Pearson has acquired Credly, a digital workforce certification company valued at approximately $200 million. Pearson already had a 20 percent stake in the company, and used available cash and liquidity to purchase the remainder, paying $140 million and a deferred consideration. Credly will be part of Pearson’s Workforce Skills division, following their 2021 acquisition of workforce AI platform Faethm. “The Credly acquisition is another important step in accelerating our strategy in the workforce skills market and in building connectivity across the entire Pearson portfolio…. Credly complements our other recent acquisition – Faethm – to address the full learner journey, enabling […]
Finance
RR Donnelly Is Still In Play
The slow but persistent battle over who will buy RR Donnelly continues. The unidentified strategic buyer has increased its bid to $11.50 a share after completing its due diligence — but they still need until February 8 to finalize their financing. In the meantime, Donnelly is moving forward with their latest formal agreement, in which Chatham Asset Management is paying $10.85 a share, aiming for a shareholder vote on February 23. The “strategic buyer” has promised it will pay back to the company the $12 million expense payment due to Chatham if the current agreement is terminated, along with the […]
Follett Book Fairs Sold to Literati
After saying they would exit their unprofitable school book fair business as of last November, Follett School Solutions has now announced the sale of that business to book subscription business Literati. According to the release, “Literati will inherit the Follett Book Fair infrastructure, including book inventory, distribution centers, and key members of the executive, sales and operations team.” They will begin booking school book fairs for spring 2022 in parts of the Midwest, Texas, and Southern California. Schools in the Southeast can book now for the 2022-2023 school year.
Acquisitions: Paperblanks to Hachette UK
Hachette UK has acquired notebook publisher Paperblanks. The terms of the deal were not announced. Paperblanks, which is headquartered in Dublin and has co-branding partnerships with the Getty Museum and New York Public Library, will operate as a standalone business under Hachette UK, reporting to deputy group ceo Richard Kitson. Paperblanks founder and ceo Victor Marks will step down, and regional ceo and group cfo Graham Conway will become ceo. Hachette UK ceo David Shelley said: “I believe that there are fantastic opportunities for us as a book publisher in acquiring and developing adjunct businesses. Since we acquired Laurence King […]
CAA-ICM Merger Postponed Amid Justice Inquiry
CAA’s acquisition of ICM, originally planned to be completed by the end of 2021, has been delayed as the Department of Justice’s antitrust division questions the deal’s “impact on the entertainment industry,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. They cite “multiple sources familiar with the matter.” The parties now hope to close the merger in Q2 2022.
Quarto’s Controlling Owner Adds Shares
CK Lau remains a buyer of shares in Quarto: His company 1010 Printing Limited has acquired another 1.343 million shares in the publisher recently, now owning 44.52 percent of the company. (Lau owns additional shares personally, about a 4 percent stake last we saw a disclosure.)