Tarsus Group – Mexico Acquisition

TarsusTarsus Group is to acquire a 50% interest in a company that owns two major exhibitions in Mexico from E.J. Krause & Associates (“EJK”) to establish a joint venture with EJK.

EJK was founded in 1984 and is one of the largest privately held exhibition companies in the world. Headquartered in the US EJK has offices on three continents and produces over 80 events in 16 different industries.

The JV owns two events held in Mexico:

  • Plastimagen (2013: 17,400 net sqm), a leading exhibition in Mexico for the plastics industry, focussing on plastics processing and ancillary equipment, attracting engineering and production professionals from plastics processing, packaging and manufacturing companies. It is run on an 18 month cycle with the next edition scheduled to be held in November 2014; and
  • Expo Manufactura (2013: 4,300 net sqm), a metalworking/manufacturing exhibition, featuring machine tools, assembly technology, fabricating, software, coil winding and welding technologies.   Visitors include production and engineering professionals from across a wide spectrum of Mexican manufacturing industries. The show takes place annually, with the next edition due to be held in March 2014.

The JV provides the Group with an important hub in the growing Mexican exhibition market and it will be one of the top three largest international exhibition companies in Mexico. Under the terms of the Acquisition EJK will continue to manage the events post Acquisition.

The JV will also provide a platform for Tarsus to launch new exhibitions in Mexico, primarily drawing on Tarsus’s existing major brands. Concurrently Tarsus has agreed to collaborate with EJK by launching replications of existing EJK brands into territories in which Tarsus has a suitable launch platform.

The first of these will be in Indonesia where the Group has agreed with EJK to launch an edition of EXPO COMM in Jakarta. EXPO COMM is an ICT exhibition with a global schedule of events in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. It covers telecommunications, broadband, wireless 3G/4G, unified communications and network infrastructure. The first event is scheduled to be held in November 2014.

Douglas Emslie, Tarsus Group Managing Director, said:

“Mexico is a large and fast-growing market that has close trading ties with the US. The Mexican exhibition market is highly fragmented at present and offers exciting potential for growth.

“This agreement with EJ Krause enables Tarsus to acquire a stake in two leading events in Mexico – Plastimagen and Expo Manufactura. The joint venture fits our aim to  quicken the pace of our earnings by investing in quality assets in high growth markets.

“I am excited by the opportunity to work with EJ Krause to launch collaborative replications of Tarsus’ brands in Mexico and EJ Krause’s brands in emerging markets where Tarsus has an established footprint, initially  with an edition of EXPO COMM in Indonesia.”

UK, London & USA, Bethesda, MD & Mexico, Col. Del Valle

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VML to acquire Biggs|Gilmore in the United States

wppWPP‘’s wholly-owned global digital agency VML, which is part of the Y&R network, is to acquire Biggs|Gilmore Communications Inc., a digital advertising and marketing agency in the United States. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

VML_Logo_TransparentFounded in 1973, Biggs|Gilmore’s unaudited revenue for the previous twelve months ended September 2013 was US $21 million. Biggs|Gilmore’s client list includes Kellogg, Kimberly-Clark, Foster Farms and Stryker, the medical equipment company. Headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with an office in Chicago, Biggs|Gilmore employs 140 people.

This is VML’s third transaction this year. In October, VML acquired IM2.0, a  digital advertising and media agency in China. In June, VML acquired a majority stake in NATIVE, the digital marketing agency in South Africa. 

UK, London & USA, Kalamazoo, MI

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Chime completes the acquisition of JMI

chime2Chime, the international communications & sports marketing group, has completed the acquisition of JMI, a global marketing firm focused on motorsports.  

Previous reporting (October 25, 2013) Chime Communications to acquire Just Marketing

Chime is paying a maximum consideration of $70.6 million (approximately £43.7 million). The acquisition will be part funded through a placing of 8,533,334 new ordinary shares to raise approximately £25.6 million. Chime today issued 3,287,899 new fully paid ordinary shares.  Chime shareholders approved the acquisition at a meeting on 14 November 2013. 

JMI is a global marketing firm focused on motor sports, operating primarily in Formula 1, NASCAR and IndyCar. JMI provides long-term sponsorship management and activation strategies, together with services including large-scale hospitality events, rights sales, and digital and experiential marketing initiatives.

