It was just confirmed rumors from earlier today that publishing house VNU Business Publications Ltd, the London-based publishing arm of VNU Business Media Europe (BME), has purchased The Inquirer.

The Inquirer was founded by Mike Magee (who also co-founded The Register) back in 2001. In a prepared statement he said "This deal is a great fit for The Inquirer and for VNU Business Publications."

VNU, based in the Netherlands, is among the world’s largest publishing houses with presences in 100 countries, annual revenues of $4.6 billion and about 38,600 employees - with about 2600 people working for its 140 print publications and websites as well as 150 trade shows and business events.