WPP’s VML acquires IM2.0, a digital advertising and media agency in China

October 15, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

wppWPP‘s wholly owned operating company VML, a  digital marketing company which is part of the Y&R network, has acquired IM2.0, a digital advertising and media agency based in China. The deal is subject to regulatory approval. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Established in 2008, IM2.0 provides a range of services, including online strategy, creative design, website development and maintenance, online campaigns, mobile application development, media optimisation and data analytics.

IM2.0 is one of China’s leading and most successful pure play digital agencies. Named 2013 Agency of the Year in China by the Mobile Marketing Association, IM2.0’s client portfolio includes Dell, adidas, Mondelez, China Merchant Bank and Haier.

IM2.0 employs approximately 230 people in Beijing and Shanghai. For the year ending 31 December 2012, IM2.0’s unaudited revenues were RMB 72 million, with gross assets of RMB 200 million.

UK, London & China, Beijing and Shanghai

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Utilitywise announces preliminary results for the year ended 31 July 2013

October 15, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

Utilitywise, a  utility cost management consultancy, has announced its unaudited preliminary results for the year ended 31 July 2013.

Financial Highlights

  •  Revenue: £24.83 million (£14.38 million in 2012) – plus 73%
  • Gross margin: 47.2% (43.1% in 2012)
  • EBITDA: £7.39 million (£3.86 million 2012) – plus 79%
  • Profit Before Tax: £6.98 million (£3.86 million in 2012) – plus 81%
  • Diluted EPS: 7.9p (5.4p in 2012) plus 46%
  • Proposed final dividend payment of 1.8p, making total dividend for the year of 2.6p

Further financial detail can be found on the company’s website http://www.utilitywise.com.

Acquisition activity

 

Operational Highlights

  • 15,333 customers and 44,361 meters at 31 July ( 30 September 2012: 11,400 and 32,972 respectively) with additional 550 customers and 23,000 meters added through EIC
  • £16.6 million of secured contracts waiting to go live as at 31 July ( 31 July 2012: £7.1 million)
  • Post Period –  £18.2 million of secured contracts waiting to go live as at 30 September 2013

·     Board of Directors strengthened with non-executive appointments of Jeremy Middleton and Jon Kempster

Geoff Thompson, Chief Executive of Utilitywise, commented, “Our first full year as a plc has proved a very successful one. As well as delivering very strong organic growth we have been able to invest and build for the future. Integration of the three businesses that we acquired is progressing well and we have entered the new financial year with an improved suite of products and services to satisfy the wider energy needs of all businesses, regardless of size.

“The market in which we operate remains highly fragmented and we have still attracted only a very small percentage of our addressable market. Through our strong relationships with energy supply companies and our ability to identify customers and deliver the optimum solutions, we remain confident in the continued success of the Company.”

Utilitywise has also a appointed to he Board of Jeremy Middleton, CBE and Jonathan ‘Jon’ Kempster as non-executive Directors, effective immediately.

Jeremy Middleton is an entrepreneur best known for having co-founded Homeserve PLC, the FTSE 250 international home emergency business where he remains on the executive committee.

Jon Kempster has held a number of PLC finance roles, most recently as Group Finance Director of Wincanton plc, the UK and Ireland logistics and distribution group.

UK, South Shields

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Energy Management Transactions from Fusion

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Euromoney Institutional Investor acquires Infrastructure Journal for £12.5M

October 15, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

Euromoney PLCEuromoney Institutional Investor plc, the international online information and events group, is expanding its project finance and infrastructure business with the acquisition of Infrastructure Journal.

Infrastructure Journal is an information source for the international infrastructure markets.  Its business model is centred on premium subscription content that tracks market activity and is delivered in real-time through its online platform which is accessible from desktops, tablets and smartphones.  Infrastructure Journal also runs a portfolio of events which includes conferences, forums and awards attended by senior investment professionals, industry practitioners and advisors.  The Infrastructure Journal Awards are held annually in London.

ij-logoEuromoney is acquiring 100% of the assets of Infrastructure Journal from Top Right Group (“TRG”) for a cash consideration of £12.5 million, funded from its existing committed borrowing facility.  The acquisition is expected to be earnings enhancing for Euromoney in its financial year 2014.  Infrastructure Journal had revenues of £3.1 million for the year to December 2012.  The transaction will complete after the required TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) consultation period, expected to conclude by November 1, 2013.

