Thomson Corporation Seeks European Expansion through Acquisitions

Thomson Corporation, a Canadian publishing group, is planning to expand its presence in Europe through strategic acquisitions. The company aims to increase its non-North American revenue, currently at 18% of its $8 billion total revenue, to between 25% and 35% in each of its four main lines of business. This expansion would put Thomson in direct competition with European groups, including Reed Elsevier and Reuters in the financial information market.

Key Takeaways:

• Thomson Corporation aims to increase non-North American revenue to 25-35% in each of its four main lines of business.
• The company's legal division currently generates 16% of revenues outside North America and aims to raise this to 25%.
• The financial arm of Thomson, which competes with Reuters and Bloomberg, aims to increase its non-North American revenue to 35% from 20%.
• Thomson's financial arm has a market share of around 8% outside North America, behind Bloomberg and Reuters.
• The company plans to expand its presence in Germany, France, and Italy through acquisitions.
• Thomson's advantage lies in its ability to replicate its business model of delivering electronic information to professionals in every market it operates.

Statistics:

• Thomson Corporation generated $8 billion in revenue, with 18% coming from outside North America.
• The company aims to increase its non-North American revenue to 25-35% in each of its four main lines of business.
• Thomson's legal division currently generates 16% of revenues outside North America.
• The financial arm of Thomson aims to increase its non-North American revenue to 35% from 20%.
• Thomson's market value is $22 billion.
• The company's financial arm has a market share of around 8% outside North America.

Sources:

• "Thomson Corporation Seeks European Acquisition" - The Times, 2005.