It is only last week ago that we reported mokono were acquired by Populis for €8.2M
This week TechCrunch is reporting that mokono, have made an acquisition of their own. They have acquired German blog network Adnation. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition adds another 3 million unique monthly visitors to the mokono / Populis network.
Read the full story here
Germany, Berlin
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Coolabi plc have received a take-over offer from North Promotions Limited for 7.75p per share in cash with a share alternative in North Promotions Limited. This values the equity at £4.3m .
North Promotions Limited has said that it attaches great importance to the skills and experience of the existing Coolabi management and, accordingly it is intended that any offer made, will include management incentivisation arrangements.
Ownership, development, creative management company Coolabi started life as Alibi Communications plc. Alibi, formed in 1999, completed a successful flotation on the London Stock Exchange via AIM that year and was a producer of prime time television drama and children’s television drama.
In 2004 Alibi merged with Coolebah Limited, a business engaged in licensing and animated children’s television production. In 2005, Alibi changed its name to Coolabi plc.
In September 2006, Coolabi acquired the children’s division of Zenith Entertainment Limited for a total consideration of up to £0.1 million. In May 2007, Coolabi acquired Purple Enterprises Limited for an initial consideration of £3.3 million and in September of that year, Coolabi acquired Indie Kids for an initial consideration of £0.2 million. In November 2008, Coolabi acquired Licensing By Design for an initial consideration of £0.4 million.
Current properties include Purple Ronnie, The Large Family, King Arthur’s Disasters, The Worst Witch, Fungus The Bogeyman and Scarlett & Crimson. In addition Coolabi license rights to selected properties that include the Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin trio of properties Bagpuss, The Clangers and Ivor The Engine.
UK, London
Wilmington Group plc provides information and training to professional business markets globally. It operates in a variety of professional markets including accountancy, banking and finance, charities, healthcare, insurance, legal and pensions. Capitalised at approximately £71 million, Wilmington floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1995.
Full Year Results for Year Ending June 2011
Highlights
Proposed final dividend of 3.5 pence per share, making a full year maintained dividend of 7.0 pence per share
Returns from acquisitions
Publishing & Information
Training & Events
Training and events businesses performed well, save for legal training where market conditions continue to be challenging; excellent performances by Mercia in the accountancy market and Matchett in the investment banking market
Overseas expansion continues: 26% (2010: 21%) of Group revenues were generated outside the UK, with offices in Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Dublin, Paris, New York and Chicago
David Summers, Chairman, commented, “The Group has shown resilience during the recent economic downturn, transitioning its activities to sustainable professional business markets and operating increasingly internationally. The Group has continued to invest in exciting new developments in subscription based digital publishing and professional training. We are also investing in the development of the International Compliance Training business to meet the significant demand for anti-money laundering and compliance training programmes. The current level of development activity is unprecedented in the history of the Group and I believe that these investments will deliver strong levels of growth in the medium term. While generally the economic environment continues to be very tough, with few signs of sustained improvement in the global economy, Wilmington’s business is robust. I anticipate that it will continue to deliver good levels of profitability and, once markets recover and the returns on our many exciting developments are realised, I believe it will deliver excellent returns for its shareholders.”
UK, London
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MyHeritage.com has acquired BackupMyTree, a free and automatic backup service for family tree data. This is the sixth acquisition by MyHeritage.com. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The BackupMyTree backup service, which was only launched one year ago, protects more than 9 TB of family tree data. MyHeritage.com will continue to maintain the service and keep it free.
“As the leading international destination for families to explore their history, share memories and keep in touch, we understand the enormous value users place on protecting their family tree data,” said Gilad Japhet, founder and CEO of MyHeritage.com. “We believe that BackupMyTree’s cutting edge client-to-cloud technology has massive potential and share its mission of preserving family history, making this a natural and synergistic move for us. We look forward to continuing to provide an excellent free backup service and exploring ways for BackupMyTree to benefit existing MyHeritage.com users and vice versa.”
BackupMyTree is the second company that MyHeritage.com has purchased from serial entrepreneur Cliff Shaw, having acquired Pearl Street Software, makers of GenCircles.com and Family Tree Legends, in 2007. MyHeritage.com continues to run both GenCircles.com and Family Tree Legends, and has made the Family Tree Legends software and record collection free.
