LONDON (March 10, 2004) VS&A Communications Partners II, LP, a private equity affiliate of media merchant bank Veronis Suhler Stevenson, today announced the sale of Centaur Communications Ltd to Centaur Holdings plc. The transaction was structured as an accelerated initial public offering whereby the Company was acquired by a shell corporation underwritten by brokerage firm Numis Securities Ltd, and floated on the Alternative Investment Market of The London Stock Exchange. The transaction was valued at £145m.

“Centaur's management has done a great job growing the business organically through new product introductions and successful brand extensions across such critical platforms as exhibitions, conferences and online services,” said Marco Sodi, Partner and Head of Veronis Suhler Stevenson International Ltd. “We are confident that Centaur is well positioned to realize its full business potential, and continue its successful track record as one of the leading business communications companies in the U.K. ”

Centaur Communications is being acquired from an investor group led by VS&A Communications Partners II, LP, including Griffin Land & Nurseries Inc. and Graham Sherren, founder and Chairman of Centaur Communications. Mr. Sherren will retain an equity interest in the Company and will continue to serve as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Centaur Communications publishes a portfolio of professional magazines, exhibitions and conferences spanning marketing, financial services, creative services, legal services, new media, construction and engineering. The Company's principal brands include The Lawyer, Marketing Week, Money Marketing and Design Week.

Centaur's subsidiary, Perfect Information, is the premier online global provider of financial information to investment banks, brokerage firms and consultancies.

About Veronis Suhler Stevenson
Veronis Suhler Stevenson is a leading independent merchant bank dedicated to the media, communications and information industries. Veronis Suhler Stevenson has completed over 600 transactions since its inception in 1981. The firm has acted as a financial advisor across the full spectrum of media, communication and information segments and provides the following services: mergers & acquisitions advisory services and private equity investment. VS&A Communications Partners III, LP is the third private equity fund managed by Veronis Suhler Stevenson. Capitalized at $1 billion, it is one of the largest private equity funds dedicated exclusively to investments in the media, communications and information industries. The VSS Private Equity buyout funds have invested in 33 platform companies across multiple media segments; the realized and unrealized enterprise value of these investments total approximately $7 billion.

Contacts:

Veronis Suhler Stevenson

Stanton Crenshaw Communications