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Informa plc agreed to acquire an unknown majority stake in Clarion Events Limited from Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) for an enterprise value of £2.2 billion. Published on 10/06/2026 at 05:50 am EDT - Modified on 10/06/2026 at 06:05 am EDT S&P Capital IQ Informa plc (LSE:INF) agreed to acquire an unknown majority stake in Clarion Events Limited from Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) for an enterprise value of £2.2 billion on October 6, 2026. A cash consideration will be paid by Informa plc. The consideration will be paid in cash, funded through dedicated acquisition financing and the net proceeds of approximately £940 million equity placing and retail offer (c.9% of Informa?s issued ordinary share capital). Informa will pause its current share buyback programme in order to redirect capital to fund the transaction, whilst maintaining balance sheet flexibility. This is expected to result in leverage remaining sub-3x net debt / EBITDA by year-end 2026 and sub-2.5x by year-end 2027. The acquisition is forecast to deliver post tax return on invested capital of more than 10% by the third full year of ownership in 2029 (including related fees), above Informa?s weighted average cost of capital. in a related transaction, Informa plc plans to separate Taylor & Francis business. Clarion will become an operating business within Informa through this period, led by current Chief Executive Officer, Lisa Hannant, who will remain in her role and join the Informa Executive Leadership Team. Additionally, Clarion's Chief Executive Officer will rollover a proportion of Clarion equity into Informa equity on completion of the transaction. The transaction is expected to complete towards the end of Q4 2026, subject to customary regulatory approvals. (C) S&P Capital IQ - 2026

WINNERS & LOSERS: Clarkson eyes profit beat; Informa buys Clarion. Published on 10/06/2026 at 04:30 am EDT Alliance News (Alliance News) - The following are the leading risers and fallers among FTSE 100 and 250 index constituents on Tuesday. FTSE 100 winners Informa PLC, up 3.2% at 889.20p, announces acquisition, fundraise and plan to separate unit Relx PLC, up 2.8% at 2,606.50p Experian PLC, up 2.6% at 2,529.50p Weir PLC, up 2.5% at 2,647.00p Whitbread PLC, up 2.3% at 2,481.00p FTSE 100 losers BP PLC, down 1.1% at 557.00p, oil price falls below USD100 a barrel Ithaca Energy PLC, down 1.0% at 278.60p, tracks oil lower BAE Systems PLC, down 0.9% at 1,917.25p, UK prime minister mulls delaying decision on defence spending IG Group Holdings PLC, down 0.7% at 979.25p, down 25% since cutting guidance M&G PLC, down 0.5% at 311.90p FTSE 250 winners Clarkson PLC, up 6.9% at 5,397.50p, says trades strongly HgCapital Trust PLC, up 4.1% at 388.25p Telecom Plus PLC, up 3.7% at 855.50p, backs guidance Man Group PLC, up 3.5% at 332.50p, Jefferies raises price target to 385p from 345p Ocado Group PLC, up 3.4% at 265.50p FTSE 250 losers Inchcape PLC, down 4.1% at 701.50p RHI Magnesita NV, down 3.1% at 2,790.00p Baltic Classifieds Group PLC, down 3.1% at 195.80p Genus PLC, down 1.8% at 2,087.00p Seraphim Space Investment Trust PLC, down 1.8% at 79.45p FTSE 100 & 250 movers in focus: Clarkson, up 6.9% at 5,397.50p, 12-month range 3,365.00p-5,485.00p. Shipping services provider Clarkson says trading in August and September was "very strong". Geopolitical worries have created "further volatility across commodity and freight markets", so some areas of its business have seen record freight rates. "The Broking division has delivered revenues significantly ahead of previous expectations, while also adding to the forward order book. Alongside this, the Financial division has executed a number of transactions, resulting in performance also being significantly up on expectations," Clarkson says. As a result, it now expects 2026 underlying pretax profit of no less than GBP135 million. Peel Hunt notes this is ahead of consensus of GBP115.3 million. Telecom Plus, up 3.7% at 855.50p, 12-month range 638.00p-1,896.00p. Telecom Plus has backed annual guidance, and it has seen "encouraging progress" since setting out a five-year plan back in June. The London-based provider of bundled household utility services said in a trading statement for the first half ended September 30 that multiservice organic customer numbers increased at an annualised rate of over 11% to around 526,000. This is ahead of its 10% target for the full year. It reiterates its expectation of an annual adjusted pretax profit between GBP80 million and GBP90 million. It issues half-year results on November 24. "Our first half performance builds on the encouraging start to FY27 that we reported at our AGM in August, with growing momentum across all aspects of the business. Multiservice customer growth has been strong, and well ahead of the level we delivered in FY26, driven by the investment we are making in our customer proposition and underpinned by record levels of activity across our partner network," CEO Stuart Burnett says. Informa, up 3.2% at 889.20p, 12-month range 719.00p-1,000p. Informa says it will acquire Clarion Events for GBP2.24 billion, and it sets out a plan to separate its academic markets business. The London-based business information and exhibitions group will part-fund the Clarion buy through a placing, it adds. Clarion has an enterprise value of GBP2.24 billion and the deal is to be sealed "towards the end" of the fourth quarter. It will be acquired from Blackstone Inc. Informa plans to raise GBP940 million to part-fund the deal. A placing will be conducted through an accelerated bookbuild. The price per share and final number of shares to be placed will be decided at bookbuild close. It also announces a plan for a retail offer. "Informa will pause its current share buyback programme in order to redirect capital to fund the transaction, whilst maintaining balance