USA, Boulder, CO & UK, London & Israel, Tel Aviv
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Google has acquired German daily-deals company DailyDeal. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
“As more and more people go online to find the latest, most relevant deals, we’re exploring new ways to help consumers get the best local deals out there” said a Google spokes person. “The DailyDeal team has an incredible track record in this space, and we look forward to working with them.”
DailyDeal was only started in 2009. Based in Berlin, DailyDeal provides its service to people in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
In an announcement on their website, the founders of DailyDeal said, “we’re excited to announce that we’ve been acquired by Google! What began as a two-person startup less than two years ago has transformed into a trusted platform to connect businesses with consumers. By combining our expertise with the Offers team at Google, we hope to expand our efforts to provide even greater deals to consumers.”
USA, Mountain View, CA & Germany, Berlin
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Publicis Groupe has acquired Schwartz Communications, a leading independent public relations firm in the United States. The agency will become part of MSLGROUP, Publicis Groupe’s strategic communications, public relations and events network. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded by Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz in 1990, Schwartz Communications currently has 180 employees in four locations: Boston, San Francisco, Stockholm and London. Schwartz’ clients include companies such as Accuray (medical devices), E Ink (IT), ESET (IT), MicroStrategy (IT) and GE Healthcare-Americas. Over time, Schwartz developed expertise in two sectors: technology and healthcare, providing the full range of communications services, with emphasis on public relations, social media, digital content marketing, and public affairs.
This acquisition will add key assets to Publicis Groupe’s public relations capabilities, notably in the U.S. where MSLGROUP becomes the largest PR agency in the Boston region, with more than 100 employees. MSLGROUP is also now the second biggest tech agency in the San Francisco region and a major presence on the West Coast, with more than 160 employees in four offices. In the U.S., Schwartz will operate under the name Schwartz MSL. Bryan Scanlon, President of Schwartz, and Ari Milstein, Chief Operating Officer, will run Schwartz MSL, reporting to Jim Tsokanos, President of MSLGROUP Americas. European offices will be integrated immediately into existing MSL operations.
“This is an acquisition that will strengthen our network in a number of key fields,” said Olivier Fleurot, CEO of MSLGROUP. “The deal also adds to MSLGROUP’s existing technology and healthcare practice. Schwartz is a company that perfectly complements our existing skill-set and our geographical strengths.”
France, Paris & USA, Boston, MA
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Digital media company Populis is acquiring Berlin-based mokono for €8.2 million. mokono is Germany’s largest blog network and one of Europe’s leading blog communities, a pioneer in social media advertising.
Vasco Sommer-Nunes and Florian Wilken, Co-founders and Managing Directors of mokono, will continue to manage the company’s operations and staff from its headquarters in Berlin.
The acquisition adds blog networks across 13 European countries and Canada adding 14 million unique monthly users across its 700,000 registered blogs to Populis’s network of online media properties. Included in the deal are http://www.blog.co.uk and http://www.blog.de.
Included in the acquisition is mokono’s social advertising platform, which provides advertisers with a single access to a wide range of premium and highly-customisable social advertising solutions such as social ads, videoseeding or product reviews across the mokono network and its affiliated blog portals.
‘We are delighted to welcome mokono to the Populis Group. The strategic acquisition reinforces Populis’s leadership in the production of multilingual vertical content and greatly increases its presence in key European markets such as Germany and the UK,’ said Luca Ascani, Co-Founder and Chairman of Populis.
UK, London & Germany, Berlin
Nualight, an Irish energy efficiency lighting company that specializes in lighting for food retail displays, has acquired Lumoluce, an LED lighting technology company based in the Netherlands. The deal will bring Nualight to revenues above €25m for 2011 with more than 200 employees.
The acquisition was funded partly in Nualight shares and partly with an equity issuance led by existing shareholders Climate Change Capital Private Equity and ESB Novusmodus. Further terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The deal accelerates Nualight’s expansion into the accent lighting market for food retail, an early-stage market which is predicted to grow rapidly as food retailers around the world continue to transition to energy-efficient LED lighting. Nualight’s customers include Tesco, Migros, Sainsburys, The Co-operative Group, Tengelmann, Stop and Shop and Carrefour.
