Roland Berger rebuffs Deloitte

Merger talks collapsed Sunday between Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and Deloitte Consulting LLP, just several days after it seemed likely the pair would join forces.

Following what the firm said was a near unanimous internal vote on the proposed merger, Roland Berger signaled that it preferred reinvigoration to combination as its path to success. The Financial Times that partners chose to invest their own private wealth in the German consultancy—with founder and namesake Roland Berger offering €50 million of his own—in order to remain independent and strengthen the firm's foundations as such.

Meanwhile, Deloitte is left to lick its wounds after what will surely be viewed as a major setback to the global giant's bid to become the world's foremost strategy consultancy. Despite the snag, the firm should shake off this rejection easily on the back of its financial strength; Deloitte reported consulting revenues of roughly $7.5 billion last year, compared to Roland Berger's €616 million.

- Sam Reynolds