ResearchBuster: Acquisitions

Our ResearchBuster blog posts are designed to help students identify and integrate examples of business strategy for their synoptic essays and exams. This ResearchBuster look at some of the most significant examples of takeovers / acquisitions in recent years…

Last updated - 17 June 2012

Here is a selection of key acquisitions. Follow the link to identify at least one key strategic reason behind the deal:

1998: Merger of Daimler Benz and Chrysler
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/88912.stm

1999: Merger of Exxon and Mobile
Value: $82bn
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/544288.stm

2000: Merger of Glaxo Wellcome with SmithKline Beecham
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/607187.stm
Price: £130bn

2000: Buyer: Vodafone
Target: Mannesmann
Price: £112bn

2000: Buyer: Unilever
Target: Ben & Jerry’s
Price: £203 million

2000: Buyer: Unilever:
Target: Slim-Fast Foods
Price: £1.44bn

2001: Buyer: E.on
Target: Powergen
Price: £5.1bn

2002: Buyer: eBay
Target: PayPal
Price: $1.5bn

2002: Buyer: Hewlett Packard
Target: Compaq
Price: $25bn

2003: Buyer: Pearson
Target: Edexcel
Price: £20 million

2004: Buyer; WM Morrison
Target - Safeway
Price: £3bn

2004: Buyer: Santander
Target: Abbey National
Price: £8bn

2004: Buyer: Lenovo
Target: IBM PC Business
Price: $1.8bn

2004: Merger of Carlton and Granada to form ITV plc
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2319563.stm

2005: Apax Partners (Private Equity)
Target: Tommy Hilfiger
Price: $1.6bn

2005: Buyer: eBay
Target: Skype
Price £1.4bn

2005: Buyer: News Corporation
Target: MySpace
Price: $580 million

2005: Buyer: ITV plc
Target; Friends Reunited
Price: £175 million

2005: Buyer; Adidas
Target - Reebok
Price: £2.1bn

2005: Buyer Telefonica
Target: O2
Price: £17.7bn

2005: Buyer: Cadbury’s plc
Target: Green & Black’s
Price: £20 million

2006: Buyer: Disney
Target: Pixar
Price: $7.4bn

2006: Buyer: Dubai Ports World
Target: P&O
Price: £3.9bn

2006: Merger of Arcelor and Mittal Steel
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5114290.stm
Price: £33bn

2006: Buyer; Ferrovial
Target: BAA plc
Price: £10.3bn

2006: Buyer; First Choice
Target; Late Rooms
Price: £120 million

2006: Buyer; Nippon Sheet Glass
Target: Pilkington
Price: £1.9bn

2006: Blackstone Group (Private Equity)
Target: Center Parcs
Price: £205 million

2006: Buyer: Blackstone Group (Private Equity)
Target: Legoland Parks
Price: £259 million

2006: Buyer: Google
Target: YouTube
Price: $1.65bn

2006: Buyer: Procter & Gamble
Target: Gillette
Price: £30bn

2006: Buyer: L’Oreal
Target: Body Shop
Price: £652 million

2006: Buyer: Virgin Active
Target: Holmes Place
Price: not disclosed

2006: Buyer: Heinz
Target: HP Foods
Price: £470m

2007: Buyer; Tata
Target: Corus
Price: £5.8bn

2007: Buyer; BSkyB
Target: Amstrad
Price: £125 million

2007: Buyer: KKR (Venture Capital)
Target: Alliance Boots
Price: £11.1bn

2007: Buyer: Merlin Entertainments
Target: Tussauds Group
Price: £1bn

2007: Buyer: Terra Firma (Venture Capital)
Target: EMI
Price: £4.2bn

2007: Merger of MyTravel and Thomas Cook
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6353023.stm

2007: Merger of TUI and First Choice
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6465387.stm

2007: Buyer: Blackstone Group (Venture Capital)
Target: Hilton Hotels
Price : $26bn

2007: Buyer: Easyjet
Target: GB Airways
Price: £104million

2007: Merger of Taylor Woodrow and George Wimpey
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6494387.stm
Value: £5bn

2008: Buyer; Tata
Target: Jaguar Land Rover
Price: £1.7bn

2008 - Buyer: Lloyds TSB
Target: HBOS
Price: £12.2bn

2008: Buyer: Santander
Target: Alliance & Leicester
Price: £1.3bn

2008: Buyer: Santander
Target: Bradford & Bingley
Price: £612 million

2008: Buyer: Tesco
Target: E-Land (South Korea)
Price: £958 million

2008: Buyer: Bridgepoint Capital (Private Equity)
Target: Pret A Manger
Price: £not disclosed

