Lloyd’s List, one of the world’s longest-running business newspapers, is up for sale.
Informa INF 1.55% PLC, an events-planning company listed in London as a component of the FTSE 100, offered the niche publication for sale on Tuesday as part of its plans to divest itself of a data and consultancy division and focus on its events and academic businesses.
Lloyd’s List traces its business back almost 300 years, when ship-arrival and -departure bulletins were posted on the wall of Edward Lloyd’s London coffee house. The establishment served as a popular meeting place in the 1700s for maritime-industry workers.
In 1734, a weekly shipping newsletter was named Lloyd’s List. It featured news from major foreign and domestic sea routes and ports and became popular among merchants, insurers, ship owners and crew members.
Over the years, the publication known simply as “the List” in the industry evolved from a bulletin to a range of digital products, including a website and apps for smartphones.
In 2013, Lloyds List scrapped its print edition and went digital only. Its website says it serves 40,000 professionals connected to the maritime, insurance and legal markets.
Informa was created in 1998 through the merger of IBC Group PLC and Lloyd’s of London Press. In the years that followed, it grew through acquisitions in sectors such as events, intelligence and scholarly research. Its other well-known brands included the U.K.-based publisher Taylor & Francis, founded in 1852.
As well as selling Informa Intelligence, the unit that includes Lloyd’s List, Informa said it plans to return £1 billion, equivalent to $1.32 billion, to shareholders and expects to resume ordinary dividends in 2022.
Informa’s stock rose 3.6% in London on Tuesday.
Write to Nick Kostov at [email protected]
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