{ "meta": { "table": "deals", "data_as_of": "2026-09-08", "license": "CC BY 4.0", "attribution": "Brandtree brand ownership dataset, 2026-09-08, https://brandtree.org/data, CC BY 4.0" }, "rows": [ { "id": "unilever-demerges-ice-cream-2025", "type": "spin_off", "status": "closed", "announced": "2024-03-19", "closed": "2025-12-08", "buyer": "magnum-ice-cream-company", "seller": "unilever", "assets": "ben-and-jerrys; magnum; walls-ice-cream; cornetto; breyers; talenti; yasso; popsicle; klondike; twister; carte-dor; viennetta; solero; calippo", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": null, "value_basis": null, "regulatory": "", "summary": "Unilever separated its ice cream business as The Magnum Ice Cream Company, whose shares were admitted to trading on Euronext Amsterdam, the London Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange on 8 December 2025. Unilever shareholders received shares in the new company as a demerger dividend, and Unilever retained a 19.9% stake at admission.", "sources": "src-micc-20f-2025; src-unilever-20f-2025" }, { "id": "kimberly-clark-acquires-kenvue-2025", "type": "acquisition", "status": "announced", "announced": "2025-11-03", "closed": null, "buyer": "kimberly-clark", "seller": "", "assets": "tylenol; listerine; neutrogena; band-aid; aveeno", "value_amount": 48700000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Kimberly-Clark agreed to acquire Kenvue in a cash and stock transaction that would combine Huggies and Kleenex with Tylenol, Listerine and Neutrogena. The deal is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.", "sources": "src-kenvue-10k-2025" }, { "id": "ferrero-acquires-wk-kellogg-2025", "type": "acquisition", "status": "announced", "announced": "2025-07-10", "closed": null, "buyer": "ferrero", "seller": "", "assets": "frosted-flakes; corn-flakes; rice-krispies; raisin-bran; froot-loops", "value_amount": 3100000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Ferrero agreed to acquire WK Kellogg Co for $23 per share in cash, which would move the North American rights to Corn Flakes, Frosted Flakes and Rice Krispies to the Italian family-owned group.", "sources": "src-wkkellogg-ar-2025" }, { "id": "ziff-davis-acquires-cnet-2024", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2024-09-04", "closed": "2024-10-01", "buyer": "ziff-davis", "seller": "", "assets": "cnet", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Ziff Davis acquired CNET from Red Ventures. CNET was among the first technology news sites, was owned by CBS for over a decade, and had drawn criticism shortly before the sale for publishing articles generated by artificial intelligence without labelling them clearly. Press reports put the price near $100 million; neither party disclosed a figure.", "sources": "src-zd-cnet-2024" }, { "id": "authentic-acquires-champion-2024", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2024-06-05", "closed": "2024-09-30", "buyer": "authentic-brands", "seller": "", "assets": "champion-brand", "value_amount": 1200000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Authentic Brands acquired Champion from Hanesbrands for about $1.2 billion. Champion had invented the hooded sweatshirt in the 1930s for labourers working in cold warehouses, and its reverse weave construction is still the reason the garments keep their shape.", "sources": "src-abg-champion-2024" }, { "id": "mars-acquires-kellanova-2024", "type": "acquisition", "status": "announced", "announced": "2024-08-14", "closed": null, "buyer": "mars", "seller": "", "assets": "pringles; cheez-it; pop-tarts; rxbar; nutri-grain; special-k; crunchy-nut", "value_amount": 35900000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Mars agreed to acquire Kellanova for $83.50 per share in cash, which would add Pringles and Cheez-It to Mars Snacking and rank among the largest packaged food deals ever. The transaction required clearance in multiple jurisdictions.", "sources": "src-kellanova-ar-2025" }, { "id": "campbells-acquires-sovos-2024", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2023-08-07", "closed": "2024-03-12", "buyer": "campbells", "seller": "sovos-brands", "assets": "raos; noosa", "value_amount": 2700000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Campbell's acquired Sovos Brands for $23 per share in cash, principally to obtain Rao's Homemade, a premium pasta sauce growing far faster than the rest of the category. The Federal Trade Commission cleared the deal after a second request.", "sources": "src-campbells-10k-2025" }, { "id": "kering-acquires-valentino-stake-2023", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2023-07-27", "closed": "2023-12-08", "buyer": "kering", "seller": "", "assets": "valentino-stake", "value_amount": 1700000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Kering acquired thirty per cent of Valentino from the Qatari fund Mayhoola for €1.7 billion, with an agreement that could take it to full ownership by 2028. It is a minority stake, so Kering does not control Valentino, and the brand record here says so.", "sources": "src-kering-valentino-2023" }, { "id": "smucker-acquires-hostess-2023", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2023-09-11", "closed": "2023-11-07", "buyer": "jm-smucker", "seller": "hostess-brands-company", "assets": "hostess-brands; twinkies", "value_amount": 5600000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "J.M. Smucker acquired Hostess Brands for $34.25 per share in cash and stock, adding Twinkies, CupCakes and Donettes to a portfolio built on coffee, peanut butter and pet snacks. Smucker outbid several other packaged food companies for the business.", "sources": "src-jm-smucker-10k-2025" }, { "id": "microsoft-acquires-activision-2023", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2022-01-18", "closed": "2023-10-13", "buyer": "microsoft", "seller": "", "assets": "activision-blizzard", "value_amount": 68700000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "cma-microsoft-activision-2023; cma-microsoft-activision-restructured-2023; ftc-microsoft-activision-2023", "summary": "Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard for $95 per share in cash, about $68.7 billion, the largest acquisition ever made in the video games industry. It closed twenty-one months after announcement following contested reviews in the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union.", "sources": "src-msft-8k-2023-10-13" }, { "id": "kellogg-splits-kellanova-2023", "type": "spin_off", "status": "closed", "announced": "2022-06-21", "closed": "2023-10-02", "buyer": "wk-kellogg", "seller": "kellanova", "assets": "frosted-flakes; corn-flakes; rice-krispies; raisin-bran; froot-loops", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": null, "value_basis": null, "regulatory": "", "summary": "The Kellogg Company split into two listed companies: the global snacking business renamed itself Kellanova and kept Pringles and the international cereal brands, while the North American cereal business was spun off as WK Kellogg Co with the Battle Creek headquarters.", "sources": "src-wkkellogg-ar-2025" }, { "id": "l-oreal-acquires-aesop-2023", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2023-04-03", "closed": "2023-08-31", "buyer": "loreal", "seller": "natura-co", "assets": "aesop", "value_amount": 2525000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "L'Oréal acquired the Australian skincare brand Aesop from Natura &Co for $2.525 billion, its largest acquisition. Natura sold to reduce the debt it had taken on buying Avon and The Body Shop, so one group's retrenchment funded another's expansion.", "sources": "src-loreal-aesop-2023" }, { "id": "jnj-separates-kenvue-2023", "type": "spin_off", "status": "closed", "announced": "2021-11-12", "closed": "2023-08-23", "buyer": "kenvue", "seller": "johnson-and-johnson", "assets": "tylenol; band-aid; listerine; neutrogena; aveeno; johnsons-baby; nicorette; zyrtec; motrin; benadryl; ogx; carefree; stayfree", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": null, "value_basis": null, "regulatory": "", "summary": "Johnson & Johnson separated its consumer health business as Kenvue, which listed in May 2023 and was fully split off through an exchange offer completed on 23 August 2023. Tylenol, Band-Aid, Listerine, Neutrogena and Johnson's Baby all moved to the new company.", "sources": "src-kenvue-10k-2025" }, { "id": "seb-acquires-instant-brands-2023", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2023-05-01", "closed": "2023-06-01", "buyer": "groupe-seb", "seller": "", "assets": "instant-pot", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Groupe SEB acquired the Instant Pot business out of its parent's bankruptcy. Instant Brands had merged with the maker of Pyrex in 2019 and filed for bankruptcy protection four years later, so a product that grew through word of mouth ended up sold in an insolvency.", "sources": "src-seb-instant-2023" }, { "id": "shutterstock-acquires-giphy-2023", "type": "divestiture", "status": "closed", "announced": "2023-05-23", "closed": "2023-05-23", "buyer": "shutterstock", "seller": "meta-platforms", "assets": "giphy", "value_amount": 53000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Meta sold Giphy to Shutterstock for a reported $53 million, about a sixth of what it had paid three years earlier, to comply with the divestiture ordered by the Competition and Markets Authority.", "sources": "src-shutterstock-giphy-8k" }, { "id": "estee-lauder-acquires-tom-ford-2023", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2022-11-15", "closed": "2023-04-28", "buyer": "estee-lauder", "seller": "", "assets": "tom-ford-fashion", "value_amount": 2800000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Estée Lauder acquired the Tom Ford brand for about $2.8 billion, its largest acquisition, and immediately licensed the fashion and accessories business to Zegna while keeping beauty for itself. The trademark and the clothes therefore have different companies behind them.", "sources": "src-el-8k-2023-04-28" }, { "id": "loreal-acquires-thayers-2022", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2022-10-11", "closed": "2022-11-01", "buyer": "loreal", "seller": "", "assets": "thayers", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "L'Oreal acquired Thayers Natural Remedies, which has made witch hazel preparations since 1847 and whose alcohol-free toner became a substantial seller after online skincare communities recommended it. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-loreal-urd" }, { "id": "amazon-acquires-irobot-2022", "type": "acquisition", "status": "terminated", "announced": "2022-08-05", "closed": null, "buyer": "amazon", "seller": "", "assets": "roomba", "value_amount": 1700000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "cma-amazon-irobot-2023", "summary": "Amazon agreed to acquire iRobot for about $1.7 billion, later reduced to about $1.4 billion. British regulators cleared it unconditionally; European regulators signalled objections, and Amazon abandoned the deal in January 2024, paying a $94 million termination fee. iRobot remains independent.", "sources": "src-cma-irobot-deal" }, { "id": "gsk-demerges-haleon-2022", "type": "spin_off", "status": "closed", "announced": "2021-06-23", "closed": "2022-07-18", "buyer": "haleon", "seller": "gsk", "assets": "sensodyne; panadol; voltaren; centrum; advil; polident; otrivin; parodontax", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": null, "value_basis": null, "regulatory": "", "summary": "GSK demerged its consumer healthcare business as Haleon, listing it in London and New York in July 2022. The business already contained Pfizer's consumer health portfolio, contributed to a joint venture in 2019, which is how Advil and Centrum came to sit alongside Sensodyne and Panadol.", "sources": "src-haleon-10k-2025" }, { "id": "puig-acquires-byredo-2022", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2022-05-01", "closed": "2022-05-01", "buyer": "puig", "seller": "", "assets": "byredo", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Puig acquired a majority stake in Byredo, the Stockholm niche fragrance house founded in 2006 by a former professional basketball player with no training in perfumery. Reports valued the business near EUR 1 billion; the price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-puig-byredo-2022" }, { "id": "unilever-acquires-nutrafol-2022", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2022-05-01", "closed": "2022-05-01", "buyer": "unilever", "seller": "", "assets": "nutrafol", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Unilever took majority ownership of Nutrafol, a hair growth supplement brand, having first invested in 2018. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-unilever-prestige" }, { "id": "ferrero-acquires-wells-2022", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2022-02-24", "closed": "2022-04-01", "buyer": "ferrero", "seller": "", "assets": "wells-blue-bunny; halo-top", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Ferrero acquired Wells Enterprises, the largest privately held ice cream maker in the United States, bringing Blue Bunny and Halo Top into a company known for chocolate. The price was not disclosed. It followed Ferrero's earlier purchases of American confectionery and made it a substantial frozen dessert business as well.", "sources": "src-ferrero-wells-2022" }, { "id": "authentic-acquires-reebok-2022", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2021-08-12", "closed": "2022-03-08", "buyer": "authentic-brands", "seller": "adidas", "assets": "reebok", "value_amount": 2100000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Adidas sold Reebok to Authentic Brands Group for up to about €2.1 billion, having paid €3.1 billion for it in 2006. Adidas had been unable to grow the brand in fifteen years of ownership and wrote down its value repeatedly.", "sources": "src-adidas-reebok-2022" }, { "id": "helen-of-troy-acquires-osprey-2021", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2021-11-15", "closed": "2021-12-29", "buyer": "helen-of-troy", "seller": "", "assets": "osprey", "value_amount": 414000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Helen of Troy acquired Osprey Packs for about $414 million. Osprey offers to repair any pack it has ever made regardless of age or how the damage occurred, a guarantee that survived the change of ownership and is central to why customers buy them.", "sources": "src-hot-osprey-2021" }, { "id": "coca-cola-acquires-bodyarmor-2021", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2021-11-01", "closed": "2021-11-01", "buyer": "coca-cola-company", "seller": "", "assets": "bodyarmor", "value_amount": 5600000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Coca-Cola paid $5.6 billion for the remaining stake in BodyArmor, its largest brand acquisition ever. It bought a sports drink built explicitly to attack Gatorade, giving Coca-Cola a credible competitor in a category PepsiCo had dominated for decades.", "sources": "src-ko-bodyarmor-2021" }, { "id": "apollo-acquires-yahoo-2021", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2021-05-03", "closed": "2021-09-01", "buyer": "apollo-global", "seller": "", "assets": "yahoo; yahoo-mail; yahoo-finance; yahoo-sports; aol; engadget", "value_amount": 5000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Funds managed by Apollo Global Management acquired ninety per cent of Verizon Media, comprising Yahoo and AOL and their properties, in a deal valued at about $5 billion. Verizon retained the remaining ten per cent.", "sources": "src-apollo-yahoo-2021" }, { "id": "sony-acquires-crunchyroll-2021", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2020-12-09", "closed": "2021-08-09", "buyer": "sony-group", "seller": "", "assets": "crunchyroll", "value_amount": 1175000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Sony acquired Crunchyroll from AT&T for $1.175 billion and merged its own Funimation service into it. Crunchyroll had begun as an unlicensed anime site run by university students; simultaneous licensed release is what turned anime into a mainstream global business.", "sources": "src-sony-crunchyroll-2021" }, { "id": "unilever-acquires-paulas-choice-2021", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2021-06-16", "closed": "2021-08-01", "buyer": "unilever", "seller": "", "assets": "paulas-choice", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Unilever