一家主办军火展和漫画迷漫展的英国活动公司已被一家富时100指数竞争对手以逾20亿英镑的价格收购。
A British events business that hosts arms fairs and conventions for comic book fans has been snapped up by a FTSE 100 rival for more than £2bn.
Informa已达成一项价值22.4亿英镑的协议，从私募股权集团Blackstone手中收购总部位于伦敦的活动组织方Clarion。此次收购将为Informa的投资组合增加逾100场活动——从在伦敦ExCel举办的国防与安全展览会DSEI，到华盛顿的漫画与流行文化主题展AwesomeCon。
Informa has struck a £2.24bn deal to buy the London-based events organiser Clarion from the private equity group Blackstone The takeover will add more than 100 events to Informa’s portfolio – from the defence and security exhibit DSEI held at London’s ExCel, to the comic book and pop culture themed AwesomeCon in Washington.
DSEI每两年在伦敦举办一次，同时也在德国和日本举办，该展会也引发了抗议活动。
DSEI, which is held every two years in London as well as in Germany and Japan, has also attracted protests.
去年，数百人在伦敦为期四天的展会外示威，抗议以色列三大军火公司出席该活动。Elbit Systems、Rafael和Israel Aerospace Industries向以色列国防军供应装备；后两家为国有企业。
Last year, hundreds demonstrated outside the four-day fair in London in protest against Israel’s three biggest arms companies present at the event. Elbit Systems, Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries have supplied the Israel Defense Forces; the latter two are state-owned.
Clarion的投资组合还涵盖旅游展、经典车聚会以及科技、游戏、设计和技术行业的活动。其下个月在伯明翰举办的经典汽车展被誉为“全球最大车友俱乐部聚会”。
Clarion’s portfolio also spans travel shows, classic car meet-ups and events for the technology, gaming, design and technology industries. Its Classic Motor Show event in Birmingham next month is billed as the “world’s largest vehicle club gathering”.
Informa首席执行官Stephen Carter表示，公司正在“加速聚焦”其核心线下活动业务，同时也公布了剥离其学术出版部门Taylor & Francis的计划。
Stephen Carter, the Informa chief executive, said the company was “accelerating the focus” on its core live events business, as it also laid out plans to spin off its academic publishing arm, Taylor & Francis.
总部位于伦敦、拥有1.4万名员工的Informa在全球主办大型行业活动，包括伦敦科技周和戛纳国际创意节。
Informa, which is headquartered in London and employs 14,000 people, hosts big industry events around the world, including London Tech Week and the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
然而，由于该地区冲突迫使这家富时100指数集团重新安排中东多场活动，其股价今年以来一直持平。
However the FTSE 100 group’s shares have been flat so far this year as it was forced to reschedule several events in the Middle East because of the conflict in the region.
去年，自2013年起领导该集团的Carter将居住地从英国迁至阿联酋，并退出了上议院。Informa超过三分之一的收入来自印度、中东和亚洲。
Last year Carter, who has led the group since 2013, moved his residency from the UK to the UAE and retired from the House of Lords. Informa makes more than a third of its revenue in India, the Middle East and Asia.
学术出版业务去年收入约为10亿美元（7.6亿英镑）。Informa表示，已启动将Taylor & Francis分拆的正式程序，并将“评估所有选项”。评估结果将于明年3月随全年业绩一同发布。
The academic publishing business made about $1bn (£760m) last year. Informa said that it had launched a formal process to separate Taylor & Francis, and that it would “review all options”. The outcome of the review will be reported alongside its full-year results in March next year.
Taylor & Francis成立于1852年的伦敦，于2004年加入Informa。该公司出版涵盖科学、医学、技术和工程领域的期刊和书籍。
Taylor & Francis, which was founded in London in 1852, joined Informa in 2004. It publishes journals and books about science, medicine, technology and engineering.
Informa周二告知投资者，为给Clarion收购案提供资金，将通过配售股份筹集9.4亿英镑，其中包括通过经纪商RetailBook面向散户投资者的发售。
Informa told investors on Tuesday that in order to fund the Clarion deal, it will raise £940m through a share placing, which will include an offer for armchair investors through the broker RetailBook.
公司表示，此次收购预计将加速Informa的增长，并从2027年起提升其每股收益。这家在伦敦证券交易所上市的公司股价在周二早盘交易中上涨了1.4%。
The takeover is expected to accelerate Informa’s growth and bolster its earnings per share from 2027, the company said. Shares in the business, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, rose by 1.4% in early trading on Tuesday.