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Observers agreed that some of Mattels fourth-quarter woes are related to inventory changes at retailers, who are increasingly worried about ending the holiday season with excess inventory. Barad left in February, after a rocky three-year run at Mattel. "Because of TLC we can merge that all together and be more aggressive.". Join your peers for the unveiling of the latest insights at Gartner conferences. a,^'311\4y02CRN pc`7L@ ` l endstream endobj 70 0 obj 293 endobj 37 0 obj << /Type /Page /Parent 32 0 R /Resources 38 0 R /Contents 46 0 R /MediaBox [ 0 0 612 792 ] /CropBox [ 0 0 612 792 ] /Rotate 0 >> endobj 38 0 obj << /ProcSet [ /PDF /Text /ImageC /ImageI ] /Font << /F1 41 0 R /F2 48 0 R /F3 56 0 R /F4 58 0 R /F5 63 0 R >> /XObject << /Im1 68 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS1 65 0 R >> /ColorSpace << /Cs6 40 0 R /Cs8 43 0 R >> >> endobj 39 0 obj << /Type /FontDescriptor /Ascent 694 /CapHeight 662 /Descent -215 /Flags 6 /FontBBox [ -167 -216 1009 913 ] /FontName /DIMGHD+TimesNewRomanPSMT /ItalicAngle 0 /StemV 0 /XHeight 447 /CharSet (/n/o/period/space/one/hyphen/zero/seven/two/T/h/i/s/c/a/e/b/d/r/y/J/W/g/\ t/quoteright/u/p/v/f/P/S/F/k/l/R/copyright/D/m/C/A/comma/B/six/three/fou\ r/j/x/M/eight/w/five/nine/E/O/dollar/H/L/semicolon/quotedblleft/quotedbl\ right/N/Y/G/colon/quoteleft/U/parenleft/q/parenright/I/Q/K/percent/z/ell\ ipsis/ampersand/question) /FontFile3 45 0 R >> endobj 40 0 obj [ /ICCBased 67 0 R ] endobj 41 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /FirstChar 32 /LastChar 169 /Widths [ 250 778 778 778 500 833 778 778 333 333 778 778 250 333 250 778 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 278 278 778 778 778 444 778 722 667 667 722 611 556 722 722 333 389 722 611 889 722 722 556 722 667 556 611 722 778 944 778 722 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 444 500 444 500 444 333 500 500 278 278 500 278 778 500 500 500 500 333 389 278 500 500 722 500 500 444 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 1000 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 444 444 333 333 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 778 760 ] /Encoding 44 0 R /BaseFont /DIMGHD+TimesNewRomanPSMT /FontDescriptor 39 0 R /ToUnicode 42 0 R >> endobj 42 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 321 >> stream The Learning Company was divested to a consortium of buyers in 2000. Our independence as a research firm enables our experts to provide unbiased advice you can trust. Leaders can store and control access to documents, assign and prioritize tasks, as well as communicate with team members and clients - all on the platform! Mattels portfolio of brands and products include Barbie, Polly Pocket, Little Mommy, Disney Classics, Monster High, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Radica, Battle Force 5, Tyco R/C, Fisher-Price, Power Wheels, and American Girl. As a former M&A advisor with over a decade of experience, Kison developed DealRoom after seeing first hand a number of deep-seated, industry-wide structural issues and inefficiencies. Mattel Inc. executives announced Friday that they finally found a way to unload one of the worst purchases in American corporate history. Sign up for the California Politics newsletter to get exclusive analysis from our reporters. O'Leary told ZDNN that TLC had already processed 15 million transactions over its Web site this year, a figure he expects will double next year. The Daimler-Benz and Chrysler is regularly used by MBA courses as the textbook example of how culture clashes will inevitably lead to the failure of a deal. Sign up for the California Politics newsletter to get exclusive analysis from our reporters. Finally, in May of 1999 Mattel added the Learning Company paying $3.5 billion or 4.5 times annual sales. Mattel bought the company just as children were trading in their CD-ROMs--Learning Co.s main delivery method--for games and programs downloaded from the Internet. mattel and the learning company merger failure. Yet, despite the seemingly crazy developments of 1998, few would have guessed that one of the largest producers and acquirers of consumer software would be in turn acquired by a toy mogul. Baskin-Robbins adds a hint of waffle, and voila, Federal Reserve officials sound warnings about higher rates. Like PC makers found out, margins are squeezed as just-in-time inventory becomes the norm. was fixed at 1.20 at or below 27 1/2 and For further information, see Guiding Principles on Independence and Objectivity. Speak with a Gartner specialist to learn how you can access peer and practitioner research backed by proprietary data, insights, advice and tools to help you achieve stronger performance. Mattel has acquired 11 companies. 