2009: Buyer: Oracle
Target: Sun Microsystems
Price: $7.4bn

2009: Merger of Boots Opticians and Dollond & Aitchison
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/7859507.stm

2009: Buyer: Disney
Target: Marvel Entertainment
Price: £2.5bn

2009: Buyer: The Co-operative Group
Target: Somerfield
Price: £1.6bn

2009: Buyer: Resolution
Target: Friends Provident
Price: £1.9bn

2009: Buyer: HMV
Target: MAMA Group
Price: £42 million

2009: Buyer: Cisco
Target: Pure Digital (Flip)
Price: $590 million

2009: Merger of Orange UK and T-Mobile UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8243226.stm

2009: Buyer: Panasonic
Target: Sanyo
Price: £2.8bn

2010: Buyer: Deutsche Bahn
Target: Arriva
Price: £1.6bn

2010: Buyer: Philips-Van Heusen
Target: Tommy Hilfiger
Price : $3.0bn

2010: Buyer: Blackstone Group (Venture Capital)
Target: SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
Price : $2.3bn

2010: Buyer: KKR (Venture Capital)
Target: Pets At Home
Price: £1bn

2010: Buyer: Unilever
Target: Alberto Culver
Price: £2.3bn

2010: Buyer: Resolution
Target: AXA UK
Price: £2.8bn

2010: Buyer;Kraft Foods Inc
Target: Cadbury plc
Price: £1.96bn

2010: Buyer; New England Sports Ventures
Target: Liverpool FC
Price: £300 million

2010: Buyer: Onex
Target: Tomkins
Price: £2.9bn

2010: Merger of United Airlines and Continental Airlines
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11353161

2010: Buyer: Reckitt Benckiser
Target: SSL International
Price: £2.5bn

2010: Buyer: Coca-Cola
Target: Innocent
Price: not disclosed

2010: Buyer: Doughty Hanson (Private Equity)
Target: Vue Entertainment
Price: £450 million

2010: Merger of British Airways and Iberia
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11862956

2010: Buyer: Asda
Target; Netto
Price: £778 million

2011: Buyer: Amazon
Target: LoveFilm
Price: £200 million (est)

2011: Buyer: Bridgepoint Capital (Private Equity)
Target: Wiggle
Price: £180 million

2011: Buyer; Whitbread
Target: Coffee Nation
Price: £60 million

2011: Buyer; Microsoft
Target: Skype
Price: £5.2bn

2011: Buyer: Google
Target: Motorola Mobility
Price: $12.5bn

2011: Carlyle Group (Venture Capital)
Target: RAC
Price: £1bn

2011: Buyer: Labelux
Target: Jimmy Choo
Price: £525 million

2011: Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings (CKI)
Target: Northumbrian Water
Price: £2.4bn

2011: Hewlett-Packard
Target: Autonomy
Price: £7 billion

2011: Buyer: Mattel
Target: Hit Entertainment
Price: £420 million

2011: Merger of Thomas Cook Travel Agents and Co-op Travel
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-14550184

2011: Buyer: Tesco
Target: Blinkbox
Price: £ not disclosed

2011: Buyer: International Airlines Group (IAG)
Target: British Midland (BMI)
Price: £172 million

2011: Buyer: SABMiller
Target: Fosters
Price: £6.5bn

2011: Buyer: Muller Group
Target: Robert Wiseman Dairies
Price: £280 million

2011: Buyer: Virgin Active
Target: Esporta
Price: £78 million

2011: Buyer: CVC Capital Partners (Private Equity)
Target: Virgin Active
Price: £450 million

2011: Buyer: Virgin Money
Target: Northern Rock
Price: £747 million

2012: Buyer: Apple
Target: Anobit
Price: $500m

2012: Buyer: Cisco
Target: NDS
Price: £5bn

2012: Buyer: Kelloggs
Target: Pringles
Price: $2.7bn

2012: Merger of Glencore and Xstrata
Value: $90bn

2012: Buyer: OpCapita (Private Equity)
Target: GAME Group
Price: Not disclosed

2012: Zynga
Target: Draw Something
Price: $200m

2012: Buyer: Glencore
Target: Viterra
Price: $6.2bn

2012: Buyer: Vista (Private Equity)
Target: Misys
Price: £1.3bn

2012: Buyer: UPS
Target: TNT Express
Price: $6.8bn

2012: Buyer: Starbucks
Target: Bay Bread
Price: $100m