It is uncertain how some parts of the advertising market will develop and the weak dollar could affect Reed Elsevier's exhibitions operations, Reed Business Chief Executive Gerard van de Aast told Dutch daily De Telegraaf in an interview.
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Growth at Reed Business, part of Anglo-Dutch publishing group Reed Elsevier <ELSN.AS> <REL.L> <ENL.N>, could be slower 2008, its head told a Dutch newspaper on Wednesday.
It is uncertain how some parts of the advertising market will develop and the weak dollar could affect Reed Elsevier's exhibitions operations, Reed Business Chief Executive Gerard van de Aast told Dutch daily De Telegraaf in an interview.
"The economic conditions in the world will have an impact on our growth, which could possibly be a bit lower next year," Van de Aast was quoted as saying.
Reed Business, which spans magazines, exhibitions and marketing, made up about a third of Reed Elsevier's 2006 revenues of 6.6 billion euros ($9.52 billion), or 2.1 billion euros.
!ADVERTISEMENT!Results for Reed Business look good for 2007, Van de Aast was quoted as saying. Internet revenue is expected to grow 25 to 30 percent in 2007, and the unit aims to double online revenue to $1 billion by 2010.
Revenue growth at exhibitions activities is expected to be more than 10 percent in 2007, the paper said.
Van de Aast dismissed talks of a merger between Reed Elsevier and its Dutch peer Wolters Kluwer <WLSNc.AS>.
"That whole Wolters Kluwer story is pure speculation," Van de Aast was quoted as saying.
From a distance the two companies could possibly fit together, but from the point of view of culture, a merger between the two was not likely, Van de Aast was quoted as saying.
Reed Elsevier is active in science and medical publishing, education, legal and business publishing.
(Reporting by Gilbert Kreijger; Editing by Paul Bolding)
