Ascential, the company that owns Cannes Lions and Warc, is set to be acquired by publisher and events group Informa for a cash offer of £1.16 billion ($AU2.28 billion).
The boards of both Ascential and Informa have agreed to the terms of a recommended offer of 568p per share. It values the company at £1.16bn “on a fully diluted basis”.
Informa is a FTSE 100-listed British-owned publisher, business intelligence and exhibitions group. It owns shows such as the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show and Arab Health.
“Informa is in the business of creating, nurturing and growing world-class B2B brands. Lions and Money20/20 are outstanding examples of such brands. Combined, we can expand them into more sectors, accelerate growth and take advantage of new opportunities,” said Informa chief exec Stephen Carter.
Informa also said in a release that it has focused greatly on first-party data in recent years and that it believes “all of Ascential’s businesses” would benefit from access to its systems and broader digital expertise.
Ascential, which was previously known as Emap, runs Cannes Lions, Warc, Contagious and Acuity Pricing. Lions generated the lion’s share of its revenue in 2023 — £131 million.
The deal is subject to regulator approval.
