UBM Aviation Routes Limited acquires Airlineroute.net

May 20, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

UBM Aviation Routes Limited has acquired Airlineroute.net, an online blogging website for route development scheduled changes. Airlineroute.net is the airline network planning community’s top blogging site and it is used by thousands of airline network planners and airport aviation professionals each day.

The blog will be integrated into the news section of Routesonline, the online route development forum and official website of Routes, which has, since its re-launch in May 2008, been a central source of route development information to airports and airlines.

Routesonline also allows airports to promote their market opportunities and airlines to access one resource for all their market data and route development information, as well as being a key source of route development news and analysis through their HUB newsletter.

David McMullen, Business Development Director of Routesonline stated “Airlineroute.net is the most highly regarded source of airline route development news and is currently used by over 800 companies, the synergies between this site and the Routes brand are clear and we are delighted to offer our clients this tool to track changes in airline schedules.”

Routesonline has developed year on year since its inception in 2008, it now offers its 18,000 registered users not only industry and event news but also the unique Route Exchange facility which is where airports and airlines create profiles.  Airlines post available aircraft capacity and airports can send proposals direct to the airlines  Airline users also have direct access to Route Exchange airport profiles, which have full airport intelligence and allow contacts to be made before or after Routes events. The Route Exchange also facilitates an online Request for Proposals (RFP) process where airlines use the Route Exchange to request for proposals from airports to assist them in their network developments plans. This facility was only introduced last year and has already had Air Asia X, Scoot and Indigo airlines participate with further RFPs planned for later in the year.

UK, London & Estonia, Tallinn

Related articles:

Posted in Internet Media, Publishers, ~Europe. Leave a Comment »

Smiths News acquires Hedgelane

May 18, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

Smiths News PLC, the UK based wholesaler of newspapers, magazines and books, has acquired Hedgelane Limited whose principal subsidiary trades as The Consortium for Purchasing and Distribution Limited, a UK specialist distributor of consumable products to the educational market, for an aggregate consideration of £38.0m, equivalent to an enterprise value of £44.1m.

The aggregate consideration comprises £32 million of initial cash consideration to be financed through existing available debt facilities, up to £2 million of deferred consideration payable in cash in January 2013 dependent on certain conditions and to be financed through available existing debt facilities, and up to £4 million of deferred consideration payable in Smiths News PLC shares in January 2014 dependent on certain conditions.

The Consortium is a profitable, cash generative business that is expected to add an additional £64 million sales and £7 million EBITDA to Smiths News PLC on a proforma FY12 basis.  The transaction is immediately EPS accretive and will generate returns significantly above the Group’s cost of capital.

UK, Swindon, Wiltshire

Posted in Publishers, ~Europe. Leave a Comment »

Publicis Groupe Acquires Longtuo

May 14, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

Publicis Groupe has acquired Beijing-based Longtuo, a digital marketing company with strong eCommerce expertise in creative, customer acquisition, marketing solutions and measurement tools. Longtuo will be part of the Groupe-owned Razorfish network and will be named Razorfish Longtuo China.

Founded in 2000, Longtuo employs 200 people throughout its Beijing headquarters and Shanghai and Guangzhou offices. The addition of Longtuo will more than double the size of Razorfish in China, which currently employs 130 people and provides e-Commerce services to clients such as Converse, Hertz, and GM Onstar.

Longtuo serves a prestigious roster of Chinese marketers including 360buy, Kohler, Masamaso, Taobao (the country’s two largest B2C e-Commerce portals) and Yves Rocher. Longtuo also contracts work for Renault, providing website development and content management, as well as traffic measurement and analysis.

The acquisition of Longtuo will give Publicis Groupe more commanding clout in China’s booming e-Commerce market, which Forrester projects to be a $94.6 billion business in 2012. eMarketer estimates the market to grow at more than 92% annually for the next three years and forecasts China will become the world’s largest e-Commerce marketplace by 2015.

Longtuo’s CEO and founding partner, SU Yi, will become Managing Director of Razorfish Longtuo China, and will report to Vincent Digonnet, President of Razorfish Asia Pacific and Executive Chairman of Razorfish Greater China.

Jean-Yves Naouri, Publicis Groupe COO and Chairman of Publicis Groupe China added: “The forecasts for e-Commerce growth in China are spectacular. With new advances in payment technology, broadband access and safe delivery systems making e-Commerce an attractive alternative to retail shops, China has the potential to become the world’s premier e-Commerce market very swiftly, outstripping even the United States. This acquisition means we’re now perfectly positioned to offer our international clients first-in-class local expertise. In addition, with 70% of e-Commerce spending in China currently going to Chinese businesses, Longtuo opens our doors to a number of key clients. The Groupe is accelerating our drive to meet our ambitious targets for growth in China.”

