GFK与TNS宣布正式合并，新公司将名为GFK-TNS
本来一个就是第二了（GFK），现在加上TNS，牛逼大大了。尼尔森老大的位置，有悬念了。不过好像没中国这边什么事情的。问了几个朋友。好像不太紧张的。
Merger of Equals between GfK and TNS to create a major new force in market information
Nuremberg, June 3, 2008 – The Management Board of GfK and the TNS Board are pleased to announce that they have agreed on the terms of a merger of equals (the “Merger”) to create a new, major market information group, to be named GfK-TNS plc (“GfK-TNS”).


GfK and TNS believe that the Merger will deliver significant value to both GfK’s and TNS’ shareholders through enhanced business opportunities and substantial operating efficiencies.
Both GfK and TNS achieved over 5 per cent. underlying organic revenue growth in the first quarter of 2008. At the end of April 2008, the order books of both companies were significantly ahead of the previous year.
GfK and TNS, two global leaders in market information and insight, have a shared vision and strategy to provide knowledge and insight that help clients to make better business decisions...
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据GfK协会对股东的信函表示，德国市场研究机构GfK AG.的大股东GfK协会，就GfK AG和英国市场研究机构Taylor Nelson Sofres PLC（TNS）之间的合并事宜，决定推迟3周时间进行表决。

    由GfK协会常务董事Raimund Wildne签署的信函显示，表决期限由7月4日延期至7月24日，这将允许成员有更多的时间来考虑合并事宜。

    GfK协会共有571名成员，持有GfK AG 57%的股份。

    Wildner称，他仍对实现合并抱有信心。

    在6月26日，各持有GfK协会一个投票权的纽伦堡市议会和巴伐利亚州表示，因考虑到合并可能带来的失业问题，将投票反对合并事宜。

    GfK AG位于巴伐利亚州的纽伦堡市

据说此次合并以失败而告终

WPP荣任“第三者”

花落谁家还不知啊

GfK ‘Talks to Apax’ while TNS Explains WPP Rejection August 6 2008


GfK is reportedly in talks with private equity house Apax Partners about funding a cash bid for TNS, which last night outlined in a shareholder document why its Board had rejected WPP's most recent hostile bid.

GfK needs to find more than $2.15bn to trump Sir Martin Sorrell’s firm’s £1.1bn cash and shares offer for TNS, which includes an option to sell TNS’ television monitoring arm TAM to Ipsos.

GfK, which is also in talks with coffee billionaire siblings Günter and Daniela Herz, said last week that discussions to raise funds for a rival bid were ‘progressing positively’.

TNS last night told shareholders its reasons for rejecting the WPP bid, worth 267p at Tuesday’s closing price of 497p. They include TNS's position as a market leader, its investment in the Internet, strong performance in 2007, and that previous acquisitions in the sector have valued target companies substantially higher.

TNS CEO David Lowden, told the Financial Times that attempts to find more potential bidders have stalled because of a general reluctance to challenge Sorrell.

‘In general people see the strength and value of TNS but they also see in WPP somebody with a very strategic reason to buy TNS and perhaps the ability to increase their price,’ Lowden stated. ‘A lot of people don’t want to get into a bidding situation.’

Lowden added that after abandoning the proposed merger of equals with GfK, it was his firm’s responsibility to see if there was other interest in the marketplace.

天啊，什么世道啊.........................

WPP Wins Fight For Taylor Nelson Sofres

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200810081404DOWJONESDJONLINE000685_FORTUNE5.htm

October 08, 2008: 02:04 PM EST

LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Media giant WPP Group PLC's (WPPGY) long-running and often acrimonious battle to buy market research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres PLC ( TNS.LN) came to an end Wednesday with the announcement that WPP has received 81.78% of acceptances from TNS shareholders and has declared its offer unconditional.

TNS's board has fought Sir Martin Sorrell, the vocal head of WPP, tooth and nail for the last six months to avoid a takeover but capitulated Monday, recommending the bid to shareholders, after WPP secured over 60% of the company with its cash and shares bid.
TNS was concerned that lingering shareholders would end up as minority holders of an unlisted company after WPP lowered the threshold of shareholder acceptances to 75% from 90% Friday, but tempered its recommendation with yet another reiteration that it believes WPP's offer undervalues the company.

At 1408 GMT Wednesday, just after the deadline for acceptances, the offer - of 173 pence in cash and 0.1889 of a WPP share for each TNS share - was worth 251 pence a share, valuing TNS at GBP1.08 billion.
The market turmoil has knocked around GBP110 million off the value of the offer since WPP shares hit a bid high of 557p mid-September.

WPP, the world's second-largest advertising and marketing group by revenue after U.S.-based Omnicom Group Inc., will combine TNS with its own market- research and information group, Kantar, and has touted synergy savings of at least GBP52 million per year by 2011.

WPP hopes that beefing up its market research arm would go some way to offsetting the impending advertising slowdown next year, long-heralded by Sorrell, when the absence of the Beijing Olympics and the U.S. elections will expose the true extent of the economic downturn.

The European Commission last month cleared the deal on the condition that WPP sells its TV-ratings business in Europe and the TNS market-research business in Ireland.

WPP shares closed 6.7% lower on Wednesday at 392 pence while TNS shares closed 0.5% higher at 242 pence.