acquired Paula's Choice, a skincare brand founded by a writer who had built an audience by criticising the cosmetics industry's claims. Press reports suggested around $2 billion; neither party disclosed a figure.", "sources": "src-unilever-prestige" }, { "id": "hormel-acquires-planters-2021", "type": "divestiture", "status": "closed", "announced": "2021-02-11", "closed": "2021-06-07", "buyer": "hormel", "seller": "kraft-heinz", "assets": "planters-nuts", "value_amount": 3350000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Hormel bought the Planters nut business from Kraft Heinz, which was selling non-core brands to reduce debt after the failure of its cost-cutting strategy. It was the largest acquisition Hormel had made.", "sources": "src-hormel-10k-2025" }, { "id": "estee-lauder-acquires-deciem-2021", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2021-02-23", "closed": "2021-05-06", "buyer": "estee-lauder", "seller": "", "assets": "the-ordinary", "value_amount": 1000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Estee Lauder raised its stake in DECIEM, the parent of The Ordinary, to a controlling position in a transaction valuing the business at about $2.2 billion. The Ordinary had built its following by naming active ingredients and their concentrations on the front of the pack at prices far below prestige skincare.", "sources": "src-el-deciem-2021" }, { "id": "ralph-lauren-sells-club-monaco-2021", "type": "divestiture", "status": "closed", "announced": "2021-01-25", "closed": "2021-05-01", "buyer": "regent-lp", "seller": "ralph-lauren", "assets": "club-monaco", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Ralph Lauren sold Club Monaco to Regent, a Los Angeles private investment firm, having owned the Canadian contemporary clothing brand since 1999. The price was not disclosed. Ralph Lauren had been narrowing its portfolio to concentrate on its own name.", "sources": "src-ralph-lauren-club-monaco-2021" }, { "id": "moncler-acquires-stone-island-2021", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2020-12-07", "closed": "2021-03-31", "buyer": "moncler", "seller": "", "assets": "stone-island", "value_amount": 1150000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Moncler acquired Stone Island in a deal valuing it at about €1.15 billion, bringing together two Italian outerwear brands with very different origins: one alpine and luxury, the other technical and adopted by British football subculture.", "sources": "src-moncler-stone-island-2021" }, { "id": "authentic-acquires-eddie-bauer-2021", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2021-03-01", "closed": "2021-03-01", "buyer": "authentic-brands", "seller": "", "assets": "eddie-bauer", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Authentic Brands acquired Eddie Bauer, the outdoor company whose founder patented the quilted down jacket in 1940 after nearly dying of hypothermia. The price was not disclosed, and the brand is licensed to operators rather than run by its owner.", "sources": "src-abg-eddiebauer-2021" }, { "id": "ziff-davis-acquires-mashable-2021", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2021-02-01", "closed": "2021-02-01", "buyer": "ziff-davis", "seller": "", "assets": "mashable", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Ziff Davis acquired Mashable, which had been started by a nineteen-year-old in Scotland, grown into a large digital publisher, and sold in 2017 for a fraction of its peak valuation. Neither party disclosed the price.", "sources": "src-zd-mashable-2021" }, { "id": "alphabet-acquires-fitbit-2021", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2019-11-01", "closed": "2021-01-14", "buyer": "alphabet", "seller": "", "assets": "fitbit", "value_amount": 2100000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Google acquired Fitbit for about $2.1 billion after a review lasting more than a year. The European Commission cleared it only against binding commitments not to use Fitbit health data for advertising and to keep rival wearables working with Android.", "sources": "src-alphabet-fitbit-2021" }, { "id": "lvmh-acquires-tiffany-2021", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2019-11-25", "closed": "2021-01-07", "buyer": "lvmh", "seller": "tiffany-and-co-company", "assets": "tiffany", "value_amount": 15800000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "LVMH acquired Tiffany & Co. for $131.50 a share after renegotiating down from $135 during the pandemic and settling litigation between the parties. It is the largest acquisition in luxury goods.", "sources": "src-lvmh-ar-2025" }, { "id": "inspire-acquires-dunkin-2020", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2020-10-30", "closed": "2020-12-15", "buyer": "inspire-brands", "seller": "dunkin-brands", "assets": "dunkin; baskin-robbins", "value_amount": 11300000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Inspire Brands acquired Dunkin' Brands for $106.50 per share in cash, taking the company private and adding Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins to a portfolio it had assembled in under three years. It was one of the largest restaurant transactions ever completed.", "sources": "src-inspire-brands" }, { "id": "coty-acquires-wella-kkr-2021", "type": "divestiture", "status": "closed", "announced": "2020-06-01", "closed": "2020-12-01", "buyer": "kkr", "seller": "coty", "assets": "wella-professionals; nioxin", "value_amount": 4300000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Coty sold a controlling sixty per cent stake in its professional beauty and retail hair business to KKR, valuing it at about $4.3 billion. The carve-out created Wella Company as a standalone business, which is why salon brands and Coty fragrances now sit under different owners.", "sources": "src-coty-8k-2020-12-01" }, { "id": "mars-acquires-kind-2020", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2020-11-01", "closed": "2020-11-01", "buyer": "mars", "seller": "", "assets": "kind-snacks", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Mars took full ownership of KIND, having held a minority stake since 2017. The snack bar company had built its position on visible whole ingredients through a transparent wrapper, and its founder stayed on to lead it.", "sources": "src-mars-kind-2020" }, { "id": "unilever-acquires-liquid-iv-2020", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2020-11-01", "closed": "2020-11-01", "buyer": "unilever", "seller": "", "assets": "liquid-iv", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Unilever acquired Liquid I.V., an American hydration powder brand sold largely online. The price was not disclosed, and the brand has since become one of the faster-growing products in the group's portfolio.", "sources": "src-unilever-prestige" }, { "id": "authentic-acquires-brooks-brothers-2020", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2020-08-14", "closed": "2020-09-30", "buyer": "authentic-brands", "seller": "", "assets": "brooks-brothers", "value_amount": 325000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Authentic Brands and Simon Property Group bought Brooks Brothers out of bankruptcy for about $325 million. The oldest clothing retailer in America, founded in 1818, had been undone by the collapse in demand for office tailoring.", "sources": "src-abg-brooksbrothers-2020" }, { "id": "mars-renames-uncle-bens-2020", "type": "rebrand", "status": "closed", "announced": "2020-06-17", "closed": "2020-09-23", "buyer": "mars", "seller": "", "assets": "uncle-bens", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": null, "value_basis": null, "regulatory": "", "summary": "Mars renamed Uncle Ben's to Ben's Original and removed the image of an elderly Black man from the packaging, after criticism during the 2020 racial justice protests that the branding drew on a servant stereotype.", "sources": "src-mars-brands" }, { "id": "asahi-acquires-cub-2020", "type": "divestiture", "status": "closed", "announced": "2019-07-19", "closed": "2020-06-01", "buyer": "asahi-group", "seller": "ab-inbev", "assets": "carlton-draught; victoria-bitter", "value_amount": 16000000000, "value_currency": "AUD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Asahi acquired Carlton & United Breweries, the Australian business AB InBev had inherited with SABMiller, giving it Victoria Bitter and Carlton Draught. The Australian competition regulator required Asahi to divest several cider and beer brands before approving the deal.", "sources": "src-asahi-ar-2025" }, { "id": "puig-acquires-charlotte-tilbury-2020", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2020-06-01", "closed": "2020-06-01", "buyer": "puig", "seller": "", "assets": "charlotte-tilbury", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "GBP", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Puig acquired a majority of Charlotte Tilbury, a British makeup brand built by a professional artist on selling finished looks rather than individual products. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-puig-tilbury-2020" }, { "id": "meta-acquires-giphy-2020", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2020-05-15", "closed": "2020-05-15", "buyer": "meta-platforms", "seller": "", "assets": "giphy", "value_amount": 315000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "cma-facebook-giphy-2022", "summary": "Meta acquired Giphy for a reported $315 million without notifying the British competition regulator in advance, which it was not required to do. The Competition and Markets Authority opened an inquiry after the fact and ultimately ordered the acquisition unwound.", "sources": "src-cma-giphy-deal" }, { "id": "unilever-acquires-horlicks-2020", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2018-12-03", "closed": "2020-04-01", "buyer": "unilever", "seller": "", "assets": "horlicks", "value_amount": 3300000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Unilever acquired GlaxoSmithKline's Indian consumer nutrition business, including Horlicks, in a transaction valued at about €3.3 billion and settled largely in Hindustan Unilever shares. It is one of the largest deals ever done in Indian consumer goods.", "sources": "src-unilever-horlicks-2020" }, { "id": "pepsico-acquires-rockstar-2020", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2020-03-11", "closed": "2020-03-11", "buyer": "pepsico", "seller": "", "assets": "rockstar", "value_amount": 3850000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "PepsiCo acquired Rockstar Energy for $3.85 billion, having distributed the brand in North America since 2009. It gave PepsiCo a wholly owned energy drink at a point when the category was growing faster than carbonated soft drinks.", "sources": "src-pepsi-rockstar-2020" }, { "id": "authentic-acquires-forever-21-2020", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2020-02-01", "closed": "2020-02-01", "buyer": "authentic-brands", "seller": "", "assets": "forever-21", "value_amount": 81000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Authentic Brands bought Forever 21 out of bankruptcy for about $81 million, jointly with the mall owners Simon Property Group and Brookfield. Two of its largest landlords buying the retailer was a striking arrangement: they were, in effect, buying their own tenant to keep the space occupied.", "sources": "src-abg-forever21-2020" }, { "id": "colgate-acquires-filorga-2019", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2019-06-11", "closed": "2019-07-31", "buyer": "colgate-palmolive", "seller": "", "assets": "filorga", "value_amount": 1690000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Colgate-Palmolive acquired the French skincare brand Filorga for about €1.69 billion, its largest acquisition. It was an attempt to move into higher-margin premium skin care, a category dominated by L'Oréal and Estée Lauder.", "sources": "src-colgate-filorga-2019" }, { "id": "ferrero-acquires-kellogg-cookies-2019", "type": "divestiture", "status": "closed", "announced": "2019-04-01", "closed": "2019-07-29", "buyer": "ferrero", "seller": "kellanova", "assets": "keebler; famous-amos", "value_amount": 1300000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Kellogg sold Keebler, Famous Amos and the rest of its cookies and fruit snacks business to Ferrero as it concentrated on snacks and cereal. The seller entity later became Kellanova in the 2023 split.", "sources": "src-kellanova-ar-2025" }, { "id": "unilever-acquires-tatcha-2019", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2019-06-01", "closed": "2019-06-01", "buyer": "unilever", "seller": "", "assets": "tatcha", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Unilever acquired Tatcha, a skincare brand drawing on Japanese ingredients and ritual. Press reports put the price near $500 million, but neither party disclosed it, so no figure is recorded here.", "sources": "src-unilever-prestige" }, { "id": "vf-spins-off-kontoor-2019", "type": "spin_off", "status": "closed", "announced": "2018-08-13", "closed": "2019-05-23", "buyer": "kontoor-brands", "seller": "vf-corporation", "assets": "wrangler; lee-jeans", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": null, "value_basis": null, "regulatory": "", "summary": "VF Corporation spun off its jeanswear business as Kontoor Brands, distributing shares to VF shareholders. The separation let VF concentrate on outdoor and activewear brands growing faster than denim, and gave Wrangler and Lee a management team focused on that category alone.", "sources": "src-kontoor-10k-2025" }, { "id": "disney-acquires-fox-2019", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-12-14", "closed": "2019-03-20", "buyer": "disney", "seller": "", "assets": "twentieth-century-studios; national-geographic; searchlight-pictures", "value_amount": 71300000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Disney acquired most of Twenty-First Century Fox for about $71.3 billion in cash and stock, after outbidding Comcast. The film and television studios, National Geographic and the Star and Hulu stakes transferred; the Fox news, sports and broadcast assets were spun into the separate Fox Corporation.", "sources": "src-disney-8k-2019-03-20" }, { "id": "match-acquires-hinge-2019", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2018-06-21", "closed": "2019-02-01", "buyer": "match-group", "seller": "", "assets": "hinge", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Match Group took full ownership of Hinge, having bought a majority the previous year. Hinge had positioned itself explicitly against the swiping model of its new owner's largest brand, and has since grown faster than any other app in the group.", "sources": "src-match-hinge-2019" }, { "id": "coca-cola-acquires-costa-2019", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2018-08-31", "closed": "2019-01-03", "buyer": "coca-cola-company", "seller": "whitbread", "assets": "costa-coffee", "value_amount": 4900000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Coca-Cola bought Costa Coffee from Whitbread, its first move into a large hot drinks platform and its entry into physical coffee retail.", "sources": "src-coca-cola-10k-2025" }, { "id": "energizer-acquires-spectrum-batteries-2019", "type": "divestiture", "status": "closed", "announced": "2018-01-15", "closed": "2019-01-02", "buyer": "energizer", "seller": "spectrum-brands", "assets": "rayovac; varta-consumer", "value_amount": 2000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Energizer bought the Rayovac and Varta consumer battery businesses from Spectrum Brands, consolidating three of the largest battery brands in North America and Europe under one owner. European regulators required Energizer to divest the Varta business in several markets before clearing the deal.", "sources": "src-energizer-10k-2025" }, { "id": "capri-acquires-versace-2018", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2018-09-25", "closed": "2018-12-31", "buyer": "capri-holdings", "seller": "", "assets": "versace", "value_amount": 2100000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Michael Kors acquired Versace for about $2.1 billion and renamed itself Capri Holdings, following the same logic that had turned Coach into Tapestry a year earlier. Donatella Versace stayed as creative director and the family took shares in the buyer.", "sources": "src-capri-8k-2018-12-31" }, { "id": "unilever-acquires-vegetarian-butcher-2018", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2018-12-19", "closed": "2018-12-19", "buyer": "unilever", "seller": "", "assets": "vegetarian-butcher", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Unilever acquired The Vegetarian Butcher, a Dutch meat substitute company founded by a former farmer. It later supplied the plant-based patty used by Burger King across Europe. