Companies are pursuing growth through acquisition spurred on by the lagging ad markets. The number of buys in the magazine/trade show field doubled in the second quarter of 2004 versus the same period last year, but the total value of the deals was only about 40% of the prior year, reports Who’s Buying Whom, the annual reference journal that tracks M&A activity, published by Whitestone Communications, Inc.
Whitestone is seeing more buyers than sellers these days, as sellers wait to attract better prices. The total number of deals in the second quarter of 2004 was 15 versus seven last year, while the dollar value was at $91 million, compared with last year’s $227 million. Trade mags and shows accounted for seven deals valued at $49 million, while consumer magazines accounted for eight deals valued at $32 million.
Copyright April 2004
