Whitestone reports increase in number & value of first quarter deals.

Both the number and value of mergers and acquisitions for 10 categories of publishing, information and training companies increased in the first quarter, according to figures compiled by Whitestone Communications (New York) for its annual Who's Buying Whom reference. Whitestone said the number of mergers and acquisitions in the quarter increased 28% compared to last year, going from 71 deals in 2003 to 91 deals this year. The value of the deals increased 86%, going from $2.56 billion in the first quarter of 2003 to $4.75 billion this year.

Excluding the $2 billion "mega Informa/Taylor & Francis" deal, the value of the deals increased 7% in the first quarter of 2004. The segments showing the largest increases in M&A activity were in the "Business/Legal" and "Education/Reference" segments, where the number of deals increased from seven to 18 and from six to 12, respectively.

Besides the Informa/T&F merger, the largest deals included: the sale of American Achievement Corp., a supplier of class rings, yearbooks and related products; Thomson Corp.'s $400 million purchase of TradeWeb (see related story); and, Ask Jeeves $343 million purchase of Interactive Search Holdings. Totals do not include the $334 million purchase of Le Groupe Moniteur by Sagard from Aprovia.