M.A.I.D plc Announces Agreement to Acquire Knight-Ridder Information, Inc

Business Wire, Oct 1, 1997

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 2, 1997--M.A.I.D plc (Nasdaq: MAIDY) announced today that it has entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement with Knight-Ridder Business Information Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Knight-Ridder, Inc. (NYSE: KRI), pursuant to which M.A.I.D has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Knight-Ridder Information, Inc. and Knight-Ridder Information A.G. (collectively "Knight-Ridder Information"), as well as their minority interests in certain other entities. The purchase price is $420 million.

In accordance with the rules of the London Stock Exchange, M.A.I.D has suspended trading of its stock on both the London Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq National Market pending approval of the transaction at an extraordinary general meeting of stockholders that is currently scheduled for November 1997.

Knight-Ridder Information, through its U.S.-based Dialog, Canadian-based Infomart-Dialog Ltd. and European-based DataStar services, is an international supplier of online information services to research libraries in corporate, government and academic institutions. M.A.I.D, through its Profound service, is an international supplier of online business information, including high value market research reports, business news, equity research reports and real-time stock and commodity prices.

M.A.I.D intends to finance a portion of the acquisition through an underwritten placement of Ordinary Shares, primarily in the United Kingdom. M.A.I.D intends to finance the balance of the acquisition through a new senior secured term loan and the issuance of new senior subordinated notes.

The Stock Purchase Agreement contains customary representations and warranties of each party and is subject to various closing conditions, including approval by the stockholders of M.A.I.D, the admission by the London Stock Exchange of M.A.I.D shares to be issued in connection with the transaction, the completion of M.A.I.D's financing arrangements, and clearance by appropriate regulatory authorities.

The foregoing announcement does not constitute an offer or sale in connection with any of the securities referenced above. The securities, when offered, will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration.

Established in 1985, M.A.I.D is a leading online supplier of business intelligence services to professionals worldwide. The company's core product Profound includes market research reports, real-time and archived business news, company statistics, brokerage research, economic analyses, and up-to-date stock market and commodity prices. With regional headquarters in London, Cary, N.C. and Hong Kong, M.A.I.D is traded on Nasdaq and the London Stock Exchange. Additional information about the company is available at http://www.maid.com.

CONTACT: M.A.I.D plc

Daniel Wagner, Chief Executive

011-44-171-930-6900

or

Close Brothers Corporate Finance Limited

Stephen Aulsebrook, Managing Director

011-44-171-426-4000

or

N M Rothschild & Sons Limited

Philip Swatman, Managing Director - Investment Banking

Marc Middleton, Director - Investment Banking

011-44-171-280-5000

or

Jaffoni & Collins Incorporated

David C. Collins, U.S. investor relations contact for

M.A.I.D plc

212/505-3015

collins@jcir.com

or

Middleberg & Associates

Courtney Darby/Bethany Sherman, U.S. media contacts for

M.A.I.D plc

212/888-6610

courtney@middleberg.com