0000002394 00000 n To those familiar with lists like these, the presence of AOL and Time Warner at the top of this list will come as little surprise. that plagued PC makers last year and the first half of this year. Just think of where some of these companies could have better invested that money. Michael Perik, CEO of The Learning Company, downplayed concerns. It produced a grade-based system similar to Knowledge Adventure's JumpStart series. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Deals from Hell : M&a Lessons That Rise above the Ashes by Robert F. Bruner. Learn how DealRoom can help improve your collaboration, minimize diligence, and skyrocket positive deal outcomes, whether youre in the midst of M&A, fundraising, or other types of dealmaking process. 2022Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. The El Segundo company expects yearly earnings to fall to about $1.20 per share. 0000002542 00000 n We built Mergr to save people the arduous and time-consuming process of tracking when companies are bought, sold, and who currently owns them. The 20-day period will end 0000007738 00000 n Free shipping for many products! Also on December 14, 1998, Mattel and The Learning Company, Inc. ("TLC"), the world's second largest consumer software company, announced that they have signed a definitive agreement for the merger of their two companies (the "Merger"). concerned about Mattel shares holding value. The transaction as described makes for an excellent fit, said David Leibowitz, a toy industry analyst with Burnham Securities in New York. ET All rights reserved. mattel and the learning company merger failuredoes hulu charge tax in california. 0000002765 00000 n The terms of the Merger are set forth in an Agreement and Plan of In mid-December 1998, Mattel and The Learning Company announced a definitive agreement to merge the two companies. C6. Gartner Terms of Use Mattel said today that it is looking to sell its interactive software unit, The Learning Company, which the toy maker had characterized as a distraction and blamed for disappointing 1999 earnings, less than a year after buying it. Before we dive into each case, I should mention here our other blogpost about successful acquisition examples here. Mattel also said Monday that fourth quarter earnings will take a hit Manage all your deals & contacts in one place, Speed up and simplify due diligence process. The year 1998 was a tumultuous year of market consolidation in the consumer software arena. pink mold on camembert Mattel had agreed to pay the equivalent of $3.8 billion in its own stock for Learning Co.--about $33 per share of Learning Co. stock. at 30 1/8. /4xbs~OBNG`s2(NiVVjrI)H This is a BETA experience. She described the dramatic cutoff in orders as an industrywide situation that wasnt restricted to Mattel. They can be developed so they point users back to a commerce site," he said. (310) 252-2000 The Learning Company was sold to a publicly-traded strategic buyer in 2001 for 60M USD. 333 Continental Boulevard, points out the computer company Compaq is itself "a failed merger between Compaq and Digital Equipment. In September 2000, MaRel announced the sale of the Learning Company unit, for almost no cash and the right to a share of the unit's future . Pending approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the merger should be finalized this March. 0000004973 00000 n Even though every economic indicator in the United States was already pointing downward, the deal in theory stood to combine the countrys biggest retail bank with its biggest mortgage provider. HTn0EYTEj{HY;cT]3Apw64^A8w`{3/6 |N3{t8 Get weekly updates about M&A Science upcoming webinars, podcasts and events! In the third quarter of 1999, Mattel expected The Learning Company to post $50 million in profits but in reality it posted losses of $105 million. Economies of scale are one of the reasons that are cited for many transactions in M&A, but economies of scale are not an end in themselves. 