Informa, publisher of Lloyd’s List, is holding preliminary talks with United Business Media (UBM) over a merger that could create a business-to-business giant valued at around £3 billion.
Informa, owner of market research firm Datamonitor, has been seen as vulnerable to bid approaches for a number of months, with concerns about its £1.1 billion of debt.
A merger between the two companies would make it eligible for the FTSE 100 index.