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LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- B. Riley & Co., LLC, (B. Riley) a wholly owned subsidiary of B. Riley Financial, Inc. (OTCBB: RILY), announced today that it has acted as Exclusive Financial Advisor to Informa PLC in its acquisition of Hanley Wood Exhibitions for $375 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close by year-end upon expiration of the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period. B. Riley is a leading investment bank providing a full array of corporate finance, research, sales and trading services.

B. Riley sourced, initiated and acted as financial advisor on the transaction for London-based Informa (LSE: INF), one of the world's leading business intelligence, knowledge and events businesses. The B. Riley transaction team was led by Head of Investment Banking and Senior Managing Director Ryan Bernath, Head of Entertainment & Media and Managing Director Andy Buchholtz, and Vice President Chobun Hieblinger. 

Irving, Texas-based Hanley Wood Exhibitions specializes in tradeshows and events for the residential, commercial design and construction industries. Hanley Wood Exhibitions is a wholly-owned division of Hanley Wood, a premier information, media, event and strategic marketing services company. The acquisition of Hanley Wood Exhibitions further strengthens Informa's growing Global Exhibitions business, adding 17 Trade Shows in the Construction and Real Estate vertical, including leading brands such as World of Concrete, Greenbuild and The International Surfaces Event. 

"B. Riley was delighted to advise and represent Informa in its announced acquisition of Hanley Wood Exhibitions," said Mr. Bernath. "This transaction exemplifies the breadth and depth of B. Riley's investment banking capabilities. Representing publicly-traded companies on the buy side in cross-border transactions within B. Riley-focused sectors is illustrative of how we differentiate ourselves from competitors. Our investment banking team continues to focus on bringing differentiated and value-added services to clients such as Informa." 

"Our goal with every engagement is to create opportunities which may prove to be beneficial to both companies and shareholders," said Mr. Buchholtz. "Hanley Wood Exhibitions' reputation in North America as a leader in producing Trade Shows for the real estate and construction industries is expected to complement and enhance Informa's worldwide presence in the Construction and Real Estate Exhibitions business."

About B. Riley & Co., LLC

B. Riley & Co., LLC, is a leading investment bank which provides corporate finance, research, and sales & trading to corporate, institutional and high net worth individual clients. Investment banking services include initial, secondary and follow-on offerings, institutional private placements, and merger and acquisitions advisory to public and private companies. The firm is nationally recognized for its highly ranked proprietary equity research.

In addition to B. Riley & Co., LLC, B. Riley Financial, Inc. (OTCBB: RILY) includes: Great American GroupLLC, a leading provider of advisory and valuation services, asset disposition and auction solutions, commercial lending and real estate advisory services; and B. Riley Asset Management LLC, a provider of investment products to institutional and high net worth investors. B. Riley Financial is headquartered in Los Angeles and with its subsidiaries maintains offices in major financial markets in the United States and Europe.

B. Riley & Co. is a member of FINRA and SIPC. For more information, please visit www.brileyco.com or call 310-966-1444.

Safe Harbor Statement and Disclosure

Statements contained herein, which are not historical facts, such as, but not limited to, statements about goals, expectations, financial or other projections, intentions or beliefs are forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because these forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause actual results, events or developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Such factors include those risks described from time to time in the Company's filings with the SEC. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the Company's expectations. 

This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

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SOURCE B. Riley & Co., LLC