Acquisitions are a frequent occurrence in the business world and a common topic of our blog. As common as they are, they are certainly not without complexity. These types of transactions take time, due diligence and a lot of careful drafting. Just like a story, there are two sides to every acquisition: those who are selling and those who are buying.

Caribou Coffee has been an established company in the United States since it was founded in 1992, but a recent announcement says it is taking that ownership overseas. In this instance, it is the American company that is being acquired by a German holding company for approximately $340 million calculated through a Caribou stock determination of $16 per share.

Although the announcement was made this past week, there are a number of details that will still need sorting out. What has been determined is that even though Caribou has been acquired by Joh. A Beckiser Group, it will continue to be operated as an independent company. The company’s headquarters will remain on U.S. shores where its own management team will determine an independent growth strategy for the over 610 current coffeehouses located in a total of 22 states.

This is not the first large expansion project that the acquiring company has entered into in the past few months. Joh. A Beckiser Group recently acquired another coffee company, Peet’s Coffee. The current president and CEO of Caribou, Michael Tattersfield has publicly announced that he and the other high-level management team supports the decision, calling their future one that will “be filled with tremendous opportunities to grow this great brand.”

Source: MPR News, “Caribou Coffee sold; plans to keep Minneapolis HQ,” Elizabeth Dunbar, Dec. 17, 2012