Economic Data
In the 1970’s, Sears was a major economic player in the tool industry. They were originally called Sears and Roebuck until the early 1970’s, but since then the Roebuck part of their name has been dropped. During the early 1970’s was when Sears began to develop more business in a retail setting, as they began expanding heavily into suburban shopping malls and doing less business through their mail-order catalog, which had been historically what had made them a well known company. The major brand that Sears holds that could have competed with Cooper/Nicholson is the Craftsman brand, which was registered by Sears in 1927 and was recently names one of America’s most trusted brands.
From 1970-73, the US economy grew by an
The acquisition of Nicholson would further add value to Cooper industries by improving returns through distribution. With Nicholson, Cooper would be able to build a comprehensive company that could share common distribution channels. Nicholson’s greatest asset and core competency was its efficient distribution system that enabled the company to effectively distribute products throughout the market. This system enabled Nicholson to become a global competitor in the industry as the company’s products were sold in the U.S, Canada, and multiple countries overseas through sales representatives. Given all of the above information, the acquisition of Nicholson should create shareholder value over and above that of the two companies individually. The acquisition would be a benefit for Cooper as the companies together are more value than the two separate companies.
Opportunities & Threats
Areas of opportunity include decreasing cost of goods sold as well as selling, administrative, and general expenses. By eliminating many of the unprofitable product lines and therefore decreasing inventory, management should be able to sufficiently decrease cost of goods sold by the four percent projected rate. Further, consolidating expenses allocated for marketing and administration, the company can cut expenses and thus increase profits. As with any industry, a shift in product focus or product line focus has potential to take away from and potentially harm other major areas of the