Tarsus Acquired by Informa Group

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by Fiza Khan

Informa, parent company of MAGIC Fashion Events, and Tarsus Group, parent company of the OFFPRICE Shows, has reached agreement with Charterhouse Capital Partners and other shareholders to acquire Tarsus, the leading international B2B group, for an initial enterprise value of $940m.

Tarsus owns and operates a portfolio of over 160 live and on-demand B2B event brands, with a focus on growing, specialist B2B markets with fragmented supply chains and high levels of innovation. Tarsus Group runs the global Labelexpo series of exhibitions and events and is the publisher of Labels & Labeling magazine.

The top 10 Tarsus Brands – attracting a total of over 515,000 attendees and 8,350+ exhibitors - will further expand Informa’s Tier 1 portfolio to more than 85 brands.

The Informa Board believes the combination is both commercially and financially compelling, with strong portfolio alignment that will deliver enhanced value for customers, additional opportunities for colleagues and attractive returns for shareholders.

Robert Leeming, partner at Charterhouse, said: ‘We are proud to have supported Tarsus’ development since 2019 and are confident that Informa is exceptionally well placed to deliver the next stage of the company’s growth strategy. We look forward to becoming a shareholder.’

Since 2019, when Tarsus plc was acquired by Charterhouse, the Tarsus portfolio has been expanded and enhanced through 24 new launches and 11 targeted acquisitions. Like Informa, Tarsus is seeing a similar strong return to the market for live and on-demand B2B Events in 2023.

The Informa and Tarsus portfolios are complementary, both geographically and by market category, strengthening Informa’s position across a number of verticals.

Mark Temple-Smith will step in as executive chair of Tarsus through to the end of the January 2024. Temple-Smith is currently Informa markets chief operating officer and was formerly the CEO of Asia for Tarsus.

Douglas Emslie, the current chief executive of Tarsus, will become a senior advisor to the Informa Group, guiding on talent, brands and partnerships.

The combination of Tarsus with Informa is expected to generate c.$20m annualised operating synergies by 2025 through efficiencies in procurement, real estate, technology, event contracts and other areas.

The combination is also expected to deliver incremental revenue benefits through cross marketing of brands, digital expansion, and new event launches.

Originally reported by Labels & Labeling Magazine, a subsidary of the Tarsus Group