0000010340 00000 n The key from our standpoint is to stop the cash drain--to sell all of it in one transaction and get this behind us, Eckert said in his comments to the investment community. Time is Running Out, Motorola's handy Bluetooth device adds satellite messaging, Linux 6.2: The first mainstream Linux kernel for Apple M1 chips arrives, Sony's new headphones adopt WH-1000XM5 technology at a great price, The perfectly pointless $197 gadget that some people will love. Mattel and toy retailers are going through an inventory correction, similar to the one The same awaited Motorola. IhQkBj2=N`TxlaD$(G;X-G3I`8E-v|!SZi3;:)Hci^8THPq$[q!R,n RUg-4)J y&D>QhtSWG73}E+:G#qKUooR1)GULlgc Learning Co. began to sink almost as soon as Mattel took over the computer software maker, which owns titles such as Myst and PrintShop. Barad had said the purchase, which she projected would bring in $50 million in 1999, was crucial to keeping digital-age children connected to the brand that made its name with such low-tech toys as Barbie, Matchbox and Fisher-Price. Decision making at Daimler-Benz was methodical, at Chrysler it was creative and unstructured; salaries at Daimler-Benz were conservative, much less so at Chrysler; finally, there was the flat hierarchy that existed at Chrysler compared to the top-down structure at Daimler-Benz. Opinion: How has American healthcare gone so wrong? It produced a grade-based system similar to Knowledge Adventure's JumpStart series. How could anybody not get behind a deal that was billed as Barbie meets Carmen Sandiego? This is Mattels largest (disclosed) transaction. This final pricey deal ultimately led to the ouster of one of the 1990's . OReilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from OReilly and nearly 200 top publishers. And so they did. HV0CRp+S0^0j[y&G#^$!oO?_^o4^b#${TU{Nq 'awJ$E]F+}q@t"$-BJ AX++cFd@Z"tP:P6B.cd#N%tjL 6 #*%V=JWe{jOph-| Vv!D9NmQ>r4*vz_JM0 Fl(lh<0yVTUHM~Q} l;k2UsY/0h[N2PkMJw[M={),ESu-Gc>Bz(FfIPX4}q0gALACcCdCZN N':U+ r,8 r6(UFiea[A#}56u1h3rU`\Lha@FKvTR/mus2f^ ~hli:Mo66polcw0 o endstream endobj 93 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /TrueType /Name /F2 /BaseFont /TimesNewRoman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 94 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /TrueType /Name /F3 /BaseFont /TimesNewRoman,Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 95 0 obj 752 endobj 96 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 95 0 R >> stream During an early-morning call with investors and financial analysts, Mattel Chief Executive Robert Eckert said small Los Angeles-based investment firm Gores Technology Group will take software maker Learning Co. off Mattels books in a zero-cash-upfront deal. Mattel also plans to start catalog and online sales of its lines in 1999, Barad said. California Consumer Products with Acquisitions, California Consumer Products with Divestitures, Recently Acquired Consumer Products Companies, Recently Sold Consumer Products Companies, Recently Acquired United States Companies, M&A research that takes seconds (not all afternoon), Better understand your customers and prospects. But this second part of the equation - making high-quality handsets - has been the undoing of dozens of companies in the telephony industry. 0000005222 00000 n 0000002440 00000 n The company grew rapidly in the 1990's through acquisitions, but it was often a favorite of short- Try For Free Shares of The Learning Company (NYSE: TLC) fell 1 15/16 to 26 3/8 and Mattel (NYSE: MAT) plunged 20 percent to 23 11/16. One of the few women leading a Fortune 500 company, she assumed near-iconic status as a role model for other women. Shares of Mattel ( MAT 0.05%) have plunged nearly 40% over the past year, hurt most recently by the company's failed merger talks with privately held industry peer MGA Entertainment, owner. This is Mattels 3rd transaction in the United States. Every day, new opportunities emerge around M&A and we help professionals of all types comb through transactions, investors, and corporate acquirers via an easy-to-use web database that is accessible to anyone. %PDF-1.3 % Software sales leaders in the last year, measuring retail sales of all computer software from November 1997 through October 1998: Market Share Rank Company Retail sales (% of dollar volume) 1 Microsoft $1.2 billion 22.9% 2 Learning Co. 592.8 million 11.7 3 Cendant Software 419.5 million 8.3 4 Intuit 296.3 million 5.8 5 Symantec 216.2 million 4.3 6 Electronic Arts 158.3 million 3.1 7 Adobe Systems 155.4 million 3.1 8 Network Associates 132.2 million 2.6 9 GT Interactive 120.6 million 2.4 10 Hasbro Interactive 102.7 million 2.0. The merger announcement, made before New York Stock Exchange trading began Monday, wasnt enough to keep Mattels stock from plunging $8.13 to close at $22 after Mattel said that post-Thanksgiving toy orders from major retail chains had stalled. Mattel has been transitioning itself from O'Leary wouldn't say how long it would take for such a toy to appear. The lack of orders from retailers hit almost all of Mattels well-known lines, including Barbie, the venerable doll whose sales had been growing at a 10% rate over 1997. 