Hitting the headlines: Nikkei's knock-out bid has been saved
Case studies
Hitting the headlines: Nikkei's knock-out bid
How we helped Nikkei scoop up the FT
Walk into any company’s head office reception and more likely than not you’ll see a pink paper sitting in the waiting area ensuring that visitors are up to date with the latest business news.
The Financial Times has a proud history (founded in 1888, with its lobster pink hue arriving five years later) and is one of the world’s most recognisable news brands. So it is little wonder that, over the summer of 2015, a hotly contested auction broke out when Pearson (its previous owner) announced the sale of this famous newspaper at a time when the publishing industry was continuing to experience a seismic shift towards digital subscription and advertising models.
Nikkei, one of Deloitte Japan’s longstanding clients, emerged as one of two of the most eligible suitors for the FT. At very short notice, a combined UK and Japan Deloitte team was assembled to cover and advise on a range of business issues from financial and tax matters to pensions and technology. Locked in meetings with the FT’s management, bankers and other advisers, we prepared a condensed list of critical issues to support Nikkei in assessing whether it should pursue what would arguably be a once-in-a-lifetime acquisition opportunity.
By providing clarity and insight into the FT’s key business trends, we helped Nikkei to deliver a knock-out bid. So the next time you switch on your mobile device to look at the FT and ‘A Nikkei Company’ flashes up, you’ll know who helped make that happen.
