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This Just In

Tarsus Acquires Fairs & Exhibitions, Ltd., a Major Player in Dubai

HIL ANDERSON, SENIOR EDITOR

London – The Tarsus Group acquired The WR Kern Organisation Ltd., the U.K.-based holding company for the long-time Middle East exhibition company Fairs & Exhibitions, Ltd.  Tarsus bought 100% of F&E’s stock.

Fairs & Exhibitions (F&E) has been active in the Middle East since 1976 and currently organizes eight trade shows in Dubai, the bustling capital of the United Arab Emirates that has also become a major global exhibition center.

“This acquisition presents Tarsus with a unique opportunity to accelerate our strategy of expansion into fast-growing markets,” said Douglas Emslie, group managing director of Tarsus. “It  also allows us to extend our core brands into a new geographic territory.”

Aviation is one of three major industry sectors F&E has covered in Dubai. The other sectors include printing and packaging along with education.

“The world-renowned Dubai Airshow is now Tarsus’ largest event and immediately gives us scale and exposure in the Middle East,” Emslie said. “It is our intention to focus on Dubai as we develop our business in the Middle East under the existing management of Virginia Kern (F&E chair) and the F&E team.”

Emslie noted that opportunities to acquire existing companies in Dubai are extremely rare.

Strong Half-Year Financials for Tarsus; Continued Strength Expected

Tarsus Group plc, an international B-to-B media company,  was founded in 1998 and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. It has offices in the London, Milwaukee, Paris, Dusseldorf and Shanghai.

In September, Tarsus announced strong interim results for the six months ending June 30th. Like-for-like revenue growth was up 12%,  however, like-for-like profit (before taxes)  climbed 26%.  Neville Buch, Tarsus chairman, noted, “We have made strong progress in the first half. Our four main drivers of growth in the second half —Labelexpo in Brussels, the MCII medical division, our French portfolio and our off-price clothing division — are all on track to deliver record results.”

Reach Douglas Emslie at +44 (0) 20 8846 2700 or Douglas.Emslie@tarsus-group.com; Virginia Kern at +971 50 6541853 or Virginia.Kern@fairs-exhib.com

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