Acquisition Studies

When your company is considering making an acquisition, it is essential that you are armed with as much knowledge as possible.  Usually, acquisition targets are new to the potential purchaser, making the level of uncertainty even greater.

Some of the key questions acquisition research typically answers are:

• What do suppliers, distributors and other market players think about, and know about, the acquisition target?
• How big is the market in which the acquisition target operates, and how will this market develop?
• What is the market share of the acquisition target?
• What do customers think of the acquisition target?
• What are the acquisition target’s routes to market?
• What does the future hold for the acquisition target?
• What are the risks that need to be considered?

Acquisition studies form an integral part of the due diligence process. Most of the information is gathered through the following means:

• Interviews with the acquisition targets themselves – to gauge their strategy, intentions, performance, and characteristics
• Interviews with competitors of the acquisition target – to assess their views of the acquisition target’s strengths and weaknesses as well as the strategy, intentions, performance and characteristics of the competitors themselves
• Interviews with customers of the acquisition target – these are arguably the most important conversations of all, as they allow us to gauge the reputation, performance and brand values of the acquisition target, as well as pick up ‘industry gossip’ regarding issues such as the target’s financial status
• Published information such as annual reports and industry reports
• Interviews with suppliers and distributors to the acquisition target - these interviews can provide some interesting perspectives in terms of the performance and attributes of the acquisition target

B2B International carries out acquisition studies within North America, and across Europe, Asia, and beyond.  Whatever your target and wherever it may be, B2B International will obtain the information to make a real difference to your business.