The acquisition of Longtuo is another step towards Publicis Groupe’s objective to double its size in the fast-growing Chinese market between 2010 and 2013. This goal is part of an overall strategy of strongly boosting revenue derived from emerging economies and from the digital sector. In the past four months Publicis Groupe has acquired four agencies based inChina: UBS (February 2012), King Harvests (March 2012), Luminous (March 2012) and now Longtuo. Since 2010, the Groupe has acquired W&K (April 2010) G4 (July 2010) Eastwei Relations (November 2010), Interactive Communications Ltd (February 2011), Dreams (May 2011), Genedigi (June 2011), Wangfan (November 2011), and Gomye (November 2011).

France, Paris & China, Beijing

Related articles:

Posted in Marketing Services, ~Asia, ~Europe. Tags: , , . Leave a Comment »

Schneider Electric acquires M&C Energy Group

May 4, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

Schneider Electric has signed an agreement to acquire M&C Energy Group, a fast-growing company specialised in energy procurement and sustainability services for both multinationals and small to medium sized enterprises.

Headquartered in the Fife, Scotland, M&C provides its customers with energy procurement, compliance and performance optimization services mostly on recurring subscription basis. The company has more than 500 employees including 300 energy specialists and an international presence with 21 offices across 15 countries, particularly in Europe and Asia-Pacific.  M&C expects to generate total sales of approximately £35 million for the current year ending June 2012 with an EBITA margin above the Schneider Electric average.

In March last year Schneider Electric bought Summit Energy for total purchase price for the company is $268 million (~ € 190 million). See Fusion DigiNet article here.

Schneider Electric say that the M&C acquisition will complement the offerings and geographic presence of Summit Energy. M&C brings:

  • A strong client base of about 4,000 customers comprised of large corporations as well as a big pool of small to medium sized enterprises
  • Complementary geographical footprint, including Australia, Asia and some European locations
  • Highly experienced team specialized in services like energy procurement and risk management, regulatory analysis and compliance, performance optimization and sustainability auditing.

Chris Curtis, Schneider Electric’s Executive Vice President, Buildings Business, commented: “M&C is a bolt-on acquisition that will strongly complement Summit’s offerings, significantly enhance the Group’s position in energy management services, and accelerate our growth in countries where our presence is limited. In addition, this acquisition is totally in line with the Group’s strategy to boost services growth. The combination will allow us to connect their supply side expertise with our lead in demand side solutions and generate significant synergies.”

Mark Dickinson, CEO, M&C Energy Group commented: “Bringing M&C Energy Group and Schneider Electric together creates a global force in the energy advisory sector, providing long-term benefits to both staff and clients flowing from the combined knowledge, expertise, geographic footprint and range of products and service available.”

The completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.  The closing is expected to occur in the second quarter 2012. This acquisition is expected to be accretive on earnings per share from year 1 and to meet Schneider Electric’s Return on Capital Employed criteria in year 3.

France, Rueil-Malmaison, UK, Scotland, Fife and USA, Kentucky
Posted in Consultancy, Energy & Environmental Services, ~Europe, ~North America. Tags: . Leave a Comment »

Acquisition of Xceligentby DMGT

April 27, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

dmg:: Information (dmgi), the Business information division of Daily Mail and General Trust, has agreed to make a strategic investment in Xceligent Inc. for a consideration of less than US$10 million.

Xceligent, based in Independence, Missouri, is one of only two companies in the United States that provide fully researched property and listing information to the commercial real estate community. The remaining shares in the company are owned by the founders, management and employees.

UK, London & USA, Independence, MI

Related articles:

Posted in Internet Media, Market Data & Information, ~Europe, ~North America. Leave a Comment »

Publicis Groupe has acquired Indigo Consulting

April 24, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

Publicis Groupe has acquired Indigo Consulting, a full-service Indian agency providing website design and development, search engine optimisation, usability research and testing, and marketing online, on mobiles and in social media.

Since it was founded in 2000, Indigo Consulting has developed websites, software solutions and digital marketing programs for clients around the world, including Asian Paints, HDFC Bank, HSBC (India, Asia-Pacific and Middle East), Loop Mobile, Tata AIG Insurance and South Australia Tourism. The agency currently employs a team of 160 at its Mumbai headquarters and Delhi office. Their work has been recognised with Webby awards, W3 awards and Abbys.

Indigo Consulting will operate as a unit within the Leo Burnett Group in India and will retain its name. Its founder, Vikas Tandon, will remain as Managing Director, reporting into Arvind Sharma, Chairman of the Indian Subcontinent for Leo Burnett.

“From a global point of view, the potential and opportunities that India offers are massive,” explained Tom Bernardin, Chairman and CEO of Leo Burnett Worldwide. “Over the years we have increased our efforts into this important market. Indigo Consulting, with its strong track record as a full-service interactive and technology agency, is the perfect strategic fit for our aspirations in India and around the world”.

“This alignment means we will bring our world-class digital marketing capabilities to Leo Burnett’s clients, while also benefiting from additional knowledge and insight on brand and creative communication through cross-training and collaboration,” said Vikas Tandon, Managing Director of Indigo Consulting.

