Deals

Press release: Diversified Communications announced today its first U.S. acquisition of 2018. Diversified has purchased The Running Event and its complementary digital magazine, Running Insight from Formula 4 Media, LLC. The Running Event is an exhibition and conference that serves the growing running and fitness market in the U.S. The sale also includes the launch of the 50 Best Running Stores in America, an awards celebration recognizing outstanding retailers in the industry which will be held June 21-23 in Minneapolis, MN alongside the Fleet Feet Annual Franchise Conference.

Press release:  HORSHAM, Pa., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ —  Reed Tech, a LexisNexis® Legal & Professional company, today announced the acquisition of PatentSight GmbH, a provider of analytics solutions that help patent professionals gain valuable insight into the strength, quality and relative value of patents and patent portfolios. PatentSight will become a part of the LexisNexis IP division of Reed Tech.

Remote meetings firm LoopUp has today announced the acquisition of conferencing services provider MeetingZone from GMT Communications Partners.The deal, which is worth around £61.4m, constitutes a reverse takeover, and so is still subject to share holder approval. Money for the acquisition was raised through a £17m loan on top of £50m in cash through 12.5m shares at 400p each

Press release: ITE Group plc today announces that it has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire Ascential Events Limited from Ascential plc, based on an enterprise value of £300 million (calculated on a cash-free debt-free basis and subject to normalised working capital).

Karger Publishers acquired the information service Health Press Ltd, Abingdon/UK in a move to strengthen its clinical decision support business. This acquisition complements Karger’s German-based activities in translating knowledge from scientific research to clinical practice. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed

According to The Sunday Times: A public sector events planner is in line for a £50m bonanza from the potential sale of her business. Joanne Walsh is eyeing a life-changing windfall after putting the Manchester-based GovNet Communications, founded more than two decades ago, on the block. The company generated pre-tax profits of £3.5m on sales of £16.3m in 2016. Bankers said it could fetch £50m — 10 times its current £5m operating profit.

Press release: Informa Exhibitions, organisers of Middle East Electricity, have recently entered into a partnership with Egytec to co-organise Electricx and associated events in Cairo, Egypt towards the end of this year.

Electricx, Egypt’s leading energy and power exhibition, covers key sectors of the energy industry including power (generation, transmission and distribution), lighting, solar, renewable energy, fire, safety and security solutions, automation and smart solutions / metering.

Press Release: Axel Springer has closed today the sale of its stake in aufeminin group to Télévision Française 1 S.A. (TF1). The aggregated purchase price of Axel Springer’s around 78 percent stake amounts to EUR 291.5 million. This corresponds to a multiple of around 15 based on consolidated EBITDA 2017 attributable to Axel Springer shareholders. The purchase price includes also the contractual agreed interest payments made by TF1 to Axel Springer.

Hearst Magazines has acquired a minority stake in Gear Patrol, an enthusiast men’s brand focused on products and stories about the outdoors, fitness, style, tech, cars and travel. Gear Patrol, which launched in 2007, reaches over 2 million readers monthly. The brand has a website, biannual print publication, advertising, branded content and events.

Future Publishing has ditched plans to buy Stuff magazine from Haymarket Media Group after initial discussions with the UK’s competition watchdog.

WPP bosses have signalled a willingness to sell off underperforming parts of the global marketing empire but have ruled out a complete breakup following the departure of founder Sir Martin Sorrell, as shares surged almost 9% after a better-than-expected first quarter

Quartz Sequoia Events, organiser of Elevate, has announced the acquisition of Elite Sports and COPA from Prysm Group, extending its existing trade event portfolio within the sport, fitness and health sector. In May 2018 Elite Sports and COPA took place slightly earlier in the year, co-locating with Elevate in preparation for the acquisition. The shows reported an increase in visitors and a combined total of more than 8,000.

Elle, the magazine that has helped to shape the tastes and lifestyles of generations of French women, is to be sold to a Czech media group. Lagardère, the publishing and retail conglomerate, said that it had entered into exclusive talks with Czech Media Invest to sell its magazines, which include the French version of Elle. Among the other magazines included in the deal are Femina, also aimed at women, Télé 7 Jours, a television listings guide, and Art & Décoration, which specialises in home improvement.

IHS Markit has acquired a software and analytics provider for over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives valuation to build out its existing derivatives data business. DeriveXperts specialises in daily and monthly calculations of assets traditionally seen as difficult to value, including equity derivatives, FX derivatives, interest rate derivatives and structured notes.

Comcast has gatecrashed Rupert Murdoch’s takeover of Sky with a rival £22bn offer, sparking a bidding war for Britain’s biggest pay-TV broadcaster. The media and telecoms company, which owns NBC Universal and is the largest cable operator in the US, has made an all-cash offer of £12.50 a share, a 16% premium on the offer from Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox, which values Sky at about £19bn.

Press release: Diversified Communications announced today that they have entered into an agreement with UBM Asia Limited (“UBM Asia”) to sell Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong (“RBHK”), Natural & Organic Products Asia (“NOPA”) and Retail Asia Expo (“RAE”) to UBM Asia Limited (“UBM Asia”) which concludes the company’s two-year strategic divestiture plan

Press release:. ITE Group plc today announces that it has sold TradeLink ITE Sdn. Bhd., the owner of Metaltech, the metalworking exhibition in Malaysia, to UBMMG Holdings Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of UBM plc for a total cash consideration of MYR 23 million (£4.2m)1. The total consideration will be payable upon completion and the proceeds will be reinvested into the Group

Press release: Informa PLC (“Informa” or the “Company”), the international B2B Exhibitions, Events, Business Intelligence and Academic Publishing Group, today announced that its Offer for UBM plc (“UBM”) has been approved by both UBM and Informa shareholders

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Springer Nature, the publisher of science magazines Nature and Scientific American, is planning to raise 1.2 billion euros ($1.5 billion) by selling new shares in an initial public offering (IPO), also providing an opportunity for its private equity owner to cash in. While buyout group BC Partners will sell some of its shares in the listing, German publisher Holtzbrinck, which owns 53 percent, will hold on to its stake, Springer Nature said in a statement on Thursday.

Technology services and consulting group Infosys has agreed to acquire WONGDOODY, a US-based ad and marketing agency with a strong focus on insight and consumer experience