Informa Group makes two major acquisitions.

FT business portfolio and Baskerville Communications go to London-based group

Informa Group plc has acquired 60 subscription newsletters, seven magazines, 600 management reports and 24 directories from Financial Times Business Ltd. The purchase price of [pounds]13.5 million is said to be made up of [pounds]9.9 payable in cash plus a [pounds]3.6 million liability for prepaid subscriptions, which is assumed by Informa.

In the year ended Dec. 31, 1998, the publications brought in a profit of [pounds]1.2 million, after FTB overheads, on sales revenue of [pounds]19.8 million.

Informa also recently bought veteran newsletter publisher Tim Baskerville's latest venture, the 1993-founded Baskerville Communications Corp., which publishes newsletters, daily news services, management reports, and web-based online information. Major newsletter titles include TV International (daily, $1,995/year), Global Mobile (23x, $993/year), and Satellite International (23x, $885/year).

Baskerville's customers, half of whom are in North America, are served by offices in London and Los Angeles. Baskerville, who will become a consultant to the company from his L.A. office, said, "We believe Informa offers the best home for our family of international services, and the rare opportunity to join our pool of 40 talented professionals with a globally respected source of telecoms market information and insight."

Tim Baskerville, the principal shareholder in the acquired company, has over the years founded, built up and sold off a series of specialty information publishers, including the sale in 1990 of Vidmar Communications to Phillips Publishing Inc.

Shareholders of Baskerville, all active in the business, were represented in the transaction by the corporate finance advisory firm Communications Equity Associates International Ltd. and its New York affiliate, CEA Inc. The sale price was not disclosed.

The FTB publications purchased by Informa include a number of established titles in telecommunications, media, finance, commodities, pharmaceuticals and automotive. The include the newsletters Mobile Communications, Music and Copyright, New Media Markets, Telecom Markets, Screen Finance, Food Business, and Pharmaceutical Business News.

The van Tulleken Company represented FTB in the sale.

Informa Group plc was formed in 1998 from the merger of LLP Group plc and IBC Group plc. Its broad range of media formats focus on six global market sectors: IT and telecoms; maritime, trade and transport; finance and insurance; commodities and energy; biomedical and pharmaceutical; and law and tax.

Informa has sales in more than 180 countries with over 50 offices worldwide. Peter Rigby is chairman, and David Gilbertson is chief executive.

FTB, [phone], fax [phone].

Informa, [phone].

Van Tulleken, 212-355-1390, fax [phone]. Baskerville, 818-461-9660, fax [phone]. CEAI (Martin Farmer), [phone].