TECHNOLOGY

BLACKBOARD INC ACQUIRES NETSPOT

March 2012US company Blackboard Inc has acquired Adelaide basedNetspot for an undisclosed amount. Blackboard Inc is aWashington based enterprise software company specializingin educational software and learning management systems.E-learning technology provider Netspot will continue to berun independently and work in conjunction with Blackboardto advance the Moodle project. Moodle is an open sourcelearning management system which is used by universitiesand other higher education institutions in Australia. It isbelieved this acquisition will be beneficial for both Netspotand Moodle.

Source: Startup SmartDeal Size: Undisclosed

MEDIA

CARSALES.COM BUYS 15% SHARE INTORPEDO 7

March 2012Carsales.com has recently made a move into e-tailing,purchasing a 15% stake in New Zealand based Torpedo 7 foran estimated $AUD7.2m. Torpedo, owner of daily deal site1-day.co.nz and online outdoor sports equipment retailerTorpedo7.co.nz, is believed to be a profitable business withgood future potential. Carsales.com may reportedly increaseits stake in the future.

Source: One Online News and EventsDeal Size: $AUD7.2m

INNOV8 MEDIA ACQUIRED BY VALMORGAN

February 2012Australian retail giant Val Morgan recently announced itsacquisition of Innov8 Media for an undisclosed amount,intending this as a way to extend its digital TV presence inretail shopping centres. This acquisition will boost ValMorgan’s screens by 150 panels, taking the number ofshopping centre screens to 900 and making it one of thelargest digital shopping centre networks in the world. Theorganization has plans to increase its digital shopping centrepresence further in the future to 1500 screens across over300 shopping centres.

Source: ScreenMedia DailyDeal Size: Undisclosed

DELUXE INC ACQUIRES CENTRO DIGITALPICTURES

February 2012Deluxe Entertainment Services Inc, provider of services andtechnology for the entertainment industry, has recentlyacquired Hong Kong based Centro Digital Pictures for anundisclosed amount. Centro provides VFX, animation andpost production services to a number of US and Chinesefeature film makers. This acquisition is expected to increasethe opportunities for Deluxe’s international customers topartner with filmmakers from China and Hong Kong, as wellas providing the chance for content producers in this regionto access the North American and European markets.

Source: PR NewswireDeal Size: Undisclosed

INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS, MANUFACTURING ANDLOGISTICS

MAXI TRANS ACQUIRES QUEENSLANDDIESEL SPARES

April 2012Melbourne based Maxi Trans has acquired Queensland Diesel

APPLUS+ PURCHASES JDA

February 2012Global inspection, testing and quality control companyApplus+ recently announced its acquisition of inspectionservices company John Davison and Associates (JDA) for anundisclosed amount. This acquisition is a move by Applus+,one of the largest conformity assessment companiesworldwide, to gain a foothold in the Australasianmarketplace. Australian company JDA has a workforce of 150and offices in Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guineaand provides inspection services for the oil and gas,construction, mining and engineering sectors.

Source: Applus +blogDeal Size: Undisclosed

DLA CONSULTING ACQUIRED BYHUMANIS

February 2012In a move to expand its insurance and financial servicesprofile in Australasia, international recruitment hire specialistsHumanis has recently announced the acquisition ofMelbourne based recruitment agency DLA Consulting. DLAConsulting provides recruitment solutions to employers in theinsurance and financial services sector across Australia, theMiddle East and Asia Pacific. This acquisition is expected toprovide the opportunity for Humanis to complement andconsolidate its current international operations and for DLA tobenefit from the utilization of Humanis’ international network.

Source: NewsmakerDeal Size: Undisclosed

PRO-PAC ACQUIRES HILLS INDUSTRIALPRODUCTS

February 2012Sydney-based industrial packaging distributor Hills IndustrialProducts, is soon to be acquired by national packagingcompany Pro-pac for an undisclosed amount. Hills IndustrialProducts specialises in selling products online, and its uniqueonline business model and catalogue are reportedly the mainreason behind the acquisition. Hills Industrial Products willcontinue to be run as a separate sales point and brand underPro-pac but will benefit from the use of Pro-pac’sinfrastructure when it comes to back end logistics.

Source: Logistics MagazineDeal Size: Undisclosed

LEISURE

UNIBET BUYS BETCHOICE

February 2012International online gambling company Unibet has recentlyannounced its acquisition of Australian online bookmakerBetchoice for over $20M. The intention is for Unibet to enterthe Australian market and potentially open live bettingproducts in Australia in future. Betchoice is expected to berebranded to Unibet and its offering and products enhancedand improved over time. Betchoice currently employs 35people and has offices in Sydney and Darwin. This move isexpected to strengthen Unibet’s already strong position, withmore than 6 million customers in over 100 countries.

Source: Innovate Gaming blogDeal Size: $AUD20M

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The Johnsons Report is a quarterly release designed to provide market intelligence on recently transacted mergers and acquisitionsinvolving companies within the private sector.

