Samsonite makes an Asian case for buying Tumi

MA is often more than simply a means of quick growth. Sometimes the only way a company can expand itself into areas are to buy the ability to do so.

Samsonite International has long been a believer in the merits of buying what you can't build. The luggage maker's $1.8 billion acquisition of US rival Tumi is the latest example of this attitude.

On March 4, Hong Kong-listed Samsonite announced it had agreed to a $1.8 billion purchase of Tumi. In many ways, the acquisition was the culmination of an exceptionally long courtship. Chief executive Ramesh Tainwala said Samsonite has had its eye on Tumi...