Mergers & Acquisitions

The acquisition makes Unilever the world's leading company in hair conditioning, the second largest in shampoo and the third largest in styling.

This week, IBM announced plans to acquire Netezza, a leader in data warehouse, analytic and monitoring appliances, for $1.7 billion. Are these companies well matched? And how is the acquisition going to impact the competitive data warehousing landscape? Here, bloggers and industry experts share their thoughts in this big deal.

It was oneof the paint industry's greatest success stories: In 1984, The Glidden Company was the third largest producerin America's paint and coatings industry. And then suddenlyin 1986, the brand literally fell off the map. When AkzoNobel acquired theGlidden brand in 2008, one thing was clear: It had to undergo a holisticre-invention of the Glidden brand and restore it to its former glory.

Kraft Foods has hit its sweet spot, according to Chairman and CEO Irene Rosenfeld, who earlier this week outlined the companys new strategies for its product portfolio and financial performance.

This acquisition will enhance GMCR's Canadian presence and is expected to strengthen its North American geographic expansion with a well-known Canadian brand platform.

This will be the first large scale step toward optimizing delivery systems resulting from the bottling acquisitions earlier this year.

The acquisition is expected to expands IBM's integration portfolio and cross-channel commerce software for marketing, selling and fulfillment.

The agreement further extends Retail Solutions market leadership; adds coverage in the home improvement channel.