M & A
Bastei Lübbe: ever more computerised
Last September, media company Bastei Lübbe AG purchased 100% ownership of the online beam-ebooks.de platform, as a means of broadening its computer-based business. No information about the purchase deal has been made known. The e-books specialty store has a clientele some 400,000 strong. The management of Prime Standard-listed Bastei Lübbe states that it has been working with the webshop for many years.
Berentzen: freshly squeezed
Berentzen-Gruppe AG, the General Standard-listed liqueur distiller has bought over the Austrian fruit-juice producer TMP Technic-Marketing-Products GmbH. In a communiqué Berentzen gave the purchase price as between 15.5 and 17.5 million Euros , made up of fixeds and variables. The takeover was paid for by the revenue from a 50 million Euro bond issued in 2012 for that very purpose, due date in 2017 with a coupon of 6.5%.
The monopoly regulator has still to authorize the transaction. TMP announced its liquidity at the end of August was some two million Euros. This takeover will enable Berentzen to broaden its base in the cold, non-alcoholic drinks market and exploit new synergies , especially in distribution. TMP will retain its autonomy in order to ensure continued flexibility.
Tele Columbus: to list or not to list
Tele Columbus AG, third most important cable network operator in Germany is contemplating a stock exchange flotation. It was recently converted into a joint stock company and, for some weeks, has been in the mood for buy-outs. It recently took over BMB a small competitor from the Ruhr and before that an optic fibre network provider with 16,000 customers. Tele Columbus has approximately 1.7 million customers, mostly in the eastern part of Germany and with a 3.6 percent increase, it posted a first six-month turnover of 107 million Euros. The alternative to the stock exchange could be to sell out to a strategic investor. According to Handelsblatt, the economic and financial daily, Deutsche Telekom has already expressed its interest.