Relx: 7% underlying growth over nine months, legal division leading at +10%
The four business segments of the professional information group grew at rates ranging between 4% and 10%. The legal business recorded the highest increase, while professional exhibitions were affected by disruptions in the Middle East.
A 7% increase driven by business mix evolution
RELX published on October 22, 2026 an activity update covering the first nine months of the fiscal year. The group's revenue showed underlying growth of 7% since the beginning of the year. This rate is calculated at constant exchange rates and excluding the effects of acquisitions, disposals, assets held for sale, printing activities, exhibition cycles and calendar variations.
The activity update presents the underlying growth rates of the group and its four business segments, without specifying the revenue achieved in absolute value over the first nine months. According to RELX, the long-term growth trajectory continues to improve. This is explained by the progressive shift in the mix towards analytical and decision-support tools, whose growth is higher than that of historical activities.
The group indicates it is developing these products by combining its proprietary content and databases with advanced technologies, particularly artificial intelligence. This movement is cited as a driver in three information segments: risk, scientific publishing and legal.
For fiscal year 2026, RELX reaffirmed its annual outlook. Management anticipates another year of strong underlying growth in revenue and adjusted operating profit. It also forecasts strong growth in adjusted earnings per share at constant exchange rates. The group describes a positive dynamic across all its activities.
Legal at +10%, exhibitions at +4% due to Middle East impact
The legal segment (Legal) recorded the highest underlying growth, at 10% over nine months. This is attributed to higher-value legal analysis tools and new sales. In law firms and corporate legal departments, adoption of the integrated legal research platform incorporating artificial intelligence, enhanced with agentic functionalities, remains the primary driver.
The risk segment (Risk) advanced 8%. Services to enterprises rely on compliance solutions for financial crime and digital fraud prevention, while insurance benefits from the adoption of contributory databases. Scientific, technical and medical publishing showed an increase of 6%, supported by accelerated product launches and the deployment of LeapSpace, an artificial intelligence workspace designed for research. Primary research remains driven by volumes, with increased article submissions.
For these three segments, management anticipates in 2026 underlying growth in adjusted operating profit exceeding that of revenue. The professional exhibitions segment (Exhibitions) grew 4%, a moderate increase tempered by the impact of Middle East disruptions. For the fiscal year, RELX anticipates sustained underlying growth excluding the Middle East effect and an improvement in adjusted operating margin compared to the previous fiscal year.
A group listed in London, Amsterdam and New York
RELX provides analytical and decision-support tools based on information to a professional and business clientele. The group serves clients in more than 180 countries and territories and employs more than 37,000 people, of whom approximately 40% are in North America.
Its shares are traded in London, Amsterdam and New York, with a market capitalization of approximately £51 billion, or €61 billion or $68 billion. On September 29, 2026, the group's financing entity had two bond tranches admitted to trading on the regulated market of the London Stock Exchange, representing a total of 1 billion euros.
