Klarinet Archive - Posting 000941.txt from 1997/09

From: "R Tennenbaum" <rtenn@-----.com>
Subj: B&H for sale, any takers here?
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 1997 22:20:11 -0400

According to the Blumberg Business reports digest which appears in
the New York Observer, the British-based Boosey & Hawkes (owner of
Buffet and several clarinet mfrs.) is for sale. Apparently this is
a result of Carl Fischer Inc. -- the largest B&H stockholder,
according to this report -- putting itself up for sale. Likely
bidders for B&H are said to be such entertainment/media conglomerates
as EMI, Bertelsmann A.G., Sony, and Polygram.

There seems to be nationalist opposition to the sale in Britain, in
part because Boosey and Hawkes's publishing division owns exclusive
rights to many British standards, as well as a desire to keep the
national B&H manufacturers in place. The report isn't clear but it
would seem that efforts to muster legislation against the sale have
been fruitless.

The report quotes an analyst as saying that the company will go for
$320 million, and that whoever buys it would likely split Boosey
(publications) up from Hawkes (instruments).

Rafe T.
http://www.quicklink.com/~rtenn