VNU to explore options for business media Europe unit.

VNU Group B.V. (Haarlem, the Neth.), now a private company, plans to explore strategic alternatives for its Business Media Europe (BME) group, including a possible sale of the business.

BME has operations in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Frnace, Italy, Spain and Belgium and its core markets include information technology, special interest computer, and business and finances. The group has more than 70 trade magazines and events and a range of associated web sites, including IT and technology sites. BME's brands include Intermediair, Computing, Computable, Accountancy Age and Management Team, as well as its b2b online brand, VNUNet, and recruitment sites such as Intermediair.nl and NationaleVacaturebank.nl. Online media currently generates 25% of BME's advertising revenue.

BME is a part of VNU Business Information division, a unit that generated 618 million [euro] in revenue in 2005, up from 614 million [euro] in 2004. Although 2005 numbers for the BME group were not available, VNU said the group's trade magazines "continued to face difficult market conditions, although both revenue and EBITDA increased (in 2005), albeit more slowly than expected." The company said that 2005 declines in display advertising were partly offset by growth in recruitment advertising and in revenue from the VNUNet network of IT web sites. About 25% of BME's revenue is generated by online media.

VNU said that is considering alternatives for BME because the group's activities "are not well aligned with VNU's Marketing Information and Media Measurement businesses." VNU's Business Information group in the U.S. will not be a part of a potential sale. Similarly, VNU's joint venture with Jaarbeurs (Utrecht, the Neth.), VNU Exhibitions Europe, with activities in China and the Netherlands, will not be a part of a potential divestiture.