0000002970 00000 n The Learning Company's $850 million in estimated 1998 sales in the fold. Not only is Gartner research unbiased, it also contains key take-aways and recommendations for impactful next steps. Mattel's failing interactive unit also drained the company of its chief financial officer, Harry Pearce. Mattel designs, manufactures, and markets a broad variety of toy products. 0000009489 00000 n If the property doesnt sell within five years, during which time Mattels share of a sale reportedly drops, Gores will give Mattel a percentage of the companys value at that time. 2 toy manufacturer. Bluebird Toys plc is a toy company that produces Polly Pocket and Etch-A-Sketch. 0000006914 00000 n On this list alone, the best part of US$200 billion was blown on acquisitions which failed. But Barad said the deal remains on track. A narrative. Contact us today with any question you have. The Learning Company deal is latest example of Mattel's efforts to build its business beyond traditional Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars as children look for more high-tech products during . 0 X" endstream endobj 111 0 obj 211 endobj 74 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [ 0 0 611 792 ] /Parent 66 0 R /Resources << /Font << /F0 87 0 R /F1 90 0 R /F2 93 0 R /F3 94 0 R >> /XObject << /Im1 109 0 R >> /ProcSet 107 0 R >> /Contents [ 89 0 R 92 0 R 96 0 R 98 0 R 100 0 R 102 0 R 104 0 R 106 0 R ] /CropBox [ 28.8 14.39999 596.60001 763.2 ] /Rotate 0 /Thumb 57 0 R >> endobj 75 0 obj << /Count 6 /Type /Outlines /First 76 0 R /Last 77 0 R >> endobj 76 0 obj << /Title (MAIN MENU) /Parent 75 0 R /A 86 0 R /Next 84 0 R >> endobj 77 0 obj << /Title (Print) /Parent 75 0 R /Prev 78 0 R /A 79 0 R >> endobj 78 0 obj << /Title (Search Results) /Parent 75 0 R /Prev 80 0 R /Next 77 0 R /A 81 0 R >> endobj 79 0 obj << /S /Named /N /Print >> endobj 80 0 obj << /Title (Search CD-ROM) /Parent 75 0 R /Prev 82 0 R /Next 78 0 R /A 83 0 R >> endobj 81 0 obj << /S /Named /N /AcroSrch:Results >> endobj 82 0 obj << /Title (---------------------------------) /Parent 75 0 R /Prev 84 0 R /Next 80 0 R >> endobj 83 0 obj << /S /Named /N /AcroSrch:Query >> endobj 84 0 obj << /Title (PREVIOUS MENU) /Parent 75 0 R /Prev 76 0 R /Next 82 0 R /A 85 0 R >> endobj 85 0 obj << /S /Named /N /Close >> endobj 86 0 obj << /S /Launch /F (../../begin.pdf) >> endobj 87 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /TrueType /Name /F0 /BaseFont /TimesNewRoman,Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 88 0 obj 856 endobj 89 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 88 0 R >> stream Still, the parameters of the deal indicate The Learning Company could be a little Do you need one? trailer << /Size 112 /Info 67 0 R /Root 72 0 R /Prev 202859 /ID[] >> startxref 0 %%EOF 72 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Pages 66 0 R /FICL:Enfocus 68 0 R /Outlines 75 0 R /PageMode /UseOutlines /OpenAction 73 0 R >> endobj 73 0 obj << /S /GoTo /D [ 74 0 R /FitH -32768 ] >> endobj 110 0 obj << /S 69 /T 189 /O 235 /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 111 0 R >> stream But Barad said the deal remains on track. It consists of the opinions of Gartners research organization, which should not be construed as statements of fact. Another such example is provided by eBays acquisition of Skype. 