Wednesday, May 16, 2012 10:50:47 AM
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Pearson buys Certiport to expand testing business
05/16 10:21 AM
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* Certiport makes 60 percent of sales outside N.America
* Top customers include Microsoft (MSFT:$30.1469,$-0.0631,-0.21%) , Adobe, HP
* Presence of 12,000 testing centres in 150 countries
LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - British education and publishing group Pearson has bought Certiport, which provides testing and certification services for leading IT companies, for $140 million in cash from Spire Capital Partners, it said on Wednesday.
Pearson, which owns the world's biggest education business as well as the Financial Times and Penguin Books, said the move would expand the product range and geographical reach of its professional testing business.
U.S.-based Certiport makes more than 60 percent of its revenues outside North America and is particularly strong in Asia and the Middle East, in line with Pearson's strategy of expansion in emerging markets.
Its top customers include Microsoft (MSFT:$30.1469,$-0.0631,-0.21%) , Adobe and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ:$22.68,00$0.28,001.25%) , and it has a network of 12,000 testing centres in more than 150 countries.
Pearson administers millions of tests each year for the private and public sectors in areas ranging from construction to mathematics.
The business is a key driver of its professional education unit, which increased its sales by 15 percent to 382 million pounds ($613 million) last year, representing about 7 percent of Pearson's group sales.
($1 = 0.6235 British pounds) (Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
Pearson buys Certiport to expand testing business
05/16 10:21 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Certiport makes 60 percent of sales outside N.America
* Top customers include Microsoft (MSFT:$30.1469,$-0.0631,-0.21%) , Adobe, HP
* Presence of 12,000 testing centres in 150 countries
LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - British education and publishing group Pearson has bought Certiport, which provides testing and certification services for leading IT companies, for $140 million in cash from Spire Capital Partners, it said on Wednesday.
Pearson, which owns the world's biggest education business as well as the Financial Times and Penguin Books, said the move would expand the product range and geographical reach of its professional testing business.
U.S.-based Certiport makes more than 60 percent of its revenues outside North America and is particularly strong in Asia and the Middle East, in line with Pearson's strategy of expansion in emerging markets.
Its top customers include Microsoft (MSFT:$30.1469,$-0.0631,-0.21%) , Adobe and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ:$22.68,00$0.28,001.25%) , and it has a network of 12,000 testing centres in more than 150 countries.
Pearson administers millions of tests each year for the private and public sectors in areas ranging from construction to mathematics.
The business is a key driver of its professional education unit, which increased its sales by 15 percent to 382 million pounds ($613 million) last year, representing about 7 percent of Pearson's group sales.
($1 = 0.6235 British pounds) (Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
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