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-unilever-prestige" }, { "id": "pepsico-acquires-sodastream-2018", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2018-08-20", "closed": "2018-12-05", "buyer": "pepsico", "seller": "", "assets": "sodastream", "value_amount": 3200000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "PepsiCo acquired SodaStream for $144 per share in cash, about $3.2 billion. Buying a company whose product lets people make fizzy drinks at home was an unusual move for a business that sells them ready-made in cans.", "sources": "src-sodastream-6k-2018-12-05" }, { "id": "conagra-acquires-pinnacle-2018", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2018-06-27", "closed": "2018-10-26", "buyer": "conagra", "seller": "pinnacle-foods", "assets": "birds-eye-us; duncan-hines; vlasic; udis", "value_amount": 10900000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Conagra acquired Pinnacle Foods in a cash and stock deal, adding Birds Eye, Duncan Hines and Vlasic. Conagra sold its Wesson oil brand to satisfy competition concerns, and Pinnacle had been an acquisition target for several years before the deal closed.", "sources": "src-conagra-10k-2025" }, { "id": "microsoft-acquires-github-2018", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2018-06-04", "closed": "2018-10-26", "buyer": "microsoft", "seller": "", "assets": "github", "value_amount": 7500000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Microsoft acquired GitHub for $7.5 billion in stock. The European Commission cleared the deal unconditionally in October 2018, finding no risk that the buyer would degrade the platform for rival developer tools.", "sources": "src-msft-10q-2019q2" }, { "id": "comcast-acquires-sky-2018", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2018-09-22", "closed": "2018-10-09", "buyer": "comcast", "seller": "", "assets": "sky", "value_amount": 30000000000, "value_currency": "GBP", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Comcast won Sky in a rare televised auction ordered by the British Takeover Panel, outbidding Twenty-First Century Fox at about £30 billion. It gave Comcast pay television across Britain, Ireland, Germany and Italy in a single step.", "sources": "src-comcast-sky-2018" }, { "id": "nestle-acquires-starbucks-retail-2018", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2018-05-07", "closed": "2018-08-28", "buyer": "nestle", "seller": "starbucks", "assets": "starbucks-at-home", "value_amount": 7150000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Nestlé paid Starbucks $7.15 billion in cash for the perpetual right to sell Starbucks packaged coffee and tea in shops worldwide. No factories or staff transferred: the payment bought a licence, which is why the cafés and the supermarket bags now have different owners.", "sources": "src-starbucks-8k-2018-08-28" }, { "id": "kkr-acquires-unilever-spreads-2018", "type": "divestiture", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-12-15", "closed": "2018-07-02", "buyer": "kkr", "seller": "unilever", "assets": "flora; becel; country-crock; i-cant-believe-its-not-butter; rama; blue-band; proactiv-spread", "value_amount": 6825000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Unilever sold its spreads business to KKR, which established it as a standalone company named Upfield. Unilever had been trying to exit margarine for years as consumption declined, and the sale followed its rejection of a takeover approach from Kraft Heinz that had prompted a strategic review.", "sources": "src-upfield-brands" }, { "id": "bayer-acquires-monsanto-2018", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2016-09-14", "closed": "2018-06-07", "buyer": "bayer", "seller": "monsanto", "assets": "roundup", "value_amount": 63000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "doj-bayer-monsanto-2018", "summary": "Bayer acquired Monsanto for $128 per share in cash, creating the largest agricultural inputs company in the world. Regulators required Bayer to sell substantial seed and crop protection assets to BASF. The deal brought Bayer the Roundup brand and the glyphosate litigation attached to it, which has since cost it many billions in settlements.", "sources": "src-bayer-ar-2025" }, { "id": "authentic-acquires-nautica-2018", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2018-04-30", "closed": "2018-04-30", "buyer": "authentic-brands", "seller": "vf-corporation", "assets": "nautica", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Authentic Brands acquired Nautica from VF Corporation, which was shedding brands to concentrate on outdoor and workwear. Authentic bought the trademark and licenses it to operators who design and sell the clothing, so the company that owns the name does not make the products.", "sources": "src-abg-nautica-2018" }, { "id": "sainsburys-asda-merger-2019", "type": "merger", "status": "blocked", "announced": "2018-04-30", "closed": null, "buyer": "sainsburys", "seller": "", "assets": "asda", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "GBP", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "cma-sainsburys-asda-2019", "summary": "Sainsbury's and Asda agreed to merge in 2018, which would have created the largest supermarket group in Britain ahead of Tesco. The Competition and Markets Authority prohibited it in April 2019 and the parties abandoned the transaction.", "sources": "src-cma-sainsburys-asda-deal" }, { "id": "general-mills-acquires-blue-buffalo-2018", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2018-02-23", "closed": "2018-04-24", "buyer": "general-mills", "seller": "", "assets": "blue-buffalo", "value_amount": 8000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "General Mills acquired Blue Buffalo for about $8 billion, its largest acquisition. Pet food had been growing while packaged human food stagnated, and Blue Buffalo sold on named whole ingredients rather than meat meals, largely through pet specialty retailers.", "sources": "src-gis-bluebuffalo-2018" }, { "id": "ferrero-acquires-nestle-us-candy-2018", "type": "divestiture", "status": "closed", "announced": "2018-01-16", "closed": "2018-03-31", "buyer": "ferrero", "seller": "nestle", "assets": "butterfinger; baby-ruth; crunch-bar", "value_amount": 2800000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Nestlé sold its United States confectionery business, including Butterfinger, Baby Ruth, Crunch and around twenty other brands, to Ferrero. Nestlé kept its confectionery businesses in every other market.", "sources": "src-ferrero-brands" }, { "id": "campbells-acquires-snyders-lance-2018", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-12-18", "closed": "2018-03-26", "buyer": "campbells", "seller": "snyders-lance", "assets": "snyders-of-hanover; lance; cape-cod-chips; kettle-brand", "value_amount": 6100000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Campbell's bought snack maker Snyder's-Lance for $50 per share in cash, roughly doubling the size of its snacks business and moving the company away from its dependence on condensed soup, a category in long-term decline.", "sources": "src-campbells-10k-2025" }, { "id": "utz-acquires-inventure-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-10-26", "closed": "2017-12-14", "buyer": "utz-brands", "seller": "", "assets": "boulder-canyon", "value_amount": 165000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Utz acquired Inventure Foods for about $165 million, bringing Boulder Canyon into the group. Boulder Canyon cooks its crisps in avocado and olive oil rather than conventional vegetable oil, which costs considerably more and is why it sits at a premium price in natural grocery.", "sources": "src-utz-inventure-2017" }, { "id": "unilever-acquires-sundial-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-11-27", "closed": "2017-12-01", "buyer": "unilever", "seller": "", "assets": "sheamoisture", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Unilever acquired Sundial Brands, owner of SheaMoisture, a company built around hair and skin care for Black consumers that mainstream brands had long underserved. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-unilever-prestige" }, { "id": "hormel-acquires-columbus-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-10-30", "closed": "2017-11-27", "buyer": "hormel", "seller": "", "assets": "columbus-craft-meats", "value_amount": 850000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Hormel acquired Columbus Manufacturing for about $850 million, buying a San Francisco maker of salami and Italian-style deli meats founded by an immigrant family in 1917. It gave Hormel a premium delicatessen business sold at the counter rather than from the shelf.", "sources": "src-hormel-columbus-2017" }, { "id": "ziff-davis-acquires-humble-bundle-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-10-11", "closed": "2017-10-11", "buyer": "ziff-davis", "seller": "", "assets": "humble-bundle", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Ziff Davis acquired Humble Bundle, which sells collections of games at a price the buyer chooses and splits the money between developers, charity and the platform. The price was not disclosed, and the charitable model has continued under the new owner.", "sources": "src-zd-humble-2017" }, { "id": "vf-acquires-dickies-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-08-15", "closed": "2017-10-02", "buyer": "vf-corporation", "seller": "", "assets": "dickies", "value_amount": 820000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "VF Corporation acquired Williamson-Dickie for about $820 million, buying the workwear brand founded in Texas in 1922. Dickies had become streetwear well beyond the trades it was made for, a shift the company had not engineered.", "sources": "src-vf-dickies-2017" }, { "id": "coca-cola-acquires-topo-chico-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-10-01", "closed": "2017-10-01", "buyer": "coca-cola-company", "seller": "", "assets": "topo-chico", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Coca-Cola acquired the Mexican sparkling mineral water brand Topo Chico, which had a devoted following in Texas long before it was distributed nationally. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-ko-topochico-2017" }, { "id": "mars-acquires-vca-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-01-09", "closed": "2017-09-12", "buyer": "mars", "seller": "", "assets": "banfield", "value_amount": 9100000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Mars acquired VCA Inc., the largest chain of veterinary hospitals in the United States, for about $9.1 billion including debt. Mars already owned Banfield, and the combination made the largest pet food company in the world also the largest provider of veterinary care.", "sources": "src-vca-8k-2017-09-12" }, { "id": "amazon-acquires-whole-foods-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-06-16", "closed": "2017-08-28", "buyer": "amazon", "seller": "whole-foods-market-inc", "assets": "whole-foods; 365-by-whole-foods", "value_amount": 13700000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Amazon acquired Whole Foods Market for $42 per share in cash, its largest acquisition and its entry into physical grocery retail. Share prices of established supermarket chains fell sharply on the announcement, and Amazon cut Whole Foods prices within days of closing.", "sources": "src-amazon-10k-2025" }, { "id": "diageo-acquires-casamigos-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-06-21", "closed": "2017-08-21", "buyer": "diageo", "seller": "", "assets": "casamigos", "value_amount": 1000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Diageo bought Casamigos, the tequila founded by George Clooney, Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman, for $700 million up front and up to $300 million more on performance. The price for a four-year-old brand helped set off a wave of celebrity spirits deals.", "sources": "src-diageo-ar-2025" }, { "id": "mccormick-acquires-frenchs-2017", "type": "divestiture", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-07-19", "closed": "2017-08-17", "buyer": "mccormick", "seller": "reckitt", "assets": "frenchs; franks-redhot", "value_amount": 4200000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "McCormick bought French's mustard and Frank's RedHot from Reckitt Benckiser, which had inherited the food business through Reckitt & Colman and was selling it to fund its purchase of Mead Johnson. It was McCormick's largest acquisition.", "sources": "src-mccormick-10k-2025" }, { "id": "church-dwight-acquires-waterpik-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-07-25", "closed": "2017-08-07", "buyer": "church-and-dwight", "seller": "", "assets": "waterpik", "value_amount": 1000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Church & Dwight acquired Waterpik for about $1 billion, its largest acquisition. Waterpik had effectively created the water flosser, a device dentists recommend for people who cannot floss conventionally, and it gave the company a durable oral care business alongside its toothpaste.", "sources": "src-cd-waterpik-2017" }, { "id": "unilever-acquires-hourglass-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-08-01", "closed": "2017-08-01", "buyer": "unilever", "seller": "", "assets": "hourglass", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Unilever acquired Hourglass Cosmetics, a colour cosmetics brand that does not test on animals and went fully vegan in 2020. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-unilever-prestige" }, { "id": "tapestry-acquires-kate-spade-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-05-08", "closed": "2017-07-11", "buyer": "tapestry", "seller": "", "assets": "kate-spade", "value_amount": 2400000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Coach acquired Kate Spade for $18.50 per share, about $2.4 billion. Owning several brands rather than being one prompted the company to rename itself Tapestry the following October, a change its own shareholders received poorly.", "sources": "src-tapestry-8k-2017-07-11" }, { "id": "reckitt-acquires-mead-johnson-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-02-10", "closed": "2017-06-15", "buyer": "reckitt", "seller": "mead-johnson-nutrition", "assets": "enfamil", "value_amount": 17900000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Reckitt Benckiser acquired infant formula maker Mead Johnson Nutrition for $90 a share, its largest deal. The acquisition later required substantial write-downs and Reckitt sold the China infant nutrition business in 2021.", "sources": "src-reckitt-ar-2025" }, { "id": "sherwin-acquires-valspar-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2016-03-20", "closed": "2017-06-01", "buyer": "sherwin-williams", "seller": "", "assets": "valspar", "value_amount": 11300000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Sherwin-Williams acquired Valspar for about $11.3 billion, requiring divestitures to satisfy competition regulators. Valspar traces to a Boston paint business founded in 1806 and was the paint sold through Lowe's, a rival retailer to the buyer's own stores.", "sources": "src-shw-valspar-2017" }, { "id": "heineken-acquires-lagunitas-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-05-01", "closed": "2017-05-01", "buyer": "heineken", "seller": "", "assets": "lagunitas", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Heineken took full ownership of the Californian craft brewer Lagunitas, having bought half in 2015. Craft brewers acquired by multinationals frequently lose shelf space in independent bottle shops as a result, a tension the sector still argues about.", "sources": "src-heineken-lagunitas-2017" }, { "id": "danone-acquires-whitewave-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2016-07-07", "closed": "2017-04-12", "buyer": "danone", "seller": "", "assets": "alpro; silk; international-delight", "value_amount": 12500000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Danone acquired WhiteWave Foods for about $12.5 billion, buying Alpro in Europe