sheet flexibility," it adds. In addition, it says it plans to separate Taylor & Francis, its academic markets arm. It has "formally launched a separation process to review all options". Domino's Pizza Group, up 3.0% at 218.74p, 12-month range 164.03p-221.60p. Berenberg believes Domino's Pizza Group has a "strong value proposition", leaving it well-placed to eat into a GBP3 billion UK pizza market. In addition, the new Chick 'N' Dip menu "could be transformational for the investment case, earnings and valuation", Berenberg says, in a note fittingly titled "buy the dip". BAE Systems, down 0.9% at 1,917.25p, 12-month range 1,529.00p-2,360.00p. The Times reports that UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is mulling delaying a decision to up defence spending until autumn of next year. A spending review, which was expected to be held in the spring, was set to spell out a timetable for an increase in defence spend. But ministers are now mulling a delay so it can come alongside next year's budget. Citing one Whitehall source, The Times reports that the "working assumption" is that the spending review is to come next October. By Eric Cunha, Alliance News news editor (C) Alliance News - 2026

Informa acquires Clarion in £2.24 billion deal and plans academic division separation. Editorial Standards Fact-Checked ⊘ Independence Commercial Disclosure GC AI Summary Informa has agreed to acquire Clarion from Blackstone for £2.24 billion, adding more than 100 specialist B2B live event brands including the ICE global gaming exhibition in Barcelona. Simultaneously, Informa is reviewing a separation of its academic division Taylor and Francis, with final outcomes to be presented in March 2027. The acquisition will be financed through committed debt facilities and a roughly £940 million equity placing, with completion expected toward the end of the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory clearances. Key Takeaways Strategic Restructuring - Informa plans to separate its academic markets division Taylor and Francis to focus on core B2B operations Major Acquisition - The group acquires Clarion from Blackstone for an enterprise value of £2.24 billion Enhanced Scale - The combination creates an international leader in B2B live events with annual revenues exceeding $6 billion Growth Categories - The transaction provides immediate scale entry into electronics, defence, security, and global gaming sectors Financing Plan - The acquisition is funded through a combination of committed debt financing and a c.£940 million equity placing Fact-checked Sources verified before publication Portfolio focus and academic division separation. Informa has announced its intention to separate its academic markets business, Taylor and Francis, providing the division with greater independence and flexibility to support its future growth. Since joining Informa in 2004, Taylor and Francis has grown substantially, with annual published articles multiplying nearly fivefold to over 170,000 and revenues expanding fourfold to approximately $1 billion. Commenting on the planned separation, Group Chief Executive Stephen A Carter stated: "With Taylor and Francis approaching $1 billion in revenue, growing at 4 percent and with its Open Research capabilities firmly established, we believe it will now benefit from greater flexibility and freedom through the next phase of its development, as Informa further expands the depth and reach of its B2B portfolio." The formal separation review process has been launched, with final outcomes scheduled for presentation alongside the group's full year results in March 2027. Acquisition of Clarion and B2B expansion. Alongside the academic division review, Informa has agreed to acquire Clarion from Blackstone for an enterprise value of £2.24 billion. Clarion brings a portfolio of more than 100 specialist business to business brands, including major international franchises such as the IFA Berlin consumer electronics event, DSEI in defence and security, and the ICE global gaming exhibition in Barcelona. Carter emphasized the strategic impact of the transaction: "The planned separation of Taylor and Francis coincides with further expansion in B2B through the £2.24 billion acquisition of Clarion, the UK based owner of more than 100 B2B live event brands. The combination will underscore Informa as the UK listed, international leader in B2B live events, with annual group revenues exceeding $6 billion and underlying revenue growth of 7 percent." The acquisition is projected to deliver mid single digit adjusted diluted earnings per share enhancement in 2027 and a double digit post tax return on invested capital within three years. The transaction will be financed via committed debt facilities and a c.£940 million equity placing, with completion anticipated toward the end of the fourth quarter of 2026 subject to regulatory clearances. Dimitri is an iGaming expert with nearly a decade of experience and a knack for crafting content that speaks directly to the iGaming crowd. He understands affiliate marketing, player psychology, and search algorithms, which enables him to write engaging, data-driven articles. 1 source verified before publication. This news is an official press release that traces directly to official documents by Informa PLC. How Gamblers Connect verify sources Informa PLC Group Chief Executive Stephen A Carter · October 6, 2026 Official Body Primary "The planned separation of Taylor and Francis coincides with further expansion in B2B through the £2.24 billion acquisition of Clarion, the UK based owner of more than 100 B2B live event brands. The combination will underscore Informa as the UK listed, international leader in B2B live events, with annual group revenues exceeding $6 billion and underlying revenue growth of 7 percent." Gamblers Connect only publishes verified and official news from reputable corporations. Read its full editorial standards