Informa Suitors Emerge…
MarketResearchersBlog/Press Association – Publishing, research and conferences firm Informa has said that it is weighing up an approach from a trio of private equity suitors worth £3.4 billion including debt.
Informa’s shares rose 11% as it said talks with the consortium – Providence Equity, Carlyle and Hellman & Friedman – were at an early stage following the 506p-a-share move last week.
The firm is the world’s largest listed conference organiser and publisher of titles including the Lloyd’s List shipping register. Informa also provides research and intelligence services in a variety of B2B market sectors.
The discussions over the possible offer comes just two weeks after talks over a possible £3 billion tie-up with rival media company United Business Media.
The merger of Informa and UBM, which publishes 200 magazines including Property Week and Travel Trade Gazette, would have created a £3 billion company, propelling the business into the FTSE 100 Index. However UBM terminated the talks. Informa will publish its results for the first half of this year at the end of July. In April the firm reported a good start to the trading year, with strong renewal rates for its publishing business.
