News roundup--The Consortium, JML, Amazon

Smiths News plc has acquired Hedgelane Ltd, the parent company of The Consortium for £38 million, plus up to £2 million payable in January 2013 dependent on performance and a further £4 million payable in Smiths News shares in January 2014.The acquisition is part of Smiths News’ strategy to grow profits outside of its core magazine and newspaper markets and to become a leading specialist distributor. The Consortium, which supplies consumable products predominantly to the education, care and early years nursery markets, is expected to add an additional £64 million sales and £7 million EBITDA to Smiths News in the 2012 financial year.

TV-shopping specialist JML has partnered with ITV to launch a new retail TV format, dubbed the “chatmercial”, combining the visual language and style of a chat show format with TV home shopping all shot in front of a studio audience.  “The Store with JML” launches on ITV1 Saturday 28th April, broadcasting across ITV1’s late-night two hour retail teleshopping schedule on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. The deal enables ITV viewers to access JML’s range on terrestrial television for the first time. The presenter-led show will have interaction with a panel of experts and a studio audience. It will be split up into bite-sized chunks focusing on one product every 15 minutes. 

Amazon announced better-than-expected results in the first quarter, with sales up 34 percent. International segment sales, representing the company’s UK, German, Japanese, French, Chinese, Italian and Spanish sites, were $5.76 billion, up 31 percent from first quarter 2011.

Micros Systems, Inc is to acquire Torex Retail Holdings Ltd, a provider of technology to the retail, hospitality and convenience and fuel markets. Micros acquired ecommerce services provider Snow Valley in March 2011.