0000006935 00000 n While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, Gartner disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. As earnings from lines such as Barbie and Hot Wheels took a dramatic fourth-quarter tumble, toy manufacturer Mattel Inc. on Monday announced a $3.8-billion merger with Learning Co., the nations second-largest software company and owner of popular titles including Carmen Sandiego, Riven and Myst.. Sales were strong into the Thanksgiving weekend, Barad said, but everything came to a screeching halt as inventory-conscious retailers stopped placing orders. Join Mergr and gain access to Mattels M&A summary, the M&A summaries of companies just like it, as well as recent M&A activity in the consumer products sector. as Reader Rabbit, Carmen Sandiego, Riven and Myst. Mattel and The. Although Gartner research may address legal and financial issues, Gartner does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. "And it helped create an exodus in the executive suite.". Despite the stock price plunge, industry observers generally applauded the merger deal, which would give the worlds largest toy maker an immediate presence in the fast-growing world of high-tech games and software. Mattel CEO Jill Barad said the company expects to have direct Internet sales for all of its Empat tipe dasar merger adalah horizontal, vertikal, kongenerik, dan konglomerat. Motif merger spesifik lainnya termasuk pertumbuhan atau diversifikasi, sinergi, penggalangan dana, peningkatan keterampilan atau teknologi manajerial, pertimbangan pajak, peningkatan likuiditas kepemilikan, dan pertahanan terhadap pengambilalihan. Monday through Friday. We wanted as good a deal as we could get, considering the market value of this property.. The Learning Company (TLC) is an American educational software company, founded in 1980. 0000001369 00000 n Looking over the longer term, I think we will be much better positioned on share price.. Sensing a move away from traditional toys towards video game consoles, Mattel felt that the Learning Company would give it a software platform to build on. A total of 2 acquisitions came from private equity firms.It has also divested 2 assets.. Mattel's largest acquisition to date was in 1998, when it acquired The Learning Company for $3.8B. 2023, OReilly Media, Inc. All trademarks and registered trademarks appearing on oreilly.com are the property of their respective owners. at about $1.20 a share, 33 percent below earlier guidance. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. This does have a ring to it. Gartner research, which includes in-depth proprietary studies, peer and industry best practices, trend analysis and quantitative modeling, enables us to offer innovative approaches that can help you drive stronger, more sustainable business performance. Just a year later, the . Hb```f````e``Re`@ jn10ptWlsdVvV"ew4rN -Je>sSWrzdW,L,jHKKHC (7r xG3Uy' i 311hf`6s`j&w FS ~Cy% Eckert also briefly sketched a cost-cutting plan for Mattel that includes a 10% reduction in the work force, about 350 positions, along with a program to pare manufacturing and other administrative costs. Mattel Inc. executives announced Friday that they finally found a way to unload one of the worst purchases in American corporate history. Mattel has acquired 11 companies. Mattel said sexting without relationship / junio 14, 2022 . 2023 ZDNET, A Red Ventures company. Barad left in February, after a rocky three-year run at Mattel. Google thought so poorly of its new handsets that it contracted others, including Samsung and LG, to develop its Nexus handsets. Theres more than one way to destroy value, as the list which follows will testify. O'Leary said that children's toys will be much more interactive as technology becomes more advanced and PCs become cheaper. Just two years later, Mattel sold the Learning Company for about a tenth of what it bought it for, with no strategy, no products and no synergies to show for the acquisition. Get insights from M&A Experts. Havas, which was said at one time to have offered the Mattel board around $400 million for Learning Co., would probably face several antitrust hurdles both here and in Europe in order to absorb its biggest competitor. %PDF-1.3 % Lessons from Merger and Acquisition Analysis; The Dark Side of Leadership: Troubling Times at the Top / 1; Panic, Prosperity, and Progress Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons Is the . Without an understanding of the landscape, the danger existed that the participants would overpay. 90245 "One of the assets we have is that as a combined entity we will ship over 50 million CDs worldwide. eBay soon saw there was no real need for the acquisition and ended up selling two thirds of Skype for US$1.9 billion just four years later. "We're looking at selling our products to consumers over the Internet in the near future," he said. 0000004052 00000 n By clicking the "" button, you are agreeing to the He added that the restructuring is expected to generate about $200 million in pretax savings. The year 1998 was a tumultuous year of market consolidation in the consumer software arena. Those efforts will result in an additional $250 million in restructuring charges over the next 2 1/2 years, Eckert said. 1.0 at or above 33. 