UK events firm that hosts arms fairs and comic shows sold to rival for £2bn

FTSE 100 firm Informa to buy Clarion from private equity group Blackstone

A British events business that hosts arms fairs and conventions for comic book fans has been snapped up by a FTSE 100 rival for more than £2bn.

The takeover will add more than 100 events to Informa’s portfolio – from the defence and security exhibit DSEI held at London’s ExCel, to the comic book and pop culture themed Awesome Con in Washington.

Last year, hundreds demonstrated outside the four-day fair in London in protest against Israel’s three biggest arms companies present at the event. Elbit Systems, Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries have supplied the Israel Defense Forces; the latter two are state-owned.

Stephen Carter, the Informa chief executive, said the company was “accelerating the focus” on its core live events business, as it also laid out plans to spin off its academic publishing arm, Taylor & Francis.

However the FTSE 100 group’s shares have been flat so far this year as it was forced to reschedule several events in the Middle East because of the conflict in the region.

The academic publishing business made about $1bn (£760m) last year. Informa said that it had launched a formal process to separate Taylor & Francis, and that it would “review all options”. The outcome of the review will be reported alongside its full-year results in March next year.

Informa told investors on Tuesday that in order to fund the Clarion deal, it will raise £940m through a share placing, which will include an offer for armchair investors through the broker RetailBook.