VNU Marketing Information and Veronis Suhler & Associates to Form Joint Venture in Health Care Information

Business Wire, Nov 11, 1999

HAARLEM, The Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 1999--

VNU Marketing Information, Inc. in New York and VS&A-HCIA Holding, LLC in Baltimore, a subsidiary of Veronis Suhler & Associates, have agreed in principle to contribute their respective health care information businesses, Sachs Group and HCIA, to a newly formed joint venture. The estimated revenues of the new company will be approximately USD 100 million. Consummation of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval.

VNU Marketing Information is part of VNU USA and is among the nation's largest providers of marketing information. VNU USA also owns Nielsen Media Research, BPI Communications, Bill Communications and SRDS.

VNU is a Netherlands-based international publishing and information company, whose operations include consumer and professional magazines, newspapers, telephone directories and information services, educational textbooks, marketing information services, trade shows and entertainment. Worldwide, VNU employs approximately 15,000 people and has annual revenues of more than NLG 5.3 billion (EUR 2.4 billion).