0000008613 00000 n That scenario seems unlikely, given that Mattel has tried since April to sell the division. Each company brings lots to the table, which is what you want in a marriage of this sort, so this one looks to be a win-win.. The issue is that what constituted mortgage in the first decade of the 21st century in the United States was yet to become apparent. The Learning Company, and Mattel amicipated transforming itself from a traditional toy company to a global provider of products for children. Theyre much more careful when it comes to just placing one huge order and then discounting it at the end of the Christmas season if it doesnt sell, said Barton Weitz, a marketing professor at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Barad said the two companies had been talking about a merger for awhile. Mattel and TLC intend to exploit the combined company's reach, O'Leary said in an earlier conference call. Failed Mergers and Acquisitions Examples America Online and Time Warner (2001): US$65 billion Daimler-Benz and Chrysler (1998): US$36 billion The Learning Company was an early star in the interactive gaming world, creating the popular children's program "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" 0000007716 00000 n 0000002047 00000 n 0000003097 00000 n Gores said Friday that it wasnt until after the deal was signed that he realized where his competition was coming from. The 33 price is about a 16 percent premium over Details Redefining Hybrid Office Space To Boost Employee Productivity, Todays Heardle Answer And Clues For Sunday, March 5, The Early Returns Of Kevin Durant In The Phoenix Suns Offense. Its research is produced independently by its research organization without input or influence from any third party. Mattel has acquired in 5 different US states, and 4 countries. We offer one-on-one guidance tailored to your mission-critical priorities. Organize, manage and create an accelerated M&A process. It was telling that he also thought of a completely interactive childrens plush toy but wouldnt commit to how long it would take to arrive on the market. Mattel closed It filed for bankruptcy in 2018 after 125 years in existence. The company also purchased the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium. five days prior to the closing date. Whats more, what looked like strong sales at Learning Co. turned out instead to be a product glut, much of which was eventually returned to the company after it failed to spark interest among consumers. 0000005095 00000 n Hb``c``d`e`hb`@ f6 {wy00lm 2R% cf@Z"?`4!QaehR`y"Pe ~%@X1023:0`` j9` w%3[3fq@XYD;C$ Avoiding M&A failures means paying more attention to details like these and less to the grand narrative behind the deal. That was one of the premises behind Mattel acquiring the Learning Company in 1998. a toymaker into more interactive items. You can overpay for a company which may even be a good fit (AOL/Time Warner), misunderstand the dynamics of a market (Google and Nokia) or simply not perform enough due diligence (Bank of America and Countrywide). Mattel and The Learning Company Mattel, a leading toy-making company acquired 'The Learning Company', an educational software company, in 1999 for almost USD 3.6 billion. Profits a problem Mattel and The Learning Company had no comment. Gartner prides itself on its reputation for independence and objectivity. A year after the deal, the company reported a write-down of US$99 billion - the largest annual net loss ever reported. The unexpected drop in revenue, driven by retailers cutting back on new orders to avoid excess inventory, means Mattel wont hit analysts yearly earnings estimates of about $1.85 per share. Some toy industry observers questioned whether the stock price plunge might force Mattel to change terms of the planned deal. The acquisition caused problems almost immediately for the El Segundo, Calif.-based Mattel, as dealers returned unsold units and questions surfaced about the new unit's accounting practices. HVMs0 uZO\VlZ]I}i.Oo4 0000006094 00000 n Get Mark Richardss Software Architecture Patterns ebook to better understand how to design componentsand how they should interact. and It seems bizarre now, but when Bank of America acquired Countrywide at the beginning of 2008 for a price of just US$2 billion, many thought it was a shrewd investment.