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Aug 01

Versailles Group Successful Divestiture

Versailles Group August 1, 2012

Versailles Group represented SuperMedia LLC (Nasdaq:SPMD) in its sale of Inceptor, a North American Search Engine Marketing company, to Didit.com. This is the second successful divestiture Versailles Group has completed for SuperMedia.

Versailles Group has over 25 years’ experience in completing successful transactions. As an expert in international mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, we would be happy to talk with you about how we could help your company with any M&A transactions you may be contemplating.

Here is a link, Yahoo Finance , to the actual Press Release or the text is listed below for your convenience.

BOSTON, Aug. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Versailles Group, Ltd. ( www.versaillesgroup.com ) announced today that the assets of Idearc Inceptor, LLC a provider of SEO, Paid Search Marketing and Social Media Marketing, and a wholly owned subsidiary of SuperMedia LLC (SPMD), have been acquired by Didit.com. Versailles Group acted as exclusive financial advisor to SuperMedia. Terms were not disclosed. The transaction closed on August 21st.

Versailles Group, a 25-year-old Boston-based investment bank that specializes in international mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, advised SuperMedia on the transaction. Versailles Group works with companies in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Asia, and South America.

"With Versailles Group's unique approach to Mergers & Acquisitions, we received responses on this transaction from over 200 prospective buyers in 25 different countries, said Donald Grava, Versailles Group's Founder and President. "We're excited that Didit emerged as the eventual buyer as it provides Inceptor with a number of synergies."

 

About Didit.com
Didit.com is a privately held industry pioneer in Search Engine Marketing and Digital Marketing founded in 1996. Didit's proprietary Maestro search and auction-based display campaign optimization technology combine with recent advances in the application of "Big Data" to SEM and display campaigns.

Didit pioneered the "Managed Technology" model of cross-medial digital campaign management for marketers and agencies, earning Didit.com both Inc. 500 and Deloitte Technology Fast 500 recognition as a rapidly growing company.

 

About Versailles Group, Ltd.
Versailles Group, Ltd. is a Boston-based investment bank that specializes in international mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. It provides its clients with a high level of personal attention, international experience, and professional execution. Since 1987, Versailles Group's skill, flexibility, and experience have enabled it to successfully close transactions, both domestically and internationally, in all economic environments. More information on Versailles Group can be found on its website, www.versaillesgroup.com.

Contact: Donald Grava, (617) 449-3325

Media Contact: Donald Grava, Versailles Group, Ltd., (617) 449-3325, dgrava@versaillesgroup.com

 

Mar 01

2012 M&A Update

Versailles Group March 1, 2012

M&A in 2012 is off to an incredible start. 2,853 transactions have been announced so far this year, compared to just 599 in Q1 of 2011. The total transaction value for all deals announced year-to-date is $333 billion, whereas it only was $95 billion in Q1 of 2011. These statistics show that companies are more confident in the future of the global economy, and are beginning to use cash they accumulated over the past few years to expand through mergers and acquisitions.

Year-over-year, the Financials, Industrials, and Consumer Discretionary industries saw the largest increases in transactions on an absolute basis, whereas the Telecommunication Services, Industrials, and Materials industries saw the biggest gains on a percentage basis. As you can see from the chart below, all industries have experienced tremendous growth in the number of transactions this year versus the first quarter of 2011.

Versailles Group Blog

Looking at the trends from a geographical standpoint, Asia / Pacific saw the largest increases with the United States / Canada and Europe regions not far behind. The Africa / Middle East and Latin American / Caribbean regions saw the biggest gains on a percentage basis. To summarize, the year-over-year changes for all geographies are quite impressive, with each region seeing incredible growth in the number of transactions compared to one year ago.

Versailles Group Blog
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We expect the number of transactions, and associated transaction values, to continue to increase throughout the rest of 2012 as an increasing number of companies look to stay ahead of their competition and industry consolidations continue.


Jan 01

Happy New Year!

Versailles Group January 1, 2012

Happy New Year!

Last year M&A activity increased in leaps and bounds in most areas around the world. From Latin America, to the Asia Pacific, to North America, new deals were announced with more regularity and at higher valuations this past year than any time since 2007.

M&A truly returned in 2011; in many regions, we saw transaction levels reaching all-time highs. As the economy continues to gain momentum, we expect heightened levels of M&A activity.

One major trend in the Emerging Markets was that transaction volumes approached similar levels as Developed Markets, and numerous international transactions confirmed this. Versailles Group contributed to this trend by assisting in the divestiture of Brazil’s Brapenta Eletronica Limitada to UK-based Loma Systems, a subsidiary of US-based Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW). This transaction was unique by its nature and structure, and is a major indicator of the way future Emerging Market deals will be done. For more information, see the press release.

In the United States, the major M&A trend was consolidation, which has been ongoing since early 2010. Mid-sized companies are being acquired by larger competitors seeking to acquire and capitalize on their efficiencies and market shares. Versailles Group witnessed this firsthand in numerous transactions, including advising its client Kenneth Crosby, on its sale to DXP Enterprises (NASDAQ: DXPE). This transaction was a perfect example of a large, public distribution company synergistically acquiring a competitor for its market share, location, and industry-leading efficiencies. For the specifics of that transaction, see the press release .

An overall 2011 trend was that large corporations executed deals faster than ever. Versailles Group was retained by SuperMedia LLC (NASDAQ: SPMD) to divest Switchboard.com. From start to finish, this transaction was completed in 60 days. This demonstrates the fact that large corporations are more flexible and able to close transactions faster than ever in an increasingly competitive M&A environment. Our expertise allowed us to quickly link our client with multiple buyers and the deal was closed rapidly and at an excellent value.