History
Informa plc is made up of several constituent businesses which include some of the longest-standing brands in world publishing.
Informa was created from the merger of IBC Group plc and LLP Group plc in December 1998. LLP Group plc was the publishing division of the Lloyds insurance market until 1995 when it was subject to a management buy-out. It listed on the London Stock Exchange in April 1998. IBC Group plc listed on the London Stock exchange in December 1985.
Although Informa only came into being as recently as 1998, it has a bloodline running back to 1734 when the first issue of the maritime publication Lloyd's List was pinned to the wall of Edward Lloyd's City of London coffee shop.
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| Edward Lloyd's City of London coffee shop |
In May 2004 Taylor & Francis and Informa went independently into a merger with strong prospects for growth both organically and from acquisitions they had made in the previous 12 months. Taylor & Francis has also built on over two centuries of experience, launching the leading physics and material science journal, the Philosophical Magazine, back in 1798. Taylor & Francis has grown very rapidly over the last two decades to become a leading international academic publisher. Shortly after its flotation on the London Stock Exchange in 1998, the Group more than doubled in size with the acquisition of the Routledge Group of companies, which included Routledge, Spon Press and Carfax.
In July 2005 Informa plc announced the acquisition of IIR Holdings. Not only did this allow Informa to bring together the two largest events businesses in the world to create an undisputed powerhouse, it also meant that Informa acquired seven robust, market-leading Performance Improvement businesses. Established in 1973, IIR is one of the world's largest human capital development company with a global network of 45 businesses and 116 operating units. Every year, IIR works with hundreds of thousands of business executives providing them with knowledge and skills through training, conferences, seminars, e-Learning, blended solutions, exhibitions, consulting and mentoring.
Informa Plc takes great pride in the standing of all our information brands and in the focus of their content. Not all of them, like Lloyd's List or the Philosophical Magazine, can claim a lineage going back as far as the 18th century, but all our information products and services share a common focus on quality. These publications and the others that have followed them since have demonstrated the quality that we aim for across our entire portfolio. Adaptability, close attention to detail, and the willingness to embrace change are some of the key features that ensure that our specialist publications persist over time.
This history and culture is an important part of Informa - the very new and modern business that is now the guardian of publishing assets which have met academic and business information needs through the last two and a half centuries. The founding inspirers of the Philosophical Magazine and Lloyd's List would probably have been unable to imagine where their products would be sitting more than 200 years later, but we believe they would have been pleased.
