Which company did the most Acquisitions in 2011? A top 10 list

Every other day we hear about some company or the other being bought by Google and Microsoft or even IBM.  Acquisitions are a good way to enhance the strengths, offerings and customers to a new level.

But any idea which company has been the most prolific in acquiring companies and done the maximum deals?  Here is a list from Dealogic of the top ten US public companies that acquired the most companies in 2011.  The surprise winner is Swisher Hygiene Inc. (SWSH).

As per the Yahoo Finance profile information, the company is into something as mundane as cleaning and services:

Swisher Hygiene Inc. provides hygiene and sanitation solutions in North America and internationally. Its solutions include cleaning and sanitizing products and services designed to promote cleanliness and sanitation in commercial and residential environments. The company involves in the sale of consumable products, such as soaps, paper, cleaning chemicals, detergents, and supplies, together with the rental and servicing of dish machines and other equipment for the dispensing of those products; sale and rental of facility service items requiring regular maintenance and cleaning, such as floor mats, mops, and bar towels; provision of manual cleaning services for facilities; and provision of solid waste collection services. It serves customers in a range of end-markets, including foodservice, hospitality, retail, industrial, and healthcare industries. Swisher Hygiene Inc. offers its services through 69 company owned operations and 10 franchise operations located throughout the United States and Canada; and through 10 master license agreements covering the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, the Netherlands, Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, China, and Mexico. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

It seems that the company has been busy buying its own franchises and Independent Business Owners, as per its Annual Report:

Acquisition and merger expenses include costs directly related to the acquisition of two of our franchises and twenty independent businesses during the three months ended September 30, 2011 and the acquisition of nine of our franchises and forty-five independent businesses during the nine months ended September 30, 2011. Acquisition and merger expenses also include costs directly-related to the merger with CoolBrands International, Inc. (“CoolBrands”) as discussed in Note 1 of our 2010 Annual Report.

1) Swisher Hygiene Inc.

Number of Deals Announced: 43; Total Announced Value of Deals: $220 million

2) Google

32 deals, $14 billion deal value

3) TIE: Intel

21 deals for $2 million

3) TIE: General Electric

21 deals for $6.76 billion

5) Arthur J. Gallagher

20 deals for $159 million

6) United Technologies

7) TIE: Brown & Brown Inc., and Blackstone Group

9) TIE: eBay, Xerox and Ensign Group

12) Berkshire Hathaway

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