A Bloomberg story widely reported in European  business media yesterday adds further fuel to the possibility of Informa being involved in either a buyout or merger.

It is revealed that Informa is in early talks with UBM (United Business Media) about a merger

UBM published the following press release on their site .. Monday.

08 June 2008

The Board of United Business Media plc ("United Business Media") notes the announcement today by Informa plc ("Informa") and confirms that discussions, which are at an early stage, are taking place between United Business Media and Informa regarding the commercial merits of an all-share merger.

This announcement is made with the approval of Informa, however there can be no certainty that the proposed transaction will proceed. Shareholders will be kept informed of developments and a further announcement will be made in due course.

We learn from the Bloomberg report that Informa has a market value of £1.64bn while UBM has a market value of £1.48bn, suggesting a combined value of £3.12bn.

The company has acquired smaller rivals to add to their exhibitions, distribution and business-information units as print advertising sales decline.

Informa, which publishes more than 2,000 titles and organizes more than 10,000 conferences annually, has bought market research firm Datamonitor, scientific journal publisher Taylor & Francis and conference organizer IIR Holdings in the past four years.

Informa's performance so far in 2008 was going to plan, the company said in a market statement on May 15.

Further announcements will be made in due course, the statement said. (Bloomberg)