and Silk in America. It made Danone the clear leader in plant-based drinks, and the Department of Justice required the divestiture of its own American organic milk business to clear it.", "sources": "src-danone-whitewave-2017" }, { "id": "asahi-acquires-sabmiller-cee-2017", "type": "divestiture", "status": "closed", "announced": "2016-12-13", "closed": "2017-03-31", "buyer": "asahi-group", "seller": "ab-inbev", "assets": "pilsner-urquell; tyskie", "value_amount": 7300000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Asahi bought SABMiller's central and eastern European businesses from AB InBev, including Pilsner Urquell in the Czech Republic and Tyskie in Poland, in the second and larger tranche of divestitures required to clear the SABMiller merger.", "sources": "src-asahi-ar-2025" }, { "id": "loreal-acquires-cerave-2017", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2017-01-10", "closed": "2017-03-01", "buyer": "loreal", "seller": "", "assets": "cerave", "value_amount": 1300000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "L'Oreal acquired CeraVe along with two other skincare brands from Valeant for $1.3 billion in cash. CeraVe had been developed with dermatologists around ceramides and was recommended by them far more than its advertising would explain, which is what made it worth the price.", "sources": "src-loreal-cerave-2017" }, { "id": "estee-lauder-acquires-too-faced-2016", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2016-11-15", "closed": "2016-12-28", "buyer": "estee-lauder", "seller": "", "assets": "too-faced", "value_amount": 1450000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Estee Lauder acquired Too Faced for $1.45 billion, then its largest purchase. Too Faced had been founded by two makeup artists in 1998 and built on playful packaging and product names, with its Better Than Sex mascara among the largest sellers in prestige cosmetics.", "sources": "src-el-toofaced-2016" }, { "id": "microsoft-acquires-linkedin-2016", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2016-06-13", "closed": "2016-12-08", "buyer": "microsoft", "seller": "", "assets": "linkedin", "value_amount": 26200000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for $196 per share in cash, valuing it at about $26.2 billion. It was the largest acquisition in Microsoft history until Activision Blizzard.", "sources": "src-msft-8k-2016-12-08" }, { "id": "unilever-acquires-living-proof-2016", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2016-12-01", "closed": "2016-12-01", "buyer": "unilever", "seller": "", "assets": "living-proof", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Unilever acquired Living Proof, a hair care company founded by MIT scientists and backed by Jennifer Aniston. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-unilever-prestige" }, { "id": "seb-acquires-wmf-2016", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2016-05-24", "closed": "2016-11-30", "buyer": "groupe-seb", "seller": "", "assets": "wmf", "value_amount": 1585000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Groupe SEB acquired WMF for about EUR 1.585 billion, its largest purchase. The attraction was the professional coffee machine business supplying cafes, hotels and offices rather than the consumer cookware the brand is better known for.", "sources": "src-seb-wmf-2016" }, { "id": "conagra-spins-off-lamb-weston-2016", "type": "spin_off", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-11-18", "closed": "2016-11-09", "buyer": "lamb-weston", "seller": "conagra", "assets": "lamb-weston-brand; grown-in-idaho", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": null, "value_basis": null, "regulatory": "", "summary": "Conagra separated its frozen potato business as Lamb Weston, distributing shares to Conagra shareholders. The two businesses had little in common: one supplied restaurants with commodity potato products, the other sold branded food in supermarkets, and each was valued differently by investors.", "sources": "src-lamb-weston-10k-2025" }, { "id": "asahi-acquires-sabmiller-europe-2016", "type": "divestiture", "status": "closed", "announced": "2016-02-10", "closed": "2016-10-11", "buyer": "asahi-group", "seller": "ab-inbev", "assets": "peroni; grolsch; meantime", "value_amount": 2550000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "AB InBev sold Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime to Asahi as part of the divestitures required to obtain competition clearance for its acquisition of SABMiller. It was the Japanese brewer's first substantial European business.", "sources": "src-asahi-ar-2025" }, { "id": "molson-coors-acquires-millercoors-2016", "type": "divestiture", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-11-11", "closed": "2016-10-11", "buyer": "molson-coors", "seller": "ab-inbev", "assets": "miller-lite", "value_amount": 12000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Molson Coors bought SABMiller's 58% of the MillerCoors joint venture and the worldwide Miller brand portfolio, a divestiture required to let AB InBev complete its takeover of SABMiller.", "sources": "src-molson-coors-10k-2025" }, { "id": "abinbev-acquires-sabmiller-2016", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-11-11", "closed": "2016-10-10", "buyer": "ab-inbev", "seller": "sabmiller", "assets": "castle-lager; aguila", "value_amount": 79000000000, "value_currency": "GBP", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "AB InBev acquired SABMiller in one of the largest takeovers ever recorded, creating a brewer with roughly a quarter of the beer sold worldwide. Regulators in the United States, Europe, China and South Africa required extensive divestitures, including SABMiller's stake in MillerCoors and its European Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime brands.", "sources": "src-abinbev-20f-2025" }, { "id": "coty-acquires-pg-beauty-2016", "type": "divestiture", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-07-09", "closed": "2016-10-01", "buyer": "coty", "seller": "procter-and-gamble", "assets": "covergirl; max-factor; clairol; wella-professionals", "value_amount": 12500000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Procter & Gamble transferred 41 beauty brands, including CoverGirl, Max Factor, Clairol and Wella, to Coty in a Reverse Morris Trust structured to be tax-efficient for P&G shareholders. It was the largest single step in P&G's programme of cutting its portfolio from about 170 brands to 65.", "sources": "src-coty-10k-2025" }, { "id": "marriott-acquires-starwood-2016", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-11-16", "closed": "2016-09-23", "buyer": "marriott", "seller": "", "assets": "sheraton; westin; w-hotels; st-regis", "value_amount": 13000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Marriott acquired Starwood Hotels & Resorts for about $13 billion, creating the largest hotel company in the world with around thirty brands. A rival Chinese-led bid pushed the price up during the process before being withdrawn.", "sources": "src-marriott-8k-2016-09-23" }, { "id": "comcast-acquires-dreamworks-2016", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2016-04-28", "closed": "2016-08-22", "buyer": "comcast", "seller": "", "assets": "dreamworks-animation", "value_amount": 3800000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Comcast acquired DreamWorks Animation for about $3.8 billion, adding Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon to Universal. The studio had struggled as a standalone public company because a single failed film could ruin a year.", "sources": "src-comcast-8k-2016-08-22" }, { "id": "campari-acquires-grand-marnier-2016", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2016-03-15", "closed": "2016-06-30", "buyer": "campari-group", "seller": "", "assets": "grand-marnier", "value_amount": 684000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Campari acquired Grand Marnier for about EUR 684 million after a long courtship of the founding family's shareholders. Using cognac rather than neutral spirit as the base is what separates Grand Marnier from triple sec, and it made Campari a serious owner in liqueurs.", "sources": "src-campari-grandmarnier-2016" }, { "id": "tencent-acquires-supercell-2016", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2016-06-21", "closed": "2016-06-21", "buyer": "tencent", "seller": "", "assets": "supercell; clash-of-clans", "value_amount": 8600000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "A consortium led by Tencent acquired a controlling stake in Supercell from SoftBank in a deal valuing the Helsinki studio at about $8.6 billion. Supercell makes Clash of Clans and Brawl Stars with unusually small teams and cancels games publicly when they do not meet its standards.", "sources": "src-tencent-ar" }, { "id": "helen-of-troy-acquires-hydro-flask-2016", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2016-03-18", "closed": "2016-03-18", "buyer": "helen-of-troy", "seller": "", "assets": "hydro-flask", "value_amount": 210000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Helen of Troy acquired Hydro Flask for about $210 million. The insulated bottle became a cultural marker among American teenagers within a few years of the purchase, which the buyer could not have planned for.", "sources": "src-hot-hydroflask-2016" }, { "id": "berkshire-acquires-duracell-2016", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2014-11-13", "closed": "2016-02-29", "buyer": "berkshire-hathaway", "seller": "procter-and-gamble", "assets": "duracell", "value_amount": 4700000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Berkshire Hathaway acquired Duracell from Procter & Gamble in a share exchange worth about $4.7 billion, handing back its P&G stock rather than paying cash. Structuring it as an exchange avoided a large capital gains charge on shares Berkshire had held since the Gillette merger.", "sources": "src-brk-duracell-2016" }, { "id": "tencent-acquires-riot-games-2015", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-12-16", "closed": "2015-12-16", "buyer": "tencent", "seller": "", "assets": "riot-games; league-of-legends", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Tencent took full ownership of Riot Games, having bought a majority in 2011. It means League of Legends, among the most played PC games in the world for over a decade, and the Los Angeles studio that makes it have been Chinese-owned since. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-tencent-ar" }, { "id": "expedia-acquires-homeaway-2015", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-11-04", "closed": "2015-12-15", "buyer": "expedia-group", "seller": "", "assets": "vrbo", "value_amount": 3900000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Expedia acquired HomeAway, owner of the Vrbo vacation rental marketplace, for about $3.9 billion in cash and stock. The purchase gave Expedia a whole-property rental business as Airbnb grew.", "sources": "src-expedia-8k-2015-12-15" }, { "id": "nomad-acquires-findus-2015", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-08-07", "closed": "2015-11-01", "buyer": "nomad-foods", "seller": "", "assets": "findus", "value_amount": 500000000, "value_currency": "GBP", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Nomad Foods acquired the Findus Group's continental European business for about £500 million, four months after buying Iglo. The two purchases together created the largest frozen food company in Europe.", "sources": "src-nomad-findus-2015" }, { "id": "unilever-acquires-kate-somerville-2015", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-11-01", "closed": "2015-11-01", "buyer": "unilever", "seller": "", "assets": "kate-somerville", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Unilever acquired Kate Somerville, a Los Angeles clinic-founded skincare brand, continuing a run of prestige beauty purchases made within months of each other. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-unilever-prestige" }, { "id": "match-acquires-plenty-of-fish-2015", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-07-14", "closed": "2015-10-28", "buyer": "match-group", "seller": "", "assets": "plenty-of-fish", "value_amount": 575000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Match Group acquired Plenty of Fish for $575 million in cash. The site had been built and run almost single-handedly by one Vancouver developer, who kept it free and sold advertising while the company that bought it charged subscriptions.", "sources": "src-match-pof-2015" }, { "id": "expedia-acquires-orbitz-2015", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-02-12", "closed": "2015-09-17", "buyer": "expedia-group", "seller": "", "assets": "orbitz; ebookers; cheaptickets", "value_amount": 1600000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Expedia acquired Orbitz Worldwide for $12 per share in cash, about $1.6 billion including debt. The United States Department of Justice closed its review without challenge, concluding the merged firm would still face competition from Priceline and from hotels selling direct.", "sources": "src-expedia-8k-2015-09-17" }, { "id": "ferrero-acquires-thorntons-2015", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-06-22", "closed": "2015-08-21", "buyer": "ferrero", "seller": "", "assets": "thorntons", "value_amount": 112000000, "value_currency": "GBP", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Ferrero acquired Thorntons for about GBP 112 million, taking a British chocolatier founded in Sheffield in 1911 whose shops had been closing for years as supermarkets took the trade. Ferrero closed the remaining stores and kept the brand on supermarket shelves.", "sources": "src-ferrero-thorntons-2015" }, { "id": "iag-acquires-aer-lingus-2015", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-01-27", "closed": "2015-08-18", "buyer": "iag", "seller": "", "assets": "aer-lingus", "value_amount": 1360000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "IAG acquired Aer Lingus for about €1.36 billion, after the Irish government agreed to sell its stake against commitments on Heathrow slots and connectivity. Ryanair, which held a large minority, had been ordered by British regulators to reduce it years earlier.", "sources": "src-iag-aerlingus-2015" }, { "id": "unilever-acquires-dermalogica-2015", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-08-01", "closed": "2015-08-01", "buyer": "unilever", "seller": "", "assets": "dermalogica", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Unilever acquired Dermalogica, a professional skincare brand sold largely through therapists and salons rather than shops. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-unilever-prestige" }, { "id": "hormel-acquires-applegate-2015", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-05-26", "closed": "2015-07-13", "buyer": "hormel", "seller": "", "assets": "applegate", "value_amount": 775000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Hormel acquired Applegate Farms for about $775 million. Applegate sells meat raised without antibiotics and free from artificial ingredients, claims it had built a business on well before they were common, and it continues to source from independent farms rather than from its parent's supply chain.", "sources": "src-hormel-applegate-2015" }, { "id": "unilever-acquires-murad-2015", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-07-01", "closed": "2015-07-01", "buyer": "unilever", "seller": "", "assets": "murad", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Unilever acquired Murad, a dermatologist-founded skincare brand, as one of the first purchases for what became its Prestige division. The price was not disclosed, which is true of almost every brand Unilever bought for that division.", "sources": "src-unilever-prestige" }, { "id": "nomad-acquires-iglo-2015", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2015-04-20", "closed": "2015-06-30", "buyer": "nomad-foods", "seller": "", "assets": "birds-eye-uk; iglo", "value_amount": 2600000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Nomad Foods bought Iglo Group, owner of Birds Eye in Britain and iglo across continental Europe, for about €2.6 billion. It was the first acquisition by a vehicle set up specifically to consolidate European frozen food.", "sources": "src-nomad-iglo-2015" }, { "id": "jbs-acquires-primo-2015", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2014-11-24", "closed": "2015-03-31", "buyer": "jbs", "seller": "", "assets": "primo-smallgoods", "value_amount": 1450000000, "value_currency": "AUD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "JBS acquired Primo Smallgoods for about AUD 1.45 billion, its largest Australian purchase. Primo is the largest bacon and smallgoods brand in Australia and New Zealand, and the deal gave JBS a branded consumer business rather than only slaughter and processing capacity.", "sources": "src-jbs-primo-2015" }, { "id": "burger-king-merges-tim-hortons-2014", "type": "merger", "status": "closed", "announced": "2014-08-26", "closed": "2014-12-12", "buyer": "restaurant-brands-intl", "seller": "tim-hortons-inc", "assets": "tim-hortons", "value_amount": 12500000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Burger King, controlled by 3G Capital, merged with Tim Hortons to create Restaurant Brands International, headquartered in Canada. The move drew criticism in the United States as a tax inversion, and Berkshire Hathaway provided $3 billion of preferred equity financing.", "sources": "src-rbi-10k-2025" }, { "id": "whirlpool-acquires-indesit-2014", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2014-07-10", "closed": "2014-10-31", "buyer": "whirlpool", "seller": "", "assets": "indesit; hotpoint-europe", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Whirlpool acquired a controlling stake in Indesit, taking Hotpoint in Europe with it and becoming the largest appliance manufacturer on the continent. The Hotpoint name belongs to a different company in North America, a legacy of the original business being split between British and American owners.", "sources": "src-whirlpool-indesit-2014" }, { "id": "facebook-acquires-whatsapp-2014", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2014-02-19", "closed": "2014-10-06", "buyer": "meta-platforms", "seller": "", "assets": "whatsapp", "value_amount": 19000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Facebook acquired WhatsApp for approximately $19 billion in cash and stock, the largest sum ever paid for a venture-backed company at the time. The European Commission cleared the deal in October 2014.", "sources": "src-fb-10k-2014" }, { "id": "general-mills-acquires-annies-2014", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2014-09-08", "closed": "2014-10-01", "buyer": "general-mills", "seller": "", "assets": "annies", "value_amount": 820000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "General Mills acquired Annie's for about $820 million, buying an organic food company whose rabbit logo and pasta shapes had been built in deliberate opposition to the packaged food industry that bought it.", "sources": "src-gis-annies-2014" }, { "id": "tyson-acquires-hillshire-2014", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2014-07-01", "closed": "2014-08-28", "buyer": "tyson-foods", "seller": "hillshire-brands", "assets": "hillshire-farm; ball-park; state-fair; aidells; wright-brand", "value_amount": 8550000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Tyson Foods won a bidding contest with Pilgrim's Pride for Hillshire Brands, paying $63 per share in cash. The auction began after Hillshire had itself agreed to buy Pinnacle Foods, an agreement it terminated to accept the Tyson offer.", "sources": "src-tyson-10k-2025" }, { "id": "amazon-acquires-twitch-2014", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2014-08-25", "closed": "2014-08-25", "buyer": "amazon", "seller": "", "assets": "twitch", "value_amount": 970000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Amazon acquired Twitch for about $970 million in cash, outbidding Google. Live game streaming was then a niche few large companies took seriously, and Twitch remains the centre of that economy a decade later.", "sources": "src-amazon-twitch-2014" }, { "id": "mars-acquires-iams-eukanuba-2014", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2014-04-09", "closed": "2014-08-01", "buyer": "mars", "seller": "", "assets": "iams; eukanuba", "value_amount": 2900000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Mars acquired the IAMS and Eukanuba pet food brands from Procter & Gamble for about $2.9 billion, covering North America and several other markets. Spectrum Brands bought the European rights separately, so the brands have different owners by territory.", "sources": "src-mars-iams-2014" }, { "id": "priceline-acquires-opentable-2014", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2014-06-13", "closed": "2014-07-24", "buyer": "booking-holdings", "seller": "", "assets": "opentable", "value_amount": 2600000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Priceline acquired OpenTable for $103 per share, about $2.6 billion, moving into restaurant reservations. It was an unusual purchase for a travel group, and the company later wrote down a substantial part of its value.", "sources": "src-bkng-opentable-2014" }, { "id": "suntory-acquires-beam-2014", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2014-01-13", "closed": "2014-04-30", "buyer": "suntory", "seller": "beam-inc", "assets": "jim-beam; makers-mark", "value_amount": 16000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Suntory bought Beam Inc. for $83.50 a share in cash, creating Beam Suntory and making the Japanese family-controlled group one of the largest spirits companies in the world.", "sources": "src-suntory-brands" }, { "id": "google-acquires-nest-2014", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2014-01-13", "closed": "2014-02-12", "buyer": "alphabet", "seller": "", "assets": "google-nest", "value_amount": 3200000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Google acquired Nest Labs for $3.2 billion in cash, buying a thermostat company founded by two former Apple engineers. The price startled the industry and marked Google's entry into hardware inside the home.", "sources": "src-google-nest-2014" }, { "id": "lvmh-acquires-loro-piana-2013", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2013-07-08", "closed": "2013-12-05", "buyer": "lvmh", "seller": "", "assets": "loro-piana", "value_amount": 2000000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "LVMH acquired eighty per cent of Loro Piana for about €2 billion, with the founding family retaining the rest. The attraction was control of the supply of the finest cashmere and vicuña wool, which no amount of marketing can substitute for.", "sources": "src-lvmh-loro-piana-2013" }, { "id": "kering-acquires-pomellato-2013", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2013-04-24", "closed": "2013-07-01", "buyer": "kering", "seller": "", "assets": "pomellato", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Kering acquired a majority of the Milanese jeweller Pomellato, which had applied ready-to-wear thinking to fine jewellery by making pieces in series rather than one at a time. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-kering-pomellato" }, { "id": "google-acquires-waze-2013", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2013-06-11", "closed": "2013-06-11", "buyer": "alphabet", "seller": "", "assets": "waze", "value_amount": 1100000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Google acquired the Israeli navigation app Waze for about $1.1 billion, keeping it as a separate product rather than folding it into Google Maps. Both apps still run side by side more than a decade later.", "sources": "src-google-waze-2013" }, { "id": "constellation-acquires-modelo-us-2013", "type": "divestiture", "status": "closed", "announced": "2013-02-14", "closed": "2013-06-07", "buyer": "constellation-brands", "seller": "ab-inbev; grupo-modelo", "assets": "corona-us; modelo-especial; pacifico", "value_amount": 4750000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "doj-modelo-2013", "summary": "To settle the Department of Justice lawsuit blocking AB InBev's acquisition of Grupo Modelo, AB InBev sold Constellation Brands the perpetual rights to Corona, Modelo Especial and Pacífico in the United States, together with the Piedras Negras brewery. This is why Corona has a different owner in the United States than everywhere else.", "sources": "src-doj-modelo-2013" }, { "id": "gucci-acquires-ginori-2013", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2013-05-27", "closed": "2013-05-27", "buyer": "kering", "seller": "", "assets": "ginori-1735", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Gucci bought the Florentine porcelain house Richard Ginori out of insolvency, keeping a manufacturer that had operated since 1735 from being broken up. It is the only tableware business in a group otherwise built on fashion and jewellery.", "sources": "src-kering-ginori" }, { "id": "priceline-acquires-kayak-2013", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2012-11-08", "closed": "2013-05-21", "buyer": "booking-holdings", "seller": "", "assets": "kayak", "value_amount": 1800000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Priceline acquired KAYAK for about $1.8 billion. A metasearch site that ranks travel agencies against each other thereby became owned by one of the largest of them, which is the arrangement most of its users would be surprised by.", "sources": "src-bkng-kayak-2013" }, { "id": "coca-cola-acquires-innocent-2013", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2013-02-22", "closed": "2013-02-22", "buyer": "coca-cola-company", "seller": "", "assets": "innocent-drinks", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "GBP", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Coca-Cola raised its stake in Innocent Drinks to over ninety per cent, having first invested in 2009. The founders had built the brand on an explicitly independent identity, and the sale to a multinational was contentious among its customers.", "sources": "src-ko-innocent-2013" }, { "id": "ziff-davis-acquires-ign-2013", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2013-02-04", "closed": "2013-02-04", "buyer": "ziff-davis", "seller": "", "assets": "ign", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Ziff Davis, then owned by j2 Global, acquired IGN from News Corp. IGN had been assembled from a network of console-specific sites in the 1990s, and its review scores carry enough weight to be quoted in publishers marketing. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-zd-ign-2013" }, { "id": "hormel-acquires-skippy-2013", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2013-01-03", "closed": "2013-01-31", "buyer": "hormel", "seller": "unilever", "assets": "skippy", "value_amount": 700000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Hormel acquired Skippy from Unilever for about $700 million, buying the second largest peanut butter brand in the United States. Unilever had held it since taking over Bestfoods in 2000 and was narrowing its food portfolio; Hormel was broadening beyond tinned meat.", "sources": "src-hormel-skippy-2013" }, { "id": "helen-of-troy-acquires-pur-2012", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2012-12-31", "closed": "2012-12-31", "buyer": "helen-of-troy", "seller": "", "assets": "pur-water", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Helen of Troy acquired the PUR water filtration business from Procter & Gamble. PUR is the main American rival to Brita, and faucet-mounted filters are a largely American format that has never taken hold in markets where tap water is filtered through jugs or not at all. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-hot-pur-2012" }, { "id": "campari-acquires-lascelles-2012", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2012-09-05", "closed": "2012-12-21", "buyer": "campari-group", "seller": "", "assets": "appleton-estate", "value_amount": 415000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Campari acquired Lascelles deMercado for about $415 million, taking Appleton Estate and with it one of the oldest continuously operating rum distilleries in the Caribbean, producing in Jamaica's Nassau Valley since 1749.", "sources": "src-campari-lascelles-2012" }, { "id": "disney-acquires-lucasfilm-2012", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2012-10-30", "closed": "2012-12-21", "buyer": "disney", "seller": "", "assets": "lucasfilm", "value_amount": 4050000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Disney acquired Lucasfilm from George Lucas for about $4.05 billion in cash and stock, taking ownership of Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Lucas has said he directed much of the proceeds to educational philanthropy.", "sources": "src-disney-lucasfilm-2012" }, { "id": "kering-acquires-qeelin-2012", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2012-12-01", "closed": "2012-12-01", "buyer": "kering", "seller": "", "assets": "qeelin", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Kering acquired Qeelin, a Hong Kong fine jewellery house drawing on Chinese symbolism. It was the group's first purchase of a Chinese luxury brand, made as Chinese demand was reshaping the industry. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-kering-qeelin" }, { "id": "church-dwight-acquires-avid-health-2012", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2012-09-13", "closed": "2012-10-01", "buyer": "church-and-dwight", "seller": "", "assets": "vitafusion", "value_amount": 650000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Church & Dwight acquired Avid Health, owner of the vitafusion and L'il Critters gummy vitamin brands, for about $650 million. Gummy vitamins were then growing far faster than tablets, and the purchase gave the company a position in supplements it had not had.", "sources": "src-cd-avid-2012" }, { "id": "facebook-acquires-instagram-2012", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2012-04-09", "closed": "2012-09-06", "buyer": "meta-platforms", "seller": "", "assets": "instagram", "value_amount": 1000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "oft-facebook-instagram-2012", "summary": "Facebook acquired Instagram, then a thirteen-person company with no revenue, for about $1 billion in cash and stock. The final consideration fell as Facebook shares declined between announcement and closing.", "sources": "src-fb-10k-2012" }, { "id": "vw-acquires-porsche-2012", "type": "merger", "status": "closed", "announced": "2011-09-07", "closed": "2012-08-01", "buyer": "volkswagen-group", "seller": "", "assets": "porsche", "value_amount": 4460000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Volkswagen completed the takeover of Porsche's car business for €4.46 billion, ending an unusual sequence in which Porsche had first tried to take over the far larger Volkswagen, accumulated enormous debt attempting it, and failed.", "sources": "src-vw-porsche-2012" }, { "id": "audi-acquires-ducati-2012", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2012-04-18", "closed": "2012-07-19", "buyer": "volkswagen-group", "seller": "", "assets": "ducati", "value_amount": 860000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Audi, itself part of Volkswagen Group, acquired Ducati for about EUR 860 million including debt. Ducati had started making radio components in 1926 and turned to motorcycles after its factory was bombed in the war, and its desmodromic valve system remains unique in production motorcycles.", "sources": "src-vw-history" }, { "id": "kering-acquires-brioni-2012", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2011-11-14", "closed": "2012-01-01", "buyer": "kering", "seller": "", "assets": "brioni", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "PPR, which became Kering, acquired the Roman tailoring house Brioni. It was the group's move into high-end menswear, a category its luxury rivals had largely left alone. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-kering-brioni" }, { "id": "lvmh-acquires-bulgari-2011", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2011-03-07", "closed": "2011-09-30", "buyer": "lvmh", "seller": "", "assets": "bulgari", "value_amount": 4300000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "LVMH acquired Bulgari for about €4.3 billion, paying largely in shares so that the founding family became a substantial LVMH shareholder rather than simply selling out. It remains one of the largest jewellery acquisitions ever made.", "sources": "src-lvmh-bulgari-2011" }, { "id": "vf-acquires-timberland-2011", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2011-06-13", "closed": "2011-09-13", "buyer": "vf-corporation", "seller": "", "assets": "timberland", "value_amount": 2300000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "VF Corporation acquired Timberland for about $2.3 billion, adding its yellow boot to an outdoor portfolio that already held The North Face and Vans. Timberland had published an environmental and labour footprint on its boxes since 2006, unusually for footwear at the time.", "sources": "src-vf-timberland-2011" }, { "id": "colgate-acquires-sanex-2011", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2010-09-27", "closed": "2011-06-01", "buyer": "colgate-palmolive", "seller": "unilever", "assets": "sanex", "value_amount": 672000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Colgate-Palmolive bought Sanex from Unilever for about EUR 672 million. Unilever was selling because competition authorities required it to divest Sanex before it could complete its purchase of Sara Lee's personal care business, so one company's remedy became another's acquisition.", "sources": "src-colgate-sanex-2011" }, { "id": "match-acquires-meetic-2011", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2011-04-19", "closed": "2011-06-01", "buyer": "match-group", "seller": "", "assets": "meetic", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Match took control of Meetic, the largest dating service in continental Europe, through a public tender offer for the French company. It gave the group the European position its American brands had never built, and Meetic still trades under its own name across France, Spain and Italy.", "sources": "src-match-meetic-2011" }, { "id": "unilever-acquires-alberto-culver-2011", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2010-09-27", "closed": "2011-05-10", "buyer": "unilever", "seller": "alberto-culver", "assets": "tresemme; vo5; simple-skincare; st-ives; nexxus", "value_amount": 3700000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Unilever bought Alberto Culver for $37.50 a share in cash, adding TRESemmé, VO5, Simple, St. Ives and Nexxus to its hair and skin portfolio. Regulators required Unilever to divest the Alberto VO5 and Rave brands in the United States.", "sources": "src-unilever-20f-2025" }, { "id": "iac-acquires-okcupid-2011", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2011-02-02", "closed": "2011-02-02", "buyer": "match-group", "seller": "", "assets": "okcupid", "value_amount": 50000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "IAC acquired OkCupid for about $50 million and placed it alongside Match.com. OkCupid had built its audience on a long compatibility questionnaire and on a blog that analysed its own users' data, and it was free when Match.com charged a subscription.", "sources": "src-match-okcupid-2011" }, { "id": "comcast-acquires-nbcuniversal-2011", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2009-12-03", "closed": "2011-01-28", "buyer": "comcast", "seller": "", "assets": "nbc; universal-pictures; telemundo; universal-parks", "value_amount": 13750000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Comcast took majority control of NBCUniversal from General Electric in a transaction valuing the business at about $30 billion, contributing cable channels and $13.75 billion in cash. It turned the largest American cable distributor into a studio owner, and regulators imposed conditions on how it treated rival programmers.", "sources": "src-comcast-8k-2011-01-28" }, { "id": "iag-formed-2011", "type": "merger", "status": "closed", "announced": "2010-04-08", "closed": "2011-01-21", "buyer": "iag", "seller": "", "assets": "british-airways; iberia", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "British Airways and Iberia merged to form International Consolidated Airlines Group, registered in Spain and headquartered in London. Both airlines kept their names, brands and operating certificates, so passengers saw no change beyond the ownership.", "sources": "src-iag-2011" }, { "id": "utz-acquires-zapps-2011", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2011-01-01", "closed": "2011-01-01", "buyer": "utz-brands", "seller": "", "assets": "zapps", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Utz acquired Zapp's, a Louisiana kettle crisp maker founded in 1985 by a former oil driller, known for Cajun flavours including Voodoo and Spicy Cajun Crawtator. The price was not disclosed and only the year is documented here.", "sources": "src-utz-zapps-2011" }, { "id": "priceline-acquires-rentalcars-2010", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2010-05-26", "closed": "2010-05-26", "buyer": "booking-holdings", "seller": "", "assets": "rentalcars-com", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "GBP", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Priceline acquired TravelJigsaw, the Manchester company trading as Rentalcars.com, adding car hire to a group built on flights and accommodation. The consideration was not disclosed at the time.", "sources": "src-bkng-rentalcars-2010" }, { "id": "heineken-acquires-femsa-beer-2010", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2010-01-11", "closed": "2010-04-30", "buyer": "heineken", "seller": "", "assets": "sol; dos-equis", "value_amount": 7600000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Heineken acquired the beer operations of Mexico's FEMSA for about $7.6 billion in shares, taking Sol and Dos Equis. It gave Heineken a major position in Mexico and the United States Hispanic market without paying cash.", "sources": "src-heineken-femsa-2010" }, { "id": "richemont-acquires-net-a-porter-2010", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2010-03-01", "closed": "2010-04-01", "buyer": "richemont", "seller": "", "assets": "net-a-porter", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Richemont took control of Net-a-Porter, founded by a fashion journalist who believed people would buy luxury clothing online when almost every brand doubted it. Richemont later wrote down its value substantially and agreed to sell a majority to a rival. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-richemont-history" }, { "id": "stanley-merges-black-decker-2010", "type": "merger", "status": "closed", "announced": "2009-11-02", "closed": "2010-03-12", "buyer": "stanley-black-decker", "seller": "black-decker-corp", "assets": "black-decker-brand; dewalt", "value_amount": 4500000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Stanley Works and The Black & Decker Corporation merged in an all-stock transaction to form Stanley Black & Decker, combining the largest hand tool business in the United States with one of the largest power tool businesses.", "sources": "src-swk-10k-2025" }, { "id": "kraft-acquires-cadbury-2010", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2009-09-07", "closed": "2010-02-02", "buyer": "kraft-foods", "seller": "cadbury-plc", "assets": "cadbury", "value_amount": 11500000000, "value_currency": "GBP", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Kraft Foods won a hostile takeover of Cadbury after a five-month battle, closing at 840 pence per share in cash and shares. Kraft closed the Somerdale factory it had promised to keep open, which led to criticism in Parliament and changes to the UK takeover code. Cadbury passed to Mondelēz in the 2012 split.", "sources": "src-mondelez-10k-2025" }, { "id": "disney-acquires-marvel-2009", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2009-08-31", "closed": "2009-12-31", "buyer": "disney", "seller": "", "assets": "marvel", "value_amount": 4000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment for about $4 billion. Marvel had emerged from bankruptcy a decade earlier having licensed away film rights to several of its best-known characters, which is why Spider-Man remains entangled with Sony.", "sources": "src-disney-marvel-2009" }, { "id": "jbs-acquires-pilgrims-2009", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2009-09-16", "closed": "2009-12-28", "buyer": "jbs", "seller": "", "assets": "pilgrims", "value_amount": 2800000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "JBS acquired a controlling stake in Pilgrim's Pride out of bankruptcy for about $2.8 billion, making the Brazilian group one of the largest poultry producers in the United States as well as the largest beef processor.", "sources": "src-jbs-pilgrims-2009" }, { "id": "amazon-acquires-zappos-2009", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2009-07-22", "closed": "2009-11-01", "buyer": "amazon", "seller": "", "assets": "zappos", "value_amount": 1200000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Amazon acquired Zappos for about $1.2 billion in stock. Zappos kept its own management, culture and headquarters, an unusual degree of independence that Amazon maintained for years afterwards.", "sources": "src-amazon-zappos-2009" }, { "id": "campari-acquires-wild-turkey-2009", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2009-04-08", "closed": "2009-05-29", "buyer": "campari-group", "seller": "", "assets": "wild-turkey", "value_amount": 575000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Campari acquired Wild Turkey from Pernod Ricard for about $575 million, giving the Italian group a Kentucky bourbon distillery. Pernod was selling assets it had taken on with Absolut the year before.", "sources": "src-campari-wildturkey-2009" }, { "id": "inbev-acquires-anheuser-busch-2008", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2008-07-14", "closed": "2008-11-18", "buyer": "ab-inbev", "seller": "anheuser-busch-companies", "assets": "budweiser; bud-light; michelob-ultra", "value_amount": 52000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "oft-inbev-anheuser-busch-2008", "summary": "Belgian-Brazilian brewer InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch for $70 a share in cash after an initially hostile approach, creating Anheuser-Busch InBev and moving control of Budweiser out of the United States.", "sources": "src-abinbev-20f-2025" }, { "id": "smucker-acquires-folgers-2008", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2008-06-04", "closed": "2008-11-06", "buyer": "jm-smucker", "seller": "", "assets": "folgers", "value_amount": 3300000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Smucker acquired Folgers from Procter & Gamble for about $3.3 billion in a Reverse Morris Trust, a structure that let P&G divest the business to shareholders without a large tax charge. It made Smucker the largest packaged coffee company in the United States.", "sources": "src-smucker-folgers-2008" }, { "id": "mars-acquires-wrigley-2008", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2008-04-28", "closed": "2008-10-06", "buyer": "mars", "seller": "wrigley-company", "assets": "extra-gum; orbit-gum; skittles; starburst", "value_amount": 23000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Mars acquired the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company for $80 a share in cash, financed in part by Berkshire Hathaway and Goldman Sachs. The deal created Mars Wrigley and made Mars the largest confectionery company in the world.", "sources": "src-mars-brands" }, { "id": "sony-buys-out-bmg-2008", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2008-08-05", "closed": "2008-10-01", "buyer": "sony-group", "seller": "", "assets": "rca-records", "value_amount": 1200000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Sony bought out Bertelsmann's half of Sony BMG for about $1.2 billion, ending a joint venture formed in 2004 and taking full ownership of RCA Records among others. Bertelsmann kept the music publishing catalogue, which it rebuilt into BMG.", "sources": "src-sony-bmg-2008" }, { "id": "pernod-acquires-vin-sprit-2008", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2008-03-31", "closed": "2008-07-23", "buyer": "pernod-ricard", "seller": "", "assets": "absolut", "value_amount": 5626000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Pernod Ricard bought V&S Group, the Swedish state-owned owner of Absolut, for €5.626 billion in a privatisation auction. Absolut immediately became one of the group's largest brands and remains among the best-selling vodkas in the world.", "sources": "src-pernod-vs-2008" }, { "id": "tata-acquires-jlr-2008", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2008-03-26", "closed": "2008-06-02", "buyer": "tata-motors", "seller": "ford", "assets": "jaguar; land-rover; range-rover", "value_amount": 2300000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Tata Motors acquired Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford for about $2.3 billion in cash. Ford had paid roughly $2.5 billion for Jaguar in 1989 and $2.7 billion for Land Rover in 2000, so it sold both together for less than it had paid for either.", "sources": "src-ford-8k-2008-06-02" }, { "id": "lvmh-acquires-hublot-2008", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2008-04-01", "closed": "2008-05-19", "buyer": "lvmh", "seller": "", "assets": "hublot", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "LVMH acquired Hublot, the first house to pair a gold case with a rubber strap, which was considered close to vandalism when it did so in 1980. Its name is French for porthole. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-lvmh-history" }, { "id": "heineken-carlsberg-acquire-scottish-newcastle-2008", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2008-01-25", "closed": "2008-04-28", "buyer": "heineken; carlsberg", "seller": "", "assets": "strongbow; kronenbourg", "value_amount": 7800000000, "value_currency": "GBP", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Heineken and Carlsberg bid jointly for Scottish & Newcastle at about GBP 7.8 billion and split it between them rather than one buying the whole company. Heineken took the British and Irish business including Strongbow, Carlsberg took the French and Russian operations including Kronenbourg. A joint bid to divide a target is unusual, and it is why two competing brewers date their ownership of these brands to the same day.", "sources": "src-heineken-carlsberg-sn-2008" }, { "id": "amazon-acquires-audible-2008", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2008-01-31", "closed": "2008-03-01", "buyer": "amazon", "seller": "", "assets": "audible", "value_amount": 300000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Amazon acquired Audible for about $300 million, pairing spoken-word audio with the Kindle it had launched a few months earlier. Audible had sold the first portable digital audio player in 1997, four years before the iPod.", "sources": "src-amazon-audible-2008" }, { "id": "newscorp-acquires-dow-jones-2007", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2007-05-01", "closed": "2007-12-13", "buyer": "news-corp", "seller": "", "assets": "dow-jones; wall-street-journal", "value_amount": 5600000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "News Corporation acquired Dow Jones for about $5.6 billion, taking The Wall Street Journal after a contested approach to the Bancroft family that had controlled it for a century. The deal included commitments intended to protect the paper's editorial independence.", "sources": "src-newscorp-dj-2007" }, { "id": "priceline-acquires-agoda-2007", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2007-11-06", "closed": "2007-11-06", "buyer": "booking-holdings", "seller": "", "assets": "agoda", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Priceline acquired Agoda, a Singapore-based accommodation booking service, giving the group an Asian business that has always operated separately from Booking.com. