Although in recent years there have been a number of M&A transactions and mergers and acquisitions in the education and training sector in Spain, the trend is decreasing, with only one operation having been carried out in 2014.
Operations in very diverse companies within the same sector
Operations have been carried out in a wide range of sectors in the field of training, with universities playing a leading role in the following areas mergers and acquisitionsHowever, operations have also been carried out in schools, companies providing training to workers and companies involved in teaching a particular skill.
Grupo planeta buys Valencian International University
So far in 2014, there has only been one operationthe purchase of the 70% from Valencian International University by Planeta Group for an amount of €4M, with the aim of completing the Grupo Planeta Training Division's offer in the university sphere.
"Within the training sector, universities oriented towards the online world are the fastest growing niche activity, especially for professionals who want or need to increase their training to improve their professional development possibilities. It is the most flexible and generally also the cheapest option. References in this sector are the UNIR and UOC"Diego Gutierrez, an alternative financing expert at ABRA INVEST.
But this was not the only one acquisition In addition to the university sector, in previous years there have also been several operations with the same objective, to expand their business internationally by serving a wider geographic market, allowing them to compete with other companies in the sector.
Foreign investors buy in Spain
Among the operations of acquisition In the last few years, there have been a number of acquisitions involving foreign buyers, who see Spanish companies as an opportunity for the international expansion of their businesses, such as the purchase of the Barcelona-based school FD Fashion by the Canadian centre LaSalle in 2013.
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