UK, London & USA, Indianapolis

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A Squared Entertainment and Genius Brands International to merge

genius brandsGenius Brands International and A Squared Entertainment are to merge to form an intellectual property and multimedia content creation and distribution company focused on branded “content with a purpose” for kids. The two companies will be consolidated under the Genius Brands International  banner.

Andy Heyward, formerly CEO of DIC Entertainment and Co-President of A Squared Entertainment, will assume the role of Chairman and CEO of Genius Brands International; Amy Moynihan Heyward, formerly Co-President of A Squared Entertainment, will serve as President. Klaus Moeller, currently CEO of Genius, will become Genius Brands Vice President of Special Markets, and will continue with the company as a member of its Board of Directors.

“This merger brings together complementary media companies that are dedicated to providing entertainment that is as enriching as it is entertaining for kids,” said Mr. Heyward. “Through this merger, we are creating the first multimedia IP creation and brand management company to exclusively provide value-driven content for kids, from infancy to their pre-teen years, in multiple formats around the world.”

The new Genius Brands International Board of Directors will consist of former California Governor Gray Davis; Jeff Weiss, President and COO of American Greetings Corporation Inc.; Lynne Segall, Publisher and Senior Vice President of The Hollywood Reporter; Will McDonough, Founding Partner of Atlas Merchant Capital, formerly a Partner at Goldman Sachs; and Bernard Cahill, co-founder of ROAR. Klaus Moeller, Andy Heyward, and Amy Moynihan Heyward, complete the Board of Directors.

“We have gathered an accomplished group of independent directors whose experience spans media, finance, governance, and kids entertainment to join our Board,” noted Ms. Moynihan Heyward. “Together with the existing expertise and resources within our two companies, the Board provides Genius Brands International with the talents of highly experienced individuals, knowledgeable in various diverse aspects of our business, who will help drive our growth.”

“A Squared, with its long-standing relationships throughout the international broadcast community, will be able to bring Genius Brands’ content to the global IP marketplace, on a much larger scale than we ever did before,” noted Moeller. “In turn, Genius Brands has well-established direct distribution channels for both multimedia content and consumer products in the U.S. that will enable the company to reach incremental consumers outside of the traditional broadcast and retail marketplace.”

Moeller continued, “Brands such as Stan Lee’s Mighty Seven and Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club greatly enhance the company’s portfolio and are just a few examples of the new products we will deliver.”

USA, Los Angeles, CA

 

Sold sold to Dropbox

soldAccording to an announcement on the Sold website, seven month old Sold has been acquired by Dropbox and has closed its service. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. The company was forecasting $1 million in annual revenue

Sold was a service and iOS/Android app that simplified selling online by taking over the whole process. They handled handled the selling, the shipping, and the payment.

Sold was backed will $1.2 million from investors. Advisors and investors included Google Ventures, Greylock Partners, Matrix Partners, Boston Seed, Dharmesh and MIT Media Lab.

The announcement

Hi, friends! We’re very excited to announce that Sold has joined Dropbox! As of today, our service will no longer be accepting new items.

We’d like to sincerely thank all of our loyal friends and customers who have helped us, supported us, and spread the love for us through this amazing endeavor. We started Sold to provide people with a service that took the burden of selling off their shoulders – by doing all the dirty work for them.

But even beyond that, we wanted to create something that affected people in a positive way. Something they had an emotional connection with. Something they trusted. After spending time with Drew and Arash, we decided that the move to Dropbox couldn’t be better – their roadmap includes exciting new experiences which align perfectly with our ethos of creating products that positively affect people. Going forward, the Sold team will continue working together to build these experiences, shaping the future of Dropbox for their 200M strong user base. It’s an opportunity too good to pass up.

We’re really excited for the new set of challenges ahead, and are absolutely dedicated to continuing to create great experiences.

If you’re a current user with items in the system, expect to hear from us with instructions on how to proceed and finish your transaction.

Thank you, thank you, thank you,

-The Team at Sold

USA, San Francisco, CA & Boston, MA

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Snapchat rejects a $3 billion cash offer from Facebook

snapchatAccording to the Wall Street Journal, Snapchat, a business that has no sales, has rejected an all-cash offer from Facebook Inc. for close to $3 billion.

