M&A activities brokered by Bertoli Mitchell

We've just been contacted by Bertoli Mitchell drawing our attention to the following transactions that took place in the first half of 2010 (some of which you may have missed):

Willan Publishing sold to Taylor & Francis
Willan Publishing was founded by its Managing Director Brian Willan in 1999 with a clear focus to publish high quality books on Criminology, Criminal Justice, Policing, Forensic Psychology and related disciplines for the whole spectrum of student, academic and practitioner markets. It is now arguably the leading UK publisher in its field.

In addition to successful textbooks such as Professor Tim Newburn’s Criminology and Roger Hopkins Burke’s Introduction to Criminological Theory (3/e, 2009), Willan has developed a group of best-selling multi-author Handbooks in various disciplines, and also a number of respected series, such as the Cambridge Criminal Justice series, published in association with Cambridge University’s Institute of Criminology.

Willan Publishing was an Independent Publishing Awards winner in 2008 and 2009. It is the third such IPA winner to have been represented in sale by Bertoli Mitchell in the last three years.

Bertoli Mitchell structured and led the transaction, acting on behalf of the Willan shareholders.

Hodder Education acquire Royal Society of Medicine Press books programme and examdoctor.co.uk website
Hodder Education, part of the Hachette UK group, reached an agreement with the Royal Society of Medicine Press to acquire both their commercial books programme and the medical exam preparation website examdoctor.co.uk. The programme comprises approximately 200 backlist titles and a new publishing programme of 20 titles a year. Hodder Education, through its Health Sciences imprint Hodder Arnold, will continue to publish and develop RSM Books using the RSM logo under licence from The Royal Society of Medicine. Bertoli Mitchell brokered the transaction, acting on behalf of The Royal Society of Medicine.

CIMA merges its Mastercourses Division into BPP Professional Education
The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) outsourced its Mastercourses Division via a merger with BPP Professional Education’s Finance and Tax Courses Division. CIMA Mastercourses is a training business focused on the UK financial professional CPD market. Bertoli Mitchell was retained by CIMA to review the terms of the transaction, both the proposed financial terms and the operating partnership workings.

London School of Economics’ classic social sciences database acquired by ProQuest
ProQuest, an information technology firm supporting global research, acquired the London School of Economics’ classic International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS). Established in 1951, IBSS is the foremost Abstracting and Indexing database for social science and interdisciplinary research, currently holding more than 2.5 million bibliographic references. IBSS also expands by more than 120,000 new additions each year. Bertoli Mitchell, acting as exclusive strategic and financial adviser to the London School of Economics, led the negotiations and managed the transaction process to completion.

Premier History journal acquired by Taylor & Francis
Taylor & Francis acquired The International History Review, the only English-language quarterly devoted entirely to the history of international relations and the history of international thought. Since 1979 the Review has established itself as one of the premier History journals in the world, read and regularly cited by both political scientists and historians. Bertoli Mitchell, acting as exclusive financial adviser to the founding owners, led the negotiations and managed the transaction process to completion.