Emap in £16m TEL move

Published on Friday 22 December 2006 12:09

EMAP, the media group that owns Radio Forth, has added the UK's leading beauty exhibition organiser, Trades Exhibitions Limited (TEL), to its portfolio in a £16 million deal.

TEL's main business is the Professional Beauty brand, and also owns five further exhibitions and five trade publications aimed at the health, beauty and spa market.

The addition will be part of Emap Communications, the firm's business-to-business (B2B) division, which is the UK's biggest trade exhibition organiser and second largest B2B publisher.

Derek Carter, chief executive of Emap Communications, said TEL would sit with Emap's other B2B retail and fashion businesses, such as Drapers, Pure, Spring Fair, Retail Week and WGSN.

"We are delighted to be acquiring the Professional Beauty brand as it has a strong commercial fit with our existing brands in the retail and fashion sectors."

He said the acquisition was "consistent with our focus on bolt-on acquisitions in the fast growing events space".

Fulham-based Professional Beauty brand was launched in 1989 and employs 36 people.