It looks like Spotify could be preparing to shore up its streaming music service amid competition in the digital field: according to a new report, Spotify is in advanced talks to buy SoundCloud. [More]
acquisitions
Report: Chinese Owner Of AMC Theatres In Talks To Acquire Dick Clark Productions
By 9.27.16
Chinese entertainment giant Wanda Group is reportedly in the mood for shopping, and it now has its eye on Dick Clark Productions, a company that owns far more than ABC’s New Year’s Eve programming. The transaction would give Wanda and its billionaire owner control of programs like the American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, and the Miss America pageant. [More]
Unilever Looking To Buy Jessica Alba’s Honest Co. For Around $1 Billion
By 9.16.16
Unilever — the company behind everything from Ben & Jerry’s to Vaseline, and who recently spent a billion dollars to buy the Dollar Shave Club — has reportedly gone shopping for yet another high-profile independent brand. This time its Honest Co., the line of household and personal care products co-founded by actress Jessica Alba.
[More]
Steinhoff Announces “Successful Consummation” Of Cash Offer For Mattress Firm Stock
By 9.14.16
South African retailer Steinhoff and Mattress Firm are likely shopping for some new pajamas after announcing the “successful consummation” of a previously announced $64 per share cash tender offer for the U.S. company’s outstanding common stock. [More]
Walmart Acquisition Could Mean Most Jet Customers Have To Pay Sales Tax
By 8.11.16
E-commerce companies don’t have to collect sales tax from customers who live in states where they have no physical presence, which could be anything from their headquarters to a distribution center. That’s been one of the advantages that Jet has had in the marketplace over its chief rival Amazon, which has facilities in 28 states, including the most populous ones. Jet customers in most states don’t have to pay sales tax. However, that could change soon, after Walmart’s acquisition of the young e-commerce company. [More]
Walmart CEO Explains Why Company Spent $3 Billion On Money-Losing Jet
By 8.9.16
When the CEOs of Walmart and of Jet met for the first time, they fell in corporate love. The two men couldn’t stop envisioning the future of their companies together, sketching out their dreams of combining Walmart’s inventory and supplier relationships and Jet’s e-commerce algorithm. The companies announced their engagement this week, and Walmart CEO Doug McMillon explained what it was he ever saw in the startup, which has barely been selling to the public for a year. [More]
GameStop Acquires 507 New AT&T Dealer Stores, Keeps Diversifying Away From Games
By 8.3.16
As the market for physical discs or cartridges with games on them goes away, that leaves mall retailer GameStop without much of anything to sell. Fortunately, the company was able to see this change coming, and is pursuing business in two directions that are related to gaming in indirect ways: selling the mobile phones and tablets where most people play games, and selling geeky merchandise that often features video game characters. Now the company is expanding its mobile empire even farther. [More]
Unilever Buys Dollar Shave Club For $1 Billion In Cash
By 7.20.16
In an effort to gain a foothold in the $3 billion razor market, Unilever has purchased monthly razor subscription service Dollar Shave Club for one billion razors. Excuse me, I meant to say, in a deal worth $1 billion. [More]
Revlon Decides To Change Up Its Beauty Routine, Buys Elizabeth Arden For $870M
By 6.20.16
What’s a global beauty brand to do when it’s time to get a new look? Revlon decided to go shopping for something to change up its routine, picking up fellow cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden in a deal worth $870 million. [More]
Keurig Parent Company Wants Doughnuts With That Coffee, Buys Krispy Kreme
By 5.9.16
You might not know the name JAB Holding, but it could be behind your morning’s breakfast: the company already owns coffee brands like Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Caribou, and Keurig Green Mountain, and now it’s folding a doughnut brand into its ranks with a just-announced acquisition of Krispy Kreme. [More]
Now That It Knows It’s Attractive To Buyers, Virgin America Considering Sale
By 3.23.16
Sometimes you don’t know if you’re interested in something until you hear about it. It’s like realizing you are craving a cheeseburger the moment your friend asks if you’d like a cheeseburger. Such is the case for Virgin America, which is reportedly mulling the idea of selling itself after receiving takeover interest. [More]
Samsonite Is Packing Up Rival Tumi And Taking It Home With $1.8B Deal
By 3.4.16
Luggage company Samsonite is taking on some extra baggage — on purpose. The company confirmed Thursday that it’s agreed to buy rival Tumi for around $1.8 billion. [More]
GE Decides Not To Sell Appliance Business To Electrolux After All
By 12.7.15
More than a year after announcing that it’d be selling off its appliance division to Swedish company Electrolux for a few billion dollars, General Electric is pulling the plug on the deal. [More]
Report: Bass Pro Shops Considers Acquiring Cabela’s
By 11.5.15
If you’re not an outdoorsy type, it’s understandable that you might think Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops are the same store. They’re both big-box stores that are almost more of a tourist destination than a place to shop. Maybe you won’t have to stop and figure out what the difference is: the privately held Bass Pro Shops is considering taking over its publicly traded rival. [More]
Campbell Soup Goes Grocery Shopping, Spends $231M On Salsa
By 6.9.15
Consumers have made their preferences known: their tastes are turning more toward fresh, organic, and minimally processed food. Large food manufacturers like Hormel and Campbell Soup Company are solving this problem by going out and acquiring smaller independent brands in the “fresh and organic” sector that people already like. The Campbell Soup Company announced today that it’s buying Michigan-based Garden Fresh Gourmet for $231 million. [More]
ThinkGeek’s Parent Company Says A New Suitor Has Followed Hot Topic Into The Bidding Ring
By 5.27.15
What’s a little retail merger romance without a love triangle thrown in for good measure? After the news yesterday Hot Topic was buying online retailer ThinkGeek’s parent company GeekNet in a deal worth $122 million, the purveyor of sci-fi curiosities and comic book inspirations says another suitor has thrown in a bid to buy it. [More]
Hot Topic Buying Parent Company Of Online Retailer ThinkGeek For $122M
By 5.26.15
Mall staple Hot Topic is taking another chain under its umbrella for a $122 million price tag, announcing that it’s acquiring Geeknet, Inc., parent company of online retailers ThinkGeek and ThinkGeek Solutions, for $122 million. Commemorative T-shirts with cheeky sayings for everyone! [More]
Report: Verizon Exploring Acquisition Or Joint Venture With AOL
By 1.5.15
The first major marriage of two companies in 2015 may be taking shape just five days into the new year after reports surfaced Monday that Verizon Communications has approached AOL about a possible joint venture or acquisition. [More]
