03 abril, 2006
Fusões e Aquisições
*Johnson & Johnson changes name to Johnson & Johnson & Johnson & Johnson & Johnson & Johnson & Johnson after buying Johnson Controls, Johnson Matthey, Johnson Service Group, Johnson Electric and Johnson Outdoors. “It was too confusing having so many Johnsons out there,” said chief executive William Weldon, in a press release.
*France sanctions hostile bids for Home Depot and Office Depot by Caisse des Depots - the state-owned manager of civil servants’ pensions. President Jacques Chirac, at a press conference in Paris to American business leaders conducted solely in 17th century Marseillaise, declared: “Depot is a French word and it has been incorrectly pronounced by American consumers since the Louisiana Purchase. We must now rectify this insult to our heritage through the free market for corporate control.”
*The Huts Group is formed through the simultaneous mergers of Fingerhut, Wackenhut, Sunglass Hut and Hutsonville Bancorp. The retail, security and banking concern promised $250m in annual cost savings from signage and stationery overlap, resulting in shareholder value creation of $2bn. The company would neither confirm nor deny reports it offered the new entity’s chairmanship to Lauren Hutton, the actress.
*HCA acquires Service Corp. International. Thomas Frist Jr., the largest individual shareholder of the giant healthcare chain, told the Wall Street Journal he sees “just unbelievably massive upside from cross-selling” funeral services and pre-ordered caskets to clients at HCA’s nearly 200 hospitals in the US, Great Britain and Switzerland. “This is true one-stop shopping,” said Frist.
*Gannett reaches agreement with Weyerhaeuser. “This is the apotheosis of vertical integration,” claimed Chief executive John Vincent Faraci. “The addition of Gannett’s dozens of newspapers across the country provides us with a ready market for our paper products, creating a seamless line from our vast timberland holdings to our pulp facilities straight to consumers’ doorsteps. We are now totally immune from the economic cycle. Nothing will ever stop us from printing money.”
*Hershey makes offer for Colgate-Palmolive. The confectioner wants Colgate as a hedge against increasingly strident advice by the American Dental Association that children must avoid eating sweets, people familiar with the situation told Bloomberg News.
*Citigroup reaches merger of equals with Wal-Mart. Chairman and chief executive Charles Prince called the deal “the birth of the first true financial supermarket.” Said S. Robson Walton, chairman of the giant retailer: “This is the first time in history that American consumers will be offered one outlet for all of their needs: from shotguns and checking accounts to ski masks and a gallon of milk.”
*JP Morgan and McDonald’s tie the knot. “With this transaction, JP Morgan significantly expands its drive-in banking capabilities,” the companies said in a joint statement. In a separate announcement, the companies said two weeks from closure of the transaction, all McDonald’s customers will receive ‘Totally Free’ checking account vouchers with value meals (excluding the Big ‘N Tasty and Big ‘N Tasty with Cheese). Passbook savings accounts will be automatically opened for all children ordering Happy Meals.
*Procter & Gamble makes unsolicited bid for American Standard worth $10 billion in stock on a fully diluted basis. “Nothing goes better with American Standard porcelain than a soft roll of Charmin. My fellow P&G directors and I are certain that American Standard’s shareholders will see great EPS accretion,” Alan G. Lafley, chairman and chief executive of P&G told CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo.
*7-Eleven and Circle K Sunkus of Japan announce “marriage of convenience stores.”
*Coca-Cola buys Jenny Craig. Consumer groups accused the giant soft-drinks maker of profiting from an obesity crisis caused by excessive consumption by Americans of sugary drinks. “Are you kidding? Jenny is a great brand that fits tightly in our portfolio of healthy soft drinks,” said chief executive Neville Isdell. Founder Jenny Craig said the consideration will be paid in stock to slim down her tax liabilities.
*AMR, parent company of American Airlines, and Walt Disney announced a strategic combination. The biggest US airline, to be renamed ‘MouseAir’ will provide a unique in-flight entertainment program on all its routes. Analysts predict higher margins for the combination as travelers pay up for frills including the 18-hour “Sit Next to Goofy” option available on long-haul routes including New York to Singapore and Los Angeles to Dubai.
*Dell in talks to acquire India. After experimenting with call centers, back-office operations and manufacturing facilities in the country, the Round Rock, Texas computer-maker decided it would be value-enhancing to control India’s 1 billion-strong workforce. “Even with Skype, we found our telephone costs were skyrocketing,” said Chairman Michael Dell. “To compensate, we thought, `Why not just buy the country outright with stock and start cutting costs?’” India hired Goldman Sachs to evaluate its options.