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-bkng-agoda-2007" }, { "id": "danone-acquires-numico-2007", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2007-07-09", "closed": "2007-10-01", "buyer": "danone", "seller": "", "assets": "aptamil; nutricia", "value_amount": 12300000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Danone acquired the Dutch nutrition group Numico for about €12.3 billion, buying Aptamil and Nutricia. It moved the company decisively into infant and medical nutrition, which are now among its most profitable divisions.", "sources": "src-danone-numico-2007" }, { "id": "jbs-acquires-swift-2007", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2007-05-29", "closed": "2007-07-11", "buyer": "jbs", "seller": "", "assets": "swift-meat", "value_amount": 1400000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "JBS acquired Swift & Company for about $1.4 billion, its entry into the United States. Swift was one of the great Chicago meatpacking houses, founded in 1855 and central to the industrialisation of American meat described in Upton Sinclair's The Jungle.", "sources": "src-jbs-swift-2007" }, { "id": "coca-cola-acquires-glaceau-2007", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2007-05-25", "closed": "2007-06-07", "buyer": "coca-cola-company", "seller": "", "assets": "smartwater; vitaminwater", "value_amount": 4100000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Coca-Cola acquired Energy Brands, known as Glacéau, for $4.1 billion in cash, buying vitaminwater and smartwater. It was the company's largest acquisition to that point and a bet that growth would come from outside carbonated drinks.", "sources": "src-ko-glaceau-2007" }, { "id": "richemont-acquires-alaia-2007", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2007-01-01", "closed": "2007-01-01", "buyer": "richemont", "seller": "", "assets": "alaia", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Richemont acquired the house of Azzedine Alaia, who cut and fitted garments on the body himself and showed collections whenever he judged them finished rather than to the fashion calendar. Only the year is documented here.", "sources": "src-richemont-history" }, { "id": "google-acquires-youtube-2006", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2006-10-09", "closed": "2006-11-13", "buyer": "alphabet", "seller": "", "assets": "youtube", "value_amount": 1650000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock, twenty months after the video site was founded and while it still had no meaningful revenue. The price was widely criticised as reckless at the time.", "sources": "src-google-8k-2006-11-13" }, { "id": "church-dwight-acquires-orange-glo-2006", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2006-07-13", "closed": "2006-08-01", "buyer": "church-and-dwight", "seller": "", "assets": "oxiclean", "value_amount": 325000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Church & Dwight acquired Orange Glo International, owner of OxiClean, for about $325 million. OxiClean had been built almost entirely through televised direct-response advertising, a channel most large consumer goods companies had ignored.", "sources": "src-cd-orangeglo-2006" }, { "id": "disney-acquires-pixar-2006", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2006-01-24", "closed": "2006-05-05", "buyer": "disney", "seller": "", "assets": "pixar", "value_amount": 7400000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Disney acquired Pixar for about $7.4 billion in stock, making Steve Jobs its largest individual shareholder. Pixar's leadership was then put in charge of Disney's own animation studio, which had been in decline for a decade.", "sources": "src-disney-pixar-2006" }, { "id": "colgate-acquires-toms-of-maine-2006", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2006-03-21", "closed": "2006-05-01", "buyer": "colgate-palmolive", "seller": "", "assets": "tom-of-maine", "value_amount": 100000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Colgate-Palmolive bought 84 per cent of Tom's of Maine for about $100 million, leaving the founders with the rest. Tom's had been built on natural ingredients and a refusal to test on animals, and the sale to a mass-market giant was contentious among the customers it had attracted on exactly those grounds.", "sources": "src-colgate-toms-2006" }, { "id": "whirlpool-acquires-maytag-2006", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2005-08-22", "closed": "2006-03-31", "buyer": "whirlpool", "seller": "", "assets": "maytag", "value_amount": 1700000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Whirlpool acquired Maytag for about $1.7 billion including debt, after a contested process in which a private equity group and the Chinese manufacturer Haier had both bid. The Department of Justice reviewed the combination of two of the largest American appliance makers and closed its investigation without challenge.", "sources": "src-whirlpool-maytag-2006" }, { "id": "pepsico-acquires-stacys-2005", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2005-11-01", "closed": "2005-11-01", "buyer": "pepsico", "seller": "", "assets": "stacys", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Frito-Lay acquired Stacy's Pita Chips, started by a couple who had turned leftover pita from their sandwich cart into a snack. Baking rather than frying gave it a health positioning the rest of the snack aisle could not match. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-pepsi-stacys-2005" }, { "id": "amer-acquires-salomon-2005", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2005-05-02", "closed": "2005-10-01", "buyer": "amer-sports", "seller": "", "assets": "salomon; arcteryx; atomic-ski", "value_amount": 485000000, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Amer Sports acquired the Salomon group from adidas for about EUR 485 million, taking Salomon, Arc'teryx and Atomic in one transaction. adidas had bought Salomon in 1997 and concluded that winter sports equipment did not fit alongside football boots.", "sources": "src-amer-salomon-2005" }, { "id": "pg-acquires-gillette-2005", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2005-01-28", "closed": "2005-10-01", "buyer": "procter-and-gamble", "seller": "gillette-company", "assets": "gillette; oral-b; braun; venus", "value_amount": 57000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Procter & Gamble acquired The Gillette Company in an all-stock deal, adding razors, Oral-B and Braun and making it the largest consumer goods company in the world at the time. Regulators required divestitures in electric toothbrushes and deodorants.", "sources": "src-pg-10k-2025" }, { "id": "priceline-acquires-booking-com-2005", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2005-07-21", "closed": "2005-09-01", "buyer": "booking-holdings", "seller": "", "assets": "booking-com", "value_amount": 133000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Priceline acquired Bookings B.V., the Dutch operator of Booking.com, for about $133 million. The business grew so far beyond its American parent that the group renamed itself Booking Holdings in 2018, so the acquired company ended up naming the acquirer.", "sources": "src-bkng-booking-2005" }, { "id": "pernod-acquires-allied-domecq-2005", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2005-04-21", "closed": "2005-07-26", "buyer": "pernod-ricard", "seller": "", "assets": "malibu; beefeater; mumm; kahlua", "value_amount": 7400000000, "value_currency": "GBP", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Pernod Ricard acquired Allied Domecq for about £7.4 billion, bidding jointly with Fortune Brands, which took several of the brands to satisfy competition authorities. The purchase made Pernod Ricard the second largest spirits group in the world behind Diageo.", "sources": "src-pernod-allied-2005" }, { "id": "seb-acquires-all-clad-2004", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2004-06-15", "closed": "2004-07-01", "buyer": "groupe-seb", "seller": "", "assets": "all-clad", "value_amount": 250000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Groupe SEB acquired All-Clad for about $250 million, buying the bonded stainless steel cookware that is standard in American professional kitchens. All-Clad still manufactures in Pennsylvania using a metal-rolling process its founder developed for industrial applications.", "sources": "src-seb-allclad-2004" }, { "id": "helen-of-troy-acquires-oxo-2004", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2004-06-01", "closed": "2004-06-01", "buyer": "helen-of-troy", "seller": "", "assets": "oxo-good-grips", "value_amount": 273000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Helen of Troy acquired OXO from World Kitchen for about $273 million. OXO had been founded on universal design: its Good Grips peeler was made for a cook with arthritis and turned out to be better for everyone, which is the principle the whole range follows.", "sources": "src-hot-oxo-2004" }, { "id": "vf-acquires-vans-2004", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2004-05-07", "closed": "2004-06-01", "buyer": "vf-corporation", "seller": "", "assets": "vans", "value_amount": 396000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "VF Corporation acquired Vans for about $396 million. Vans had been made in Anaheim since 1966 and adopted by skateboarders without any marketing from the company, whose waffle sole gripped a board better than anything else available.", "sources": "src-vf-vans-2004" }, { "id": "colgate-acquires-gaba-2004", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2004-03-01", "closed": "2004-05-01", "buyer": "colgate-palmolive", "seller": "", "assets": "meridol; elmex", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "CHF", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Colgate-Palmolive acquired GABA Holding, a Swiss oral care company selling elmex and meridol through European pharmacies. The purchase gave Colgate a pharmacy channel and a specialist reputation in Europe that its mass-market toothpaste could not reach on its own. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-colgate-gaba-2004" }, { "id": "loreal-acquires-shu-uemura-2004", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2004-01-01", "closed": "2004-01-01", "buyer": "loreal", "seller": "", "assets": "shu-uemura", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "JPY", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "L'Oreal acquired shu uemura, founded by a Japanese makeup artist who created the first cleansing oil in 1967 after seeing how heavy studio makeup damaged actors' skin. Cleansing oil is now the first step of the double cleanse standard across Japanese and Korean routines. Only the year is documented here.", "sources": "src-loreal-urd" }, { "id": "smucker-acquires-jif-crisco-2002", "type": "merger", "status": "closed", "announced": "2001-10-10", "closed": "2002-06-18", "buyer": "jm-smucker", "seller": "", "assets": "jif", "value_amount": 840000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Smucker acquired Jif and Crisco from Procter & Gamble in a spin-off and merger valued at about $840 million. A company known for jam became the largest peanut butter seller in America, so the two halves of a sandwich came under one owner.", "sources": "src-smucker-jif-2002" }, { "id": "berkshire-acquires-fruit-of-the-loom-2002", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2001-11-01", "closed": "2002-04-30", "buyer": "berkshire-hathaway", "seller": "", "assets": "fruit-of-the-loom", "value_amount": 835000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Berkshire Hathaway acquired Fruit of the Loom out of bankruptcy for about $835 million in cash. The underwear maker had collapsed under debt, and Berkshire bought the operating business rather than the holding company that had failed.", "sources": "src-brk-fotl-2002" }, { "id": "general-mills-acquires-pillsbury-2001", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2000-07-17", "closed": "2001-10-31", "buyer": "general-mills", "seller": "diageo", "assets": "pillsbury; old-el-paso; haagen-dazs-us", "value_amount": 10500000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "General Mills bought Pillsbury from Diageo, roughly doubling its size. The Federal Trade Commission required the divestiture of Pillsbury's dessert and specialty products business to International Multifoods before clearing the deal.", "sources": "src-general-mills-10k-2025" }, { "id": "seb-acquires-moulinex-2001", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2001-09-20", "closed": "2001-10-01", "buyer": "groupe-seb", "seller": "", "assets": "moulinex", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Groupe SEB bought Moulinex out of liquidation after the company collapsed, taking a brand that had become a byword for kitchen appliances in France. Competition authorities cleared the purchase only with conditions on the group's share of the French market.", "sources": "src-seb-moulinex-2001" }, { "id": "church-dwight-acquires-carter-wallace-2001", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2001-05-07", "closed": "2001-09-28", "buyer": "church-and-dwight", "seller": "", "assets": "trojan; first-response", "value_amount": 739000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Church & Dwight acquired the consumer products business of Carter-Wallace for about $739 million in a joint transaction, taking Trojan condoms and First Response pregnancy tests. It transformed a company known mainly for baking soda into a broad household and personal care group.", "sources": "src-cd-carter-wallace-2001" }, { "id": "pepsico-acquires-quaker-oats-2001", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2000-12-04", "closed": "2001-08-02", "buyer": "pepsico", "seller": "quaker-oats-company", "assets": "gatorade; quaker-oats-brand; quaker-chewy", "value_amount": 13400000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "PepsiCo acquired The Quaker Oats Company in an all-stock merger, primarily to obtain Gatorade, which gave it the leading position in sports drinks. The Federal Trade Commission cleared the deal after a split vote, with a consent order restricting distribution arrangements.", "sources": "src-pepsico-10k-2025" }, { "id": "unilever-acquires-bestfoods-2000", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2000-06-06", "closed": "2000-10-04", "buyer": "unilever", "seller": "bestfoods", "assets": "hellmanns; knorr; maizena", "value_amount": 24300000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "ec-m1990", "summary": "Unilever acquired Bestfoods, the American food group behind Knorr and Hellmann's, in what was then the largest cash acquisition in the food industry. The European Commission cleared the deal in Phase I subject to divestiture commitments.", "sources": "src-ec-m1990; src-unilever-20f-2025" }, { "id": "unilever-acquires-ben-and-jerrys-2000", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2000-04-12", "closed": "2000-08-03", "buyer": "unilever", "seller": "ben-and-jerrys-homemade", "assets": "ben-and-jerrys", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Unilever's subsidiary Conopco acquired Ben & Jerry's Homemade in a two-step transaction: a cash tender offer at $43.60 per share through Vermont All Natural Expansion Company, followed by a back-end merger. The merger agreement created an independent board with a continuing social mission mandate.", "sources": "src-bj-8k-2000-05-22; src-bj-defm14a-2000-07-06; src-bj-15-12g-2000-08-03" }, { "id": "richemont-acquires-lange-2000", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2000-07-01", "closed": "2000-07-01", "buyer": "richemont", "seller": "", "assets": "a-lange-sohne", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Richemont acquired A. Lange & Sohne, expropriated by East Germany in 1948 and refounded in 1990 by the founder's great-grandson after reunification. It is the only German house counted at the top of watchmaking. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-richemont-history" }, { "id": "vf-acquires-north-face-2000", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2000-04-10", "closed": "2000-05-01", "buyer": "vf-corporation", "seller": "", "assets": "the-north-face", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "VF Corporation acquired The North Face, which had been founded as a San Francisco climbing shop in 1966 and was in financial difficulty. It became one of the largest outdoor brands in the world under VF ownership.", "sources": "src-vf-tnf-2000" }, { "id": "unilever-acquires-amora-maille-2000", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2000-01-25", "closed": "2000-03-08", "buyer": "unilever", "seller": "", "assets": "colmans", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": null, "value_basis": null, "regulatory": "ec-m1802", "summary": "Unilever acquired the French condiments group Amora-Maille, adding mustard and sauce brands in France. The European Commission cleared the transaction subject to commitments.", "sources": "src-ec-m1802" }, { "id": "loreal-acquires-matrix-2000", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "2000-01-01", "closed": "2000-01-01", "buyer": "loreal", "seller": "", "assets": "matrix", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "L'Oreal acquired Matrix, founded in 1980 by two hairdressers and selling colour and care products through salons at prices below Redken and Kerastase. Salon brands are sold to stylists rather than to the public, so their pricing and distribution work differently from retail hair care. Only the year is documented here.", "sources": "src-loreal-urd" }, { "id": "lvmh-acquires-zenith-1999", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1999-11-01", "closed": "1999-11-01", "buyer": "lvmh", "seller": "", "assets": "zenith-watches", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "LVMH acquired Zenith, whose El Primero automatic chronograph from 1969 survived only because a watchmaker hid the tooling in an attic when the owners ordered it destroyed during the quartz crisis. The movement is still in production. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-lvmh-history" }, { "id": "lvmh-acquires-tag-heuer-1999", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1999-08-01", "closed": "1999-09-14", "buyer": "lvmh", "seller": "", "assets": "tag-heuer", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "LVMH acquired TAG Heuer, which had invented the first automatic chronograph movement in 1969 and timed Formula One races for decades. It was the largest of several watch purchases the group made that year and remains its biggest watch brand by volume. The price was not disclosed here.", "sources": "src-lvmh-history" }, { "id": "lvmh-acquires-krug-1999", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1999-01-01", "closed": "1999-01-01", "buyer": "lvmh", "seller": "", "assets": "krug", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "LVMH acquired Krug, a champagne house that makes only prestige cuvees with no entry-level bottling at all, fermenting every plot separately in small oak casks before blending. Only the year is documented here and the price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-lvmh-history" }, { "id": "vw-acquires-bentley-1998", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1998-06-28", "closed": "1998-07-28", "buyer": "volkswagen-group", "seller": "", "assets": "bentley", "value_amount": 430000000, "value_currency": "GBP", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Volkswagen bought Rolls-Royce Motors for about £430 million, acquiring the Crewe factory and the Bentley marque. BMW separately secured the Rolls-Royce name and badge from the aero-engine company, so the winner of the auction did not get the brand it had bid for.", "sources": "src-vw-bentley-1998" }, { "id": "audi-acquires-lamborghini-1998", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1998-06-12", "closed": "1998-07-27", "buyer": "volkswagen-group", "seller": "", "assets": "lamborghini", "value_amount": 110000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Audi, itself part of Volkswagen Group, acquired Lamborghini from a Malaysian investment group for a reported $110 million. Lamborghini had changed hands repeatedly since its founder sold out in the 1970s and had never been stable under any owner.", "sources": "src-vw-lamborghini-1998" }, { "id": "mattel-acquires-american-girl-1998", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1998-06-16", "closed": "1998-07-01", "buyer": "mattel", "seller": "", "assets": "american-girl", "value_amount": 700000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Mattel acquired Pleasant Company, maker of American Girl dolls, for about $700 million. Each doll comes with historical fiction set in a particular period, and the books address subjects including slavery and internment, which is unusual for a toy line.", "sources": "src-mattel-ag-1998" }, { "id": "berkshire-acquires-dairy-queen-1998", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1997-10-21", "closed": "1998-01-07", "buyer": "berkshire-hathaway", "seller": "", "assets": "dairy-queen", "value_amount": 585000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "enterprise_value", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Berkshire Hathaway acquired International Dairy Queen for about $585 million. Almost every Dairy Queen is franchised, so Berkshire owns the brand and the system rather than the restaurants.", "sources": "src-brk-dq-1998" }, { "id": "pepsico-spins-off-tricon-1997", "type": "spin_off", "status": "closed", "announced": "1997-01-23", "closed": "1997-10-06", "buyer": "yum-brands", "seller": "pepsico", "assets": "kfc; pizza-hut; taco-bell", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": null, "value_basis": null, "regulatory": "", "summary": "PepsiCo spun off its restaurant business as Tricon Global Restaurants, taking KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell out of the drinks and snacks company. PepsiCo had found that operating restaurants competed for capital with its packaged goods brands and complicated its relationships with other chains. Tricon renamed itself Yum! Brands in 2002.", "sources": "src-yum-10k-2025" }, { "id": "mattel-acquires-tyco-toys-1997", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1996-11-18", "closed": "1997-05-22", "buyer": "mattel", "seller": "", "assets": "matchbox", "value_amount": 755000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Mattel acquired Tyco Toys for about $755 million, taking Matchbox with it. That put Matchbox and Hot Wheels, rivals since 1968, under one owner; Mattel has kept both ranges in production rather than merging them.", "sources": "src-mattel-tyco-1997" }, { "id": "lvmh-acquires-marc-jacobs-1997", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1997-01-01", "closed": "1997-01-01", "buyer": "lvmh", "seller": "", "assets": "marc-jacobs-fashion", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "LVMH took a majority of the Marc Jacobs house and appointed its founder to design ready-to-wear for Louis Vuitton, a role he held for sixteen years. He had been dismissed from Perry Ellis five years earlier over a grunge collection now regarded as a landmark. Only the year is documented here.", "sources": "src-lvmh-history" }, { "id": "richemont-acquires-panerai-1997", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1997-01-01", "closed": "1997-01-01", "buyer": "richemont", "seller": "", "assets": "panerai", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Richemont acquired Panerai, which had supplied luminous diving instruments to the Italian navy and sold no watches to the public until 1993. Its oversized cushion cases became one of the defining watch shapes of the following decade. Only the year is documented here.", "sources": "src-richemont-history" }, { "id": "lvmh-acquires-celine-1996", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1996-07-01", "closed": "1996-07-01", "buyer": "lvmh", "seller": "", "assets": "celine", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "LVMH acquired Celine, which had begun in 1945 as a made-to-measure children's shoe shop in Paris before becoming a womenswear house. Successive creative directors have redefined it so completely that its identity is closely tied to whoever is designing. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-lvmh-history" }, { "id": "richemont-acquires-vacheron-1996", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1996-01-01", "closed": "1996-01-01", "buyer": "richemont", "seller": "", "assets": "vacheron-constantin", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Richemont acquired Vacheron Constantin, the oldest watch manufacturer in continuous operation, founded in 1755. It is one of the three houses traditionally counted as the summit of Swiss watchmaking. Only the year is documented here and the price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-richemont-history" }, { "id": "mattel-acquires-fisher-price-1993", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1993-08-19", "closed": "1993-11-30", "buyer": "mattel", "seller": "", "assets": "fisher-price", "value_amount": 1100000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Mattel acquired Fisher-Price for about $1.1 billion in stock, adding infant and preschool toys to a company built on Barbie and Hot Wheels. Fisher-Price had published a set of design principles about intrinsic play value in its first year of trading, 1930.", "sources": "src-mattel-fp-1993" }, { "id": "coca-cola-acquires-parle-1993", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1993-01-01", "closed": "1993-01-01", "buyer": "coca-cola-company", "seller": "", "assets": "thums-up; limca; maaza", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Coca-Cola bought the Parle soft drink brands on returning to India, having left in 1977 rather than dilute its ownership under foreign investment rules. It acquired the market leader instead of competing with it, and Thums Up still outsells Coca-Cola's own cola in India.", "sources": "src-ko-parle-1993" }, { "id": "lvmh-acquires-berluti-1993", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1993-01-01", "closed": "1993-01-01", "buyer": "lvmh", "seller": "", "assets": "berluti", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "LVMH acquired Berluti, a Paris bespoke shoemaker founded in 1895 and known for a patination technique that colours leather by hand in layers. It became the group's principal menswear leather house alongside Louis Vuitton. Only the year is documented here.", "sources": "src-lvmh-history" }, { "id": "richemont-acquires-dunhill-1993", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1993-01-01", "closed": "1993-01-01", "buyer": "richemont", "seller": "", "assets": "dunhill", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Richemont took full ownership of Dunhill, which had begun in 1893 selling motoring accessories including a pipe that could be smoked in an open car, and had become a menswear and leather goods house. Only the year is documented here.", "sources": "src-richemont-history" }, { "id": "vw-acquires-skoda-1991", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1991-04-16", "closed": "1991-04-16", "buyer": "volkswagen-group", "seller": "", "assets": "skoda", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "DEM", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Volkswagen bought into Skoda after the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia, taking an initial stake and full ownership over the following years. Skoda had been a byword for poor quality in Western Europe; it now regularly outscores its parent in reliability surveys.", "sources": "src-vw-history" }, { "id": "sony-acquires-columbia-pictures-1989", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1989-09-27", "closed": "1989-11-08", "buyer": "sony-group", "seller": "", "assets": "sony-pictures; columbia-pictures", "value_amount": 3400000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Sony acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment for about $3.4 billion in cash, roughly $4.9 billion including assumed debt. Japanese ownership of a Hollywood studio was politically contentious, and Sony wrote down billions on the business a few years later before it eventually became one of its most profitable divisions.", "sources": "src-sony-columbia-1989" }, { "id": "sony-acquires-cbs-records-1988", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1987-11-18", "closed": "1988-01-05", "buyer": "sony-group", "seller": "", "assets": "sony-music; columbia-records", "value_amount": 2000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Sony acquired CBS Records for about $2 billion, buying the oldest record label in the world along with it. It was the first of two purchases that turned a Japanese electronics manufacturer into a major American media owner, and it drew political alarm in the United States at the time.", "sources": "src-sony-cbs-1988" }, { "id": "lvmh-acquires-givenchy-1988", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1988-01-01", "closed": "1988-01-01", "buyer": "lvmh", "seller": "", "assets": "givenchy", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "LVMH acquired Givenchy, the Paris house whose founder had dressed Audrey Hepburn on and off screen for four decades, including the black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Hubert de Givenchy stayed to design for a further seven years before retiring. Only the year is documented here and the price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-lvmh-history" }, { "id": "lvmh-acquires-ruinart-1988", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1988-01-01", "closed": "1988-01-01", "buyer": "lvmh", "seller": "", "assets": "ruinart", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "LVMH acquired Ruinart, the oldest established champagne house, founded in 1729 by the nephew of a monk who had recognised the commercial possibility of sparkling wine. Its chalk cellars in Reims are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Only the year is documented here.", "sources": "src-lvmh-history" }, { "id": "vw-acquires-seat-1986", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1986-06-18", "closed": "1986-06-18", "buyer": "volkswagen-group", "seller": "", "assets": "seat", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "ESP", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Volkswagen took majority control of SEAT from the Spanish state, which had founded the company in 1950 and had it building Fiats under licence for decades. SEAT remains the only major carmaker designing and building cars in Spain. The price was not disclosed.", "sources": "src-vw-history" }, { "id": "whirlpool-acquires-kitchenaid-1986", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1986-01-01", "closed": "1986-01-01", "buyer": "whirlpool", "seller": "", "assets": "kitchenaid", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Whirlpool acquired the KitchenAid appliance business from Dart & Kraft. KitchenAid's stand mixer had been in production since 1919, designed after an engineer watched a baker struggle with a hand mixer, and its attachments have stayed compatible across decades of models. Only the year is documented here.", "sources": "src-whirlpool-kitchenaid-1986" }, { "id": "nestle-acquires-carnation-1985", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1984-09-04", "closed": "1985-01-04", "buyer": "nestle", "seller": "", "assets": "carnation", "value_amount": 3000000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Nestlé acquired Carnation for about $3 billion, at the time the largest acquisition ever made outside the oil industry. It brought evaporated milk, Coffee mate and Friskies into the group and established Nestlé as a major American food company rather than a European one selling abroad.", "sources": "src-nestle-carnation-1985" }, { "id": "richemont-acquires-chloe-1985", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1985-01-01", "closed": "1985-01-01", "buyer": "richemont", "seller": "", "assets": "chloe", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "EUR", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "The group that became Richemont acquired Chloe, among the first houses to sell luxury ready-to-wear rather than couture, and where Karl Lagerfeld designed for two decades. Chloe became a certified B Corporation in 2021. Only the year is documented here.", "sources": "src-richemont-history" }, { "id": "berkshire-acquires-sees-1972", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1972-01-03", "closed": "1972-01-03", "buyer": "berkshire-hathaway", "seller": "", "assets": "sees-candies", "value_amount": 25000000, "value_currency": "USD", "value_basis": "equity", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Berkshire Hathaway bought See's Candies for $25 million. Warren Buffett has repeatedly described it as the purchase that taught him to pay up for a business with pricing power rather than hunt for statistically cheap ones, and it has returned many times its cost.", "sources": "src-brk-sees-1972" }, { "id": "vw-acquires-auto-union-1966", "type": "acquisition", "status": "closed", "announced": "1966-01-01", "closed": "1966-01-01", "buyer": "volkswagen-group", "seller": "", "assets": "audi", "value_amount": null, "value_currency": "DEM", "value_basis": "undisclosed", "regulatory": "", "summary": "Volkswagen acquired Auto Union from Daimler-Benz in stages through the mid-1960s, and revived the Audi name that had been dormant since before the war. The four rings represent the four companies that merged to form Auto Union in 1932. Only the year is documented here.", "sources": "src-vw-history" } ] }