“Infrastructure Journal is a business we have long admired and we are delighted that it is now part of our stable of global brands,” said Richard Ensor, chairman of Euromoney.  “With an estimated 57 trillion dollars of investment into infrastructure projects required around the world by 2030, we believe this part of the business-to-business information sector offers attractive growth fundamentals.  Euromoney aims to create a comprehensive market-leading infrastructure information provider by combining, under the Infrastructure Journal brand, the deals database and news coverage of Infrastructure Journal and the deals analysis, awards and conferences of Project Finance.”

Duncan Painter, CEO of Top Right Group, said: “Infrastructure Journal is well respected in its sector and delivers valuable insight and expertise to its customers.  The skill of the team, investment in content and the launch of new topical forums each year have kept the brand ahead and we are delighted that the Infrastructure Journal name will continue in the marketplace. We believe Euromoney Institutional Investor will be a good long term home for the brand and we wish the business every success in the future.”

UK, London

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ITE Group acquires Platform Exhibitions in Turkey

October 15, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

ITEE Uluslararası Fuar Tanıtım Hizmetleri A.Ş(EUF) in Turkey, a wholly owned subsidiary of exhibitions business ITE Group plc,  has acquired Platform Exhibitions Inc from Mahmut and Ayse Er.

Platform owns the Beauty Eurasia exhibition which serves the beauty, personal care and cosmetics industries in Turkey and the surrounding region. Beauty Eurasia is held in Istanbul in June each year. The 2013 exhibition was the 9th edition of the event which sold more than 8,000m2 net and was attended by over 21,000 professional visitors.

beautyEurasiaITE has an established portfolio of existing Beauty events in Ukraine and Russia and earlier this year acquired an interest in the CosmoBeaute series of events in South East Asia.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The consideration will be financed out of the Group’s existing balance sheet and the acquisition is expected to be earnings enhancing in the first full year of ownership.

Commenting on the acquisition, ITE’s Chief Executive Officer, Russell Taylor, said, “Beauty Eurasia is the leading beauty and personal care exhibition in Turkey. The addition of this exhibition to ITE’s Turkish business is consistent with our strategy of building market leading positions in core markets and sectors. The beauty and personal care industry is a growth sector in developing markets and with this acquisition, ITE will leverage its international exhibition expertise to develop further its position and benefit from a wider portfolio within this sector.”

Turkey, Istanbul & UK, London

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PA Group acquires content marketing business Sticky Content

October 9, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

PA Group, the parent company of the Press Association, has acquired an 80 per cent stake in Sticky Content, a digital copywriting and content strategy agency, significantly increasing PA’s presence in the content marketing sector. PA’s content for marketing businesses will now operate under the Sticky Content name..

PA Group Acquires Content Marketing Business Sticky Content Continuing its Long-term Strategy for ReinvestmentCatherine Toole, Sticky Content’s former Chief Executive and new Chairman, said: “The Press Association is the perfect partner for Sticky Content, as the demand for effective, high-quality content soars. Now we can deliver pretty much any kind of content there is.

Emily Shelley, PA’s former Head of Content For Marketing and new Managing Director of Sticky Content, said:PA Group Acquires Content Marketing Business Sticky Content Continuing its Long-term Strategy for Reinvestment “Sticky Content sets the standard for best practice in digital copywriting – across usability, optimisation and conversion. They also lead the field in the execution of content strategy; a discipline which is becoming essential for all companies with a digital presence. By combining this digital expertise with PA’s live delivery of topical, engaging multi-platform content, we can capitalise on the demand for effective content marketing services. I’m excited about what we can achieve together for our clients and our business.”

Clive Marshall, PA Group’s Chief Executive, said: “This is the second significant investment we have made since we sold our stake in Canada Newswire at the end of 2012. Last month we acquired mminternational (Europe) – a leading European weather company – to exploit the significant opportunities for growth in our MeteoGroup weather business and further strengthen its position as one of the world’s leading commercial weather organisations. The acquisition of Sticky Content is part of our drive to broaden the market for the Press Association’s news and information services and expand the range of products and services that complement our traditional news feed business.”

