EU: Informa to buy UBM for £4.3b creating worlds largest event operator

Informa, the events and business information group, has agreed to acquire UBM in a deal that values that exhibitions operator at £4.3billion (US$5.9 billion) including debt. Investors were divided on the merits of the deal with shares in UBM rising more than 12% while Informa’s stock price slipped more than 6%.

The proposed combination will create the world’s largest operator of business events and exhibitions with a portfolio that spans the Monaco Yacht Show to the Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair. The two companies explored a combination a decade ago but failed to agree a deal. Stephen Carter, Informa’s chief executive, told the Financial Times that the time was right for the two companies to come together.

“The business to business information market is very different today,” he said. “Ten years ago people were questioning whether this was the end of face-to-face contact. But demand for the value of face-to-face connectivity has gone up.”

Full Content: Sky News

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