 Informa's oldest business started in 1734 when "Lloyd's List", now one of the world's oldest continuously running journals, began covering London shipping news.Informa itself was created in 1998 by the merger of IBC Group plc and LLP Group plc.Since then Informa has expanded considerably, including a 2004 merger with the publishing company Taylor & Francis and a 2005 acquisition of IIR Holdings, a human capital development company, for £768 million.