The European Commission is being kept busy at the moment with all things beginning with ‘C’:-
Firstly there was the news in June that Ferrero had put in an offer to buy UK chocolate maker Thorntons for £112,000,000.00 causing shares in Thorntons to leap. Ferrero has said it will keep the Alfreton factory open but will be looking at potential cost savings.
Then last month Lavazza announced it was to acquire, subject to approval of the authorities, part of the Carte Noir brand. The sale of Carte Noir was triggered by the concern of regulators that the merger of Carte Noir’s owners, Mondelez International and D.E.Master Blenders had created the world’s largest standalone coffee company.
Finally, it was announced last week that three European bottlers of Coca-Cola drinks - Coca-Cola Enterprises and its German subsidiary and Iberian Partner - are to merge to form Coca-Cola European Partners in a bid to save costs following a drop in revenue as less consumers buy fizzy drinks.
Mergers and acquisitions are often driven by one or more of the real three ‘Cs’ of this article–
• Competition (or rather the desire to get rid of the competition);
• Costs (or the desire to cut costs); and
• Consumers (and the desire to find more of them)
and it’s crucial to the success of the deal to understand which forces are motivating you.
If you’re considering merging with another company, acquiring another company or being acquired by another company then Team Commercial at Brethertons can help you plan your three Cs to reach the ultimate C – a Commercial Result.
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