“Our growth strategy for Leo Burnett in India and Asia Pacific is based on two core pillars: digital and shopper-marketing” added Jarek Ziebinski, President of Leo Burnett Asia Pacific. “India is a key market for us, and it’s reporting explosive growth in the digital sector. We want to make sure Leo Burnett has the right infrastructure in place to meet the needs of tomorrow. I also see Indigo Consulting developing beyond India, to become an important player within our network in Asia Pacific and globally.”

Currently advertising and marketing online represents less than 3% of overall adspend in India, according to ZenithOptimedia, but the sector is forecasted to boom. ZenithOptimedia estimates that over the next three years, India’s digital adspend will increase by roughly 30% a year, driven by the spread of smartphones and the youth culture of social networks. Publicis Groupe aims to double its size by 2015 in India, which is the world’s 16th largest advertising market.

France, Paris & India, Mumbai

Related articles:

Posted in Marketing Services, ~Asia, ~Europe. Tags: , . Leave a Comment »

Argus acquires Fundalytics

April 19, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

Energy and commodity price reporting agency Argus has acquired Fundalytics, a specialist European natural gas fundamentals data service. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Founded in 2009, Fundalytics compiles, cleans and publishes fundamental data for European natural gas markets. Data sets include supply and demand, inventories, interconnector flows, nominations, allocations and many other types of key information useful for planning and analysis. Data are available on an intra-day basis and can be delivered in multiple formats.

Argus Media chairman and chief executive Adrian Binks said: “Fundalytics data are a complementary service to the pricing and analysis services provided by Argus for international natural gas markets. This acquisition means that Argus can provide a fuller service to our clients. Argus prices are already used extensively as benchmarks in physical and derivative contracts for natural gas and other forms of energy. High quality fundamentals data will add a further valuable information source.”

Fundalytics director Chris Dodds said: “I am very pleased to be working with Argus. Argus has the price reporting expertise and analysis skills that will help to develop our data services further. The two companies together will be be able to offer a first-rate full service to our complementary client and prospect databases.”

UK, London

Related articles:

Posted in Energy & Environmental Services, Market Data & Information, Publishers, ~Europe. Leave a Comment »

WPP’s Penn Schoen Berland acquires First Movies International

April 19, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

WPP’s wholly-owned global strategic communications consultancy firm Penn Schoen Berland has acquired First Movies International which has operations in London and Los Angeles.

Founded in 2000, First Movies is a research-based strategic consultancy that serves film companies on a global basis. Clients include many of the major film studios, independent distributors, production companies and industry affiliates. The business employs research consultants in the US and UK and key partners include Disney, Paramount, Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox.

First Movies’ capabilities will complement Penn Schoen Berland’s existing media and entertainment practice by giving it a bigger footprint and an increased capability to service its clients’ global research needs.

UK, London and USA, Los Angeles, CA

Related articles

Posted in Broadcasting, Marketing Services, ~Europe, ~North America. Leave a Comment »

WPP Digital invests in mySupermarket

April 19, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

WPP Digital has made an investment of $7 million for a minority stake in Dolphin Software Ltd., doing business as mySupermarket, a company which operates a shopping site that allows consumers to compare prices of entire shopping baskets and buy from the major UK online grocery and health & beauty retailers. It has over 2 million monthly unique users in the UK and is growing approximately 100% year on year.

Founded in 2006 and with principal operations in the US, the company employs 70 people and has offices in London, New York, Tel Aviv and Tokyo.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

UK, London

Related articles

Posted in e-Retail, Internet Media, Marketing Services, ~Europe. Tags: . Leave a Comment »

DMGT – trading update for the six-month period to the end of March 2012

April 17, 2012 — Fusion DigiNet

DMGT has issued an update on the Group’s progress in the current year. It covers the six-month period to the end of March 2012.

Summary

-       Solid Group revenue performance, up 2% underlying

-       Good underlying growth from B2B operations

-       Resilient revenue performance at Associated; circulation and digital revenue growth largely offsetting print advertising weakness

-       Active portfolio management; targeted acquisitions and disposal of non-core assets

-       Outlook for the year remains unchanged.

 

Acquisition activity

Active portfolio management has seen further bolt-on acquisitions, including:

-       Intelliworks – a top provider of relationship management solutions for higher education (dmgi – Hobsons)

-       PrepMe – a leader in adaptive learning technologies and test preparation programs (dmgi – Hobsons)

-       SpringRock – a cutting-edge provider of dynamic production forecasts for the oil & gas industry (dmgi – Genscape)

-       Global Grain Geneva and Global Grain Asia – international grain trading conferences (Euromoney) (A Fusion deal – click here for details)

-       Jobrapido – one of the world’s largest job search engines (Associated -Evenbase)

This continuing portfolio management activity has also seen A&N Media selling its interests in Top Consultant, motors.co.uk and Teletext.

Yesterday, the Office of Fair Trading gave clearance for the proposed merger between the Digital Property Group and Zoopla to go ahead.

Read the full announcement here

UK, London

Related articles:

Posted in Company Results, Conference/Exhibitions, Internet Media, Market Data & Information, Publishers, ~Europe. Tags: , . Leave a Comment »
« Older posts
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 248 other followers