Snapchat is a smartphone app that enables users to take photos, record videos, add text and drawings, and send them to a controlled list of recipients. These sent photographs and videos are known as “Snaps”  disappear in 10 seconds or less after opening.

Snapchat has also been approached by other investors and potential acquirers. Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. had offered to lead an investment that would value Snapchat at $4 billion.

Snapchat Inc. co-founder Evan Spiegel thinks that users numbers will continue to grow rapidly and his company can get an even higher valuation. He is said not to be interested in selling the business before 2014.

Snapchat raised $80 million in a second round of funding led by Institutional Venture Partners in June 2013.

USA, Los Angeles, CA & Menlo Park, CA

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Dealflow.com acquires the assets of Goldfish.io

goldfishDealflow.com has acquired the assets of startup research business Goldfish.io, including its technology assets, its database of subscribers, and all trademarks and copyrights. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Our focus is on using live financial information from the social web to create research tools for evaluating investment opportunities,” said Steven Dresner, president of Dealflow.com. “Goldfish.io has been at the forefront of building early detection systems that identify potential company financings or other corporate events. We think the combination of the Goldfish.io technology with our own technology is a perfect fit.”

USA. Jericho, NY

Electric Word acquires iGaming North America conference

electric wordElectric Word plc’s online gaming business iGB has acquired a 50% interest in SAM Media Ltd, a Nevada-based conference business that owns the annual iGaming North America conference. Electric Word’s interest is held through iGB’s wholly owned US subsidiary, iGamingBusiness North America Inc., a Delaware Corporation, and was acquired for a nominal sum.

igamingIn 2013, the iGaming North America conference achieved revenues of approximately $0.5m. The deal allows iGB to share in future profit growth above an agreed threshold and also gives each party a call option to acquire the others’ membership interest at a future date.

Julian Turner, EW’s Chief Executive, said: “The regulatory changes which continue to unfold in the USA make it a very interesting market for our online gaming information business. This deal builds on the launch of our iGaming North America magazine in 2012 and gives us a great opportunity to extend the brand further.”

UK, London and USA, Nevada

WPP acquires app creator Bottle Rocket

wppWPP is to acquire Bottle Rocket, a company that creates iPhone, iPad and Android apps for leading brands. The agency will work horizontally with other operating companies across WPP. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

bottle rocketFounded in 2008, Bottle Rocket’s unaudited revenue for the previous twelve months ended September 2013 was US $17 million. Clients include NPR, Scripps Networks, ABC News, National Geographic and NBC Universal. Based in Dallas, Texas, the company has grown from about 45 employees in 2011 to 170 today.

UK, London & USA, Dallas, TX

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Groupon buys Ticket Monster from LivingSocial for $260 Million

grouponGroupon is to acquire Korean-based Ticket Monster from LivingSocial for $260 million in cash and stock. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2014.

“Ticket Monster is a perfect fit for Groupon as we continue to transition our business globally from a flash sale email model to a mobile commerce marketplace,” said Groupon CEO Eric Lefkofsky. tmon

“Ticket Monster has a vibrant and growing marketplace in one of the world’s largest ecommerce markets. Coupled with outstanding mobile penetration and expertise in local, travel, and product, they will help us accelerate our overall growth, provide immediate scale and serve as a cornerstone for our operations in Asia.”

Ticket Monster — known locally as TMON — was founded in 2010 and has quickly grown into a leading provider of product, local and travel offers in Korea. TMON has consistently seen year-over-year billings growth in excess of 50 percent, with annual billings of more than $800 million today. The business is said to be close to break-even on an EBITDA basis.

Approximately half of its sales are transacted on mobile devices. Based in Seoul, the company has grown to 1,000 employees serving more than 4 million active customers.

The Ticket Monster brand and leadership team will remain in place. Groupon and TMON will work on an operational plan for the two local entities once the deal has closed.

Per the terms of the agreement, Groupon will acquire LivingSocial Korea — the holding company that owns Ticket Monster. Any non-Korean assets currently owned by LivingSocial Korea will be divested prior to close. The agreement is for at least $100 million in cash, and up to $160 million in Groupon Class A common stock, with the final cash and stock allocation to be determined. The transaction is subject to regulatory and other customary closing conditions, including review by Korean antitrust authorities.

USA, Chicago, IL & Washington, DC & South Korea, Seoul

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LivingSocial