UK, London

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PA Acquires Globelynx “TVready” Network November 19, 2011

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Fresh round of dealmaking in the face-to-face events sector

October 7, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

The FT are reporting that, in the wake of UBM’s chief executive David Levin and Informa’s chief Peter Rigby resigning earlier this year, analysts and industry executives are speculating that a fresh round of dealmaking could happen in the face-to-face events sector.

Read the article here

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Platinum Equity acquires CBS Outdoor’s European Business

October 2, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

M&A firm Platinum Equity has acquired the assets of CBS Outdoor International, which is among the largest out-of-home media and billboard businesses in Europe.

CBSO International provides custom media solutions to outdoor advertising agencies and direct clients in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and China.

Platinum Equity’s European investment team headed by Bastian Lueken in London led the acquisition. He said Platinum Equity’s European investment and operating capabilities were keys to getting the deal done and will benefit CBSO International going forward.

“We have a strong team in London with a lot of experience, and our portfolio includes companies with pan-European operations,” said Mr. Lueken. “Our goal is to partner with the management team and help elevate CBSO International to new heights through hard work and customer focus. We will also continue looking for ways to grow the business organically and through complementary add-on investments.”

A team that includes Platinum Equity in-house operations specialists is focused on transitioning the newly acquired business. A rebranding initiative is underway and a new corporate name and image will be announced as that process unfolds.

UK, London

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Euromoney Institutional Investor completes acquisition of HSBC’s Quantitative Techniques operation

October 2, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

Euromoney logoEuromoney Institutional Investor PLC, the international online information and events group, has completed the acquisition of HSBC’s Quantitative Techniques operation with effect from September 30.  QT is the benchmark and calculation agent business of HSBC Bank plc which creates and maintains more than 100 equity and bond indices for HSBC’s Global Markets division and for over 60 external clients.

The business has been rebranded Euromoney Indices.  As part of the completion terms, HSBC has agreed to purchase index calculation services from Euromoney Indices for a minimum period of three years.

Previous reporting – Euromoney Institutional Investor to acquire HSBC’s Quantitative Techniques operation Posted on April 4, 2013

UK London

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Informa completes the disposal of its five Corporate Training businesses.

October 1, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

informa2Informa plc has completed  the disposal of its five Corporate Training businesses to Providence Equity Partners.

The initial consideration of $165m, consists of $100m in cash (net of indebtedness and working capital adjustments on completion) and a $65m vendor loan. The vendor loan is for a maximum term of 6.5 years and attracts a PIK interest rate of 1% in the first two years, rising to 10% in the third year with a further 1% per annum increase thereafter.

providenceequityMore more information see Fusion DigiNet’s July 2013 article here.

UK, London

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Experian acquires The 41st Parameter, Inc

October 1, 2013 — Fusion DigiNet

experianExperian, a global information services company, is to acquire The 41st Parameter, Inc, a  provider of fraud detection services, based in the US. The aggregate purchase price for all outstanding stock, stock options and warrants of 41st Parameter is US$324m, of which US$14m is subject to limited, two-year earn-out provisions, and will be funded from Experian’s existing cash resources.  The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.

41stFor the year ending 31 December 2013, Experian expects 41st Parameter to deliver approximately US$26m of revenue, of which over 95% is booked and contracted. Revenues are licence-based and are recognised over the life of the contract, which is typically 2-3 years in duration. Client renewal rates exceed 95%.

Since incorporation, 41st Parameter has experienced strong growth, with compound annual growth in revenue over the past two years of over 40%. The contracted nature of the business model provides good forward visibility, and Experian expects to sustain growth in line with historic rates over the next twelve months. The acquisition is expected to be broadly EPS neutral in the year ending 31 March 2014.

Incorporated in 2004, 41st Parameter products use device identification to prevent fraud. Clients use 41st Parameter’s products to enable consumers to complete transactions on the web quickly and securely, reducing fraud losses while simultaneously authenticating consumers with minimal intrusion. Clients also use 41st Parameter products to enhance internal operational efficiency by reducing the number of false detections of potential fraud.  Its clients include financial institutions, travel web sites, eCommerce merchants and customers in the digital media segment.

Ireland, Dublin & USA, San Jose, CA

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