy 68% of Spanish sector firm Aigues de Sabadell for EUR71 (USD87.78) per share to enhance its position in the region of Catalonia. Status: Bidding - GEMALTO TO BUY GERMAN CINTERION Franco-Dutch digital security company Gemalto (EPA:GTO) said it has agreed to buy German Cinterion Wireless Modules, a provider of industrial machine-to-machine wireless communication modules, for EUR163m (USD201.5m) in cash. Status: Agreed - BILLIONAIRE ICAHN DECLINES TO EXTEND LIONS GATE TENDER OFFER Billionaire investor Carl Icahn said he will not extend again the tender period for Canada-based movie production studio Lions Gate Entertainment (NYSE:LGF). Status: Bidding - BPCE DROPS SALE OF REAL-ESTATE UNIT FONCIA French bank BPCE has scrapped plans to shed its property arm Foncia. Status: Terminated - DEXIA IN TALKS TO SELL MAJORITY STAKE IN ISRAELI UNIT Franco-Belgian bank Dexia (EBR:DEXB) is in talks with two banks to sell its 65% stake in Dexia Israel (TLV:DXIL). Status: Speculation; Talks - RUSSIAN AKADO SHAREHOLDERS DISAGREE ON PRICE WITH POTENTIAL BUYERS Russian Renova Group and Yury Pripachkin, owners of cable TV operator Akado, have failed to reach an agreement on the price with investors looking to buy Akado. Status: Talks - ORANGE TO DROP BID FOR LE MONDE French mobile operator Orange, a unit of France Telecom (EPA:FTE), said it would pull out from the race for French newspaper Le Monde following the vote of the daily's supervisory board scheduled for later. Status: Terminated - SPANISH MERCAPITAL OFFERS EUR135M FOR BC PARTNERS' TEKNON Spanish investor Mercapital has offered EUR135m (USD167m) to buy private healthcare services provider Teknon from UK private equity firm BC Partners. Status: Talks - LE MONDE JOURNALISTS REJECT PRISA BID, BACK BUSINESSMEN OFFER Journalists at troubled French daily Le Monde on Friday rejected the takeover bid of Spanish media group Prisa (MCE:PRS) and voted in favour of the joint offer of French businessmen Matthieu Pigasse, Xavier Niel and Pierre Berge. Status: Auction - PRIVATE EQUITY FIRMS INTERESTED IN REED EXHIBITIONS Private equity firms have expressed interest in buying Reed Exhibitions, the events organising unit of Anglo-Dutch publisher Reed Elsevier (AMS:REN, LON:REL). Status: Talks; Speculation - MTS SHAREHOLDERS TO CONSIDER MERGING EUROTEL, DAGTELECOM UNITS The stockholders of Russian mobile operator MTS (MCX:MTSS) are planning to discuss the potential merger of the company's telecom subsidiaries, Eurotel and Dagtelecom, into the group, at their extraordinary general meeting (EGM), MTS said in a statement. Status: Talks - FRENCH CASINO DISMISSES CDISCOUNT IPO, GEANT CASINO SALE French retailer Casino (EPA:CO) has ruled out plans to float its online unit CDiscount or shed its hypermarket chain Geant Casino, chairman and CEO Jean-Charles Naouri said. Status: Denied - E.ON SAID TO PLAN SALE OF GAZPROM STAKE German power utility E.ON (ETR:EOAN) could unload its 3.5% stake valued at USD4bn (EUR3.2bn) in Russian gas giant Gazprom (MCE:GAZP). Status: Auction; Speculation - H&M CEO SAYS COMPANY NOT FOR SALE The chief executive of Swedish clothing retailer Hennes & Mauritz (SO:HMB), Karl-Johan Persson, said that the company is not planning to sell itself and is not seeking other acquisitions. Status: Denied - BWIN SAYS MERGER TALKS WITH PARTYGAMING COLLAPSE The merger talks between London-listed online gambling group PartyGaming (LON:PRTY) and Austrian peer Bwin (WBAG:BWIN) have failed, the chairman of Bwin's supervisory board, Hannes Androsch, said. Status: Terminated - NEXT DISCUSSES SALE OF CALL CENTRE UNIT TO TELEFONICA British clothing retailer Next (LON:NXT) is negotiating to divest from its call centre unit Ventura to Spanish telecom group Telefonica (MCE:TEF) for over GBP50m (USD74m/EUR60m). Status: Talks - MA INDUSTRIES PLANS TO BUY US ALBAUGH Israeli agrochemical company MA Industries (TLV:MAIN) said it has signed a letter of intent to buy US privately-held herbicide maker Albaugh for some USD1bn (EUR809m), as part of its growth strategy. Status: Exclusivity ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) (c) 2010 M2 COMMUNICATIONS |