As a new month gets underway, it’s yet again time for us to take a look at the mergers and acquisitions within the publisher and brand space.

The change of year brought about some very notable moves by very notable brands, as we saw some major announcements in both November and December of 2017.

And since it’s very important for us to keep our followers and clients up-to-date with the most recent industry news, we’ll move ahead with our first mergers and acquisitions recap of 2018, as we take a look at the month of January.

As we’ve done in the past few months, and what we’ll continue to do moving forward, is break down our monthly updates into four sections.

The sections are as follows:

1.  Month Summary: A broad overview of the month’s total deals

2.  High Profile Deals: Brand-level deals

3.  Media Deals: Media mergers and acquisitions

4.  Announcements & Rumors: Deals that have been announced, but not made official, and potential high-profile deals

January 2018 Summary

The month of January saw 101 deals completed, for a total disclosed value of more than $37.5 billion.

The largest deal of the month was the $10 billion agreement for Cincinnati-based credit card processing company, Vantiv, to acquire London based, Wordplay, Inc., the U.K.’s largest payment processing company.

In categorical terms, the most activity came from the technology sector, with 25 deals closing for a disclosed total of $6.7 billion.

(Note: All numbers in the summary section are based on publicly available disclosures. Not all financial terms are made public, therefore actual totals are likely higher.)

High Profile Deals of the Month:

Bob Evans Farms, Inc. Acquired by Post Holdings

Consumer packed-goods giant, Post Holdings (NYSE: POST), has completed its acquisition of Bob Evans Farms for $1.5 billion.

The acquisition will significantly add to Post’s refrigerated and breakfast food offerings as well as enhance their strength in the food service industry. The deal makes Post one of North America’s largest packaged food companies.

The deal does not include the Bob Evans restaurant chain, which is separately owned by Golden Gate Capital.

(More details on Global Legal Chronicle and GlobeNewswire)

Amplify Snack Brands Acquired by Hershey

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) has bought Amplify Snack Brands (NYSE: BETR) for $1.6 billion.

The acquisition comes at a time when Hershey is looking to further diversify its portfolio beyond the popular chocolates they’re currently most known for.

Hershey’s snack offerings, combined with Amplify snacks – including SkinnyPop, Tyrell’s, and other international brands, will allow the already vast conglomerate to capture more consumer snacking occasions by creating a broader portfolio of brands.

(More details on GlobeNewswire)

AmeriPride Services, Inc. Acquired by Aramark Corporation

Leading uniform and linen rental and supply company, AmeriPride Services, has been acquired by Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) for approximately $1 billion.

The acquisition will create a leading uniform services provider, serving nearly 500,000 customers. It will also bolster Aramark’s competitive position in the U.S., and immediately establish a strong position in Canada for the food-service and facilities management brand.

(More details on AmeriPride Services and Business Wire)

MetroCast Cablevision Acquired by Atlantic Broadband, Inc.

U.S. cable company MetroCast Cable has been acquired by Atlantic Broadband, a subsidiary of Canada’s Cogeco Communications, for $1.4 billion.

The acquisition establishes Atlantic Broadband as a strategic platform in the U.S. and expands its reach on the East Coast, from Maine to Florida.

(More details on Multichannel News and Hollywood Reporter)

Wave Broadband Acquired by RCN Corporation

Wave Broadband, a regional broadband fiber company based in Kirkland, Washington, has been acquired by a nationwide broadband service provider, RCN Telecom Services, for $2.4 billion.

The combination of the two companies will expand RCN’s reach in the west coast and create the nation’s sixth largest cable operator.

(More details on BusinessWire)

PCA Skin Acquired by Colgate-Palmolive Company

Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE: CL) has completed its acquisition of PCA Skin from Norwest Venture Partners.

PCA skin is a professional, medical grade skin care brand with products and treatments available in over 13,000 medical and aesthetic practices.

This acquisition will expand Colgate’s personal skin care portfolio and allow it to enter the professional skin care business.

(More details on BusinessWire)

Media Deals

Time Inc. Acquired by Meredith Corporation

Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP) has completed its acquisition of Time Inc., for a total value of $2.8 billion.

This acquisition helps to further establish Meredith as a publishing powerhouse, with a now combined audience of approximately 200 million consumers.

The addition of the Time Inc. portfolio also adds significant scale to Meredith’s digital position, making the media group a Top 10 digital media company.

(More details on The Des Moines Register and PR Newswire)

Essence Communications Inc. Acquired by Essence Ventures LLC

Independent, African-American-owned enterprise Essence Ventures LLC has acquired multi-platform media company Essence Communications from Time Inc.

With the Essence Ventures’ investment, Essence Communications intends to focus on expanding both their digital businesses and international growth.

(More details on Variety and Business Wire)

Rumors and Announcements

[Rumor] The Weinstein Company Closing in on Sale

After suffering major fallout following co-founder Harvey Weinstein’s sexual harassment allegations, the once prominent Weinstein Company is on the verge of sellling for less than $500 million – an “underwhelming figure” for the company with 81 Academy Awards under its belt.

Six companies are in talks for the purchase, including Lionsgate, and a potential partnership between Killer Content and Abigail Disney.

(More details on BusinessInsider)

[Rumor] Boxed.com is Being Courted by Multiple Suitors

Boxed.com, dubbed the “Costco for millennials,” is getting enormous acquisition interest from multiple big retailers such as Kroger, Walmart, and Amazon.

It is rumored that Boxed.com recently turned down a $300-400 million deal from Kroger, favoring Amazon as its buyer.

(More details on SupermarketNews)

[Announced] Fujifilm to Acquire Xerox for $6.1 Billion

Fujifilm (OTC: FUJIY), a Japanese photography and imaging company, announced this week that it will acquire its partner Xerox (NYSE: XRX) for $6.1 billion.

The newly formed company will be called Fuji Xerox, with a combined revenue of $18 billion.

(More details on arsTechnica)