Lumoluce, based near Amsterdam, provides Nualight growth opportunities in four additional markets: high-end retail, infrastructure, commercial lighting and drivers.
Dr Liam Kelly, CEO of Nualight, said the transaction is the latest move in his company’s drive to expand its reach and capabilities. “Food retailers today are very focused on deploying new technologies to make their business models as sustainable as possible. In terms of price and performance, LED technology is fast approaching the tipping point for accent lighting in food retail. Through this acquisition, Nualight has acquired a portfolio of products and excellent technology expertise that allows us to move very quickly into accent lighting for food retail and doubles the speed at which we can bring new products to market. It also offers us instant entry into complementary market sectors. We have high growth targets and expect to maintain and build leadership positions in our niche sectors.”
Gerard Kroone, current CEO of Lumoluce, will remain in the company and joins the Nualight Board,
Ireland, Cork & Netherlands, Amsterdam
BMG Rights Management is to acquire Bug Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary, Bug Music, Inc., which are controlled by Spectrum and Crossroads Media, Inc..
Bug Music is a leading independent music publisher. It is a joint venture between international media company Bertelsmann AG and investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Los Angeles, Bug Music currently owns and/or manages copyrights, including evergreen classics and contemporary hits such as “Fever”, “What a Wonderful World”, “I Walk the Line”, “Summer in the City”, “The Real Slim Shady”, “Who Are You?”, “Under the Boardwalk” and “The Passenger”.
Bug Music’s clients include the estates of musical legends Johnny Cash, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Woody Guthrie, Del Shannon and Stevie Ray Vaughan, as well as contemporary icons such as Iggy Pop, Kings of Leon, Ryan Adams, Wilco and The National. Bug Music also supports songwriters and artists through its Arthouse Entertainment joint venture with Kara DioGuardi, 2007 BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year and former American Idol judge.
“With the acquisition of Bug Music and its vast collection of evergreen and contemporary compositions, BMG further establishes itself as a leading music rights management company,” said Hartwig Masuch, CEO of BMG Rights Management. “We look forward to working with Bug Music’s exceptional roster of artists and songwriters.”
“The scope and scale of Bug Music’s catalog today reflects Spectrum’s commitment to investing in profitable franchises with clear potential for growth and then working actively with our partners to accelerate that growth organically and through acquisitions,” said Jim Quagliaroli, Managing Director of Spectrum. “BMG is a true leader in the industry and we have every confidence Bug Music’s artists and assets will be in the right hands and continue on a strong growth path with BMG.”
“We are very pleased that Bug’s artists will find a new home with such a well regarded and rapidly growing rights manager,” said Tom McGrath, Senior Managing Director of Crossroads. “BMG represents the next generation of music publishers who can marshal global resources to develop new writers, showcase the works of established writers and nurture the legacy of Bug’s many long term clients and historic catalogs.”
Financial terms of the transaction, which is expected to close by October and is subject to customary closing conditions, were not disclosed.
J.P. Morgan acted as financial advisor and Latham & Watkins acted as legal advisor to Bug Music.
Germany, Berlin & USA, Los Angeles, CA
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CareerBuilder is to acquire JobScout24, a major job board in Germany with more than 3.36 million users and more than 250,000 jobs.
Three years ago, CareerBuilder launched CareerBuilder.de, which today stands as one of the fastest-growing job sites inGermany. Operating on the CareerBuilder platform, JobScout24.de will serve as another point where employers and job seekers can connect. The acquisition will also include Jobs.de, another popular site with significant SEO (search engine optimization) value.
“We have seen a lot of resilience in the German economy despite the debt crisis, and activity on our site points to more confidence in hiring,” said Tony Roy, president of CareerBuilder EMEA. “This is an exciting partnership with a respected, prominent brand that will further underscore CareerBuilder’s competitive positioning in this critical market. With CareerBuilder and JobScout24 coming together, employers and job seekers will have access to a wider range of services and will have higher visibility in the marketplace.”
Germany, Frankfurt
Fusion Corporate Partners 
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