KUEHNE + NAGEL ACQUIRE LINKLOGISTICS

February 2012Swiss freight company Kuehne + Nagel has recentlypurchased Link Logistics, specialists in transportingperishables and cold chain management and Australia’sbiggest air freight forwarder of perishable exports, for anundisclosed amount. Link Logistics was established in 1998and has 33 employees. This move is expected to strengthenKuehne + Nagel’s efforts towards global expansion in theperishables logistics sector and allow the company to betterserve its customers in the Asia Pacific region.

Source: The Journal of CommerceDeal Size: Undisclosed

ELLERSTON CAPITAL PURCHASES STAKEIN TEMANDO

February 2012Packer run funds business, Ellerston Capital, recentlypurchased a stake in Temando, an e-commerce freightforwarding business based in Brisbane, for around $AUD 5m.This is the first venture into the freight forwarding market byEllerston Capital and it will help Temando expand its overseasoperations to include New Zealand, Asia, Europe and the US.With the focus on business to consumer online sales, thismove is in line with Packer’s recent interest in DealsDirectand other online sales businesses.

Source: The AustralianDeal Size: $AUD5m

RETAIL

KP MULTINATIONAL PTY LTD TAKENOVER BY FUNTASTIC

March 2012Funtastic, supplier of kids’ toys, has taken over KPMultinational Pty Ltd in a deal worth just under $3m. Alongwith the acquisition of the business, comes a three yearlicense to distribute LEGO products in Europe, Asia and theUS, which will mean that an expanded range of LEGOproducts can be distributed through ToysRUs storesthroughout the world. Building on the success of KP,Funtastic has heralded this takeover as a chance to expandand consolidate its LEGO range on a global basis.

Source: The AustralianDeal Size: $2.7M

RETAIL FOOD GROUP (RFG) ACQUIRESPIZZA CAPERS

February 2012Retail Food Group (RFG) has entered into a conditionalarrangement with retail franchise Pizza Capers, to take overits existing franchise network of 110 outlets across Australia.Pizza Capers, a franchise focusing on gourmet pizza andother similar products, will be added to RFG’s existing brands,which include Brumby’s Bakeries, Donut King and Michel’sPatisserie. It is believed that this acquisition will enhance andhelp consolidate RFG’s current franchise systems.

Source: Sydney Morning HeraldDeal Size: $AUD30M

BUSINESS & FINANCIAL SERVICES

AHS SERVICES GROUP BOUGHT BYCHANDLER MCLEOD

February 2012Australasian workforce and advisory management serviceChandler Macleod Group, recently announced its takeover of100% of the shares in Australian based AHS Services GroupPty Ltd. AHS is a leading provider of accommodation servicesfor over 8 million rooms across Australia and currently itsrevenue is forecast to be over $120M in the 2012 financialyear. With over 4000 employees, the acquisition of AHS isbelieved to be a great avenue for Chandler MacLeod to

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Spares for $21.6m in a move to increase its exposure to themining and resources sector. Maxi Trans is a trailer maker andspare parts firm. Queensland Diesel Spares sells spare partsthrough nine retail stores and to the mining industry. It isbelieved this acquisition will help Maxi Trans expand itsmarket presence and build on its current success.

Source: Supply Chain ReviewDeal size: $21.6M (est)

JEYCO PTY LTD ACQUIRED BY ACTUANT

February 2012In a recent move to consolidate and improve its presence inthe Australian market, Wisconsin and Milwaukee basedActuant Corporation recently acquired mooring, rigging andtowing systems specialists, Jeyco Pty Ltd, for an undisclosedamount. Jeyco is based in Perth and as well as providingspecialized towing and rigging solutions to the oil and gasindustry, it also services a number of other markets includingcyclone mooring, marine and defence towing systems. Thebusiness will be run as part of the Cortland business withinActuant and it is believed that it will be a valuable addition toActuant’s global energy business.

Source: Business WireDeal Size: Undisclosed

expand its services into adjacent markets, particularly NewZealand and Asia.

Source: Trader DealerDeal Size: $AUD31M

AUSTBROKERS BUYS FILM INSURANCEUNDERWRITING AGENCIES

February 2012Insurance broker group Austbrokers recently announced itsmove into the Film insurance sector with the acquisition ofFilm Insurance Agencies (FUIA) for $4.5m. FUIA will bemerged with Latitude Film and TV - Austbrokers’ filmbusiness, and will continue under the management of Joe LoSurdo. This move follows an expansion in Austbrokers’ NSWpresence, with its acquisition of two other insurance servicesbusinesses in the region.

Source: Insurance NewsDeal Size: $AUD4.5M

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The information provided above is sourced from third parties. While all efforts are made to ensure the information is accurate, Johnsons Corporate Sales Strategist Pty Ltd cannot and does not make any warrantiesthat the information contained on third party websites or databases and included in The Johnsons Report is accurate and without error. Copyright © 2011 Johnsons Corporate Sales Strategist Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved