Mergers and acquisitions
2006-2010
M&A News - one year subscription
Designed for companies that offer services and consultancy to organisations undergoing significant corporate change, M&A News offers you a fresh list, every month, of finance directors, HR directors, marketing directors and chief executives. All companies featured have been involved in M&A activity during the last month and are likely to be spending budget on consultants and advisers to deal with a raft of corporate issues thrown up by merging or acquiring new companies.
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Mergers & acquisitions 2011
In a deal which expands its European presence, the private healthcare company Cigna has acquired FirstAssist Insurance Services, which will become part of Cigna’s Health, Life & Accident division.
Following a short spell in administration, a £77.5m deal has seen DTZ Holdings purchased by the Australian services company UGL. DTZ was the first real estate adviser to be listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1987.
The access and disability consultancy company Direct Enquiries has been acquired by MITIE. The deal expands MITIE’s interests in the compliance, risk assessment, disability and access industries.
The cloud computing specialist Appirio has continued its expansion into the European market with the acquisition of Saaspoint, which includes among its clients British Gas, Dell, Proctor & Gamble and Rentokil.
London Stock Exchange Group has taken over full ownership and strategic control of FTSE International by purchasing the remaining 50% stake it does not already own from Pearson for £450m. The deal is part of the London Stock Exchange’s move into indices, derivatives and market data products and services.
Central Insurance has continued its recent expansion with the purchase of Castle Cairn Insurance Brokers for £2.3m. Castle Cairn will work closely with Central’s Glasgow office, which opened in 2010.
Premier Foods, owner of brands such as Hovis, Sharwood's, Ambrosia and Angel Delight, is to focus on a smaller number of brands following the sale of Brookes Avana to 2 Sisters Food Group for £30m. 2 Sisters will integrate Brookes Avana, which specialises in the chilled foods sectors, with its Solway Foods business.
The private equity firm Bridgepoint has acquired Wiggle for £180m. Established in 1999, Wiggle is one of the UK’s leading online cycling and tri-sports retailer, with sales of over £50m per year and over one million shopper visits a week.
Ownership of the golf equipment and accessories retailer American Golf has changed following LDC’s decision to sell its majority shareholding to rival private equity firm Sun European Partners. American Golf runs 88 stores in the UK and increased its total sales by 20% to £86.6m last year.
The German wound care and wound closure company RESORBA has been acquired by Advanced Medical Solutions (AMS) in a deal worth £55m. The purchase enables AMS to expand into Germany, Czech Republic and Russia as well as give it access to the international oral surgery market.
A deal worth £83m has seen Veolia Environment sell its 51% stake in Doméo to Homeserve. Domeo, a French provider of insured home emergency policies, was established in 2001 as a joint venture between Veolia and Homeserve. The acquisition gives Homeserve full control of the business and it plans to further develop its product range.
Arval Group has sold fuel cards provider AllStar Business Solutions to FleetCor Technologies for £194m.
Ash Gaming, which specialises in developing content for the online gaming industry, has been acquired by Playtech in a deal worth £23m. The deal increases Playtech’s wholly-owned content library.
One of the UK’s leading aerospace companies, MB Aerospace, has expanded into the American market with the purchase of Gentz Industries. The deal, which will see the group employ over 400 people, combines Gentz’s list of high profile clients, which include Rolls-Royce, Volvo Aerospace and the US Department of Defense, with MB’s expertise in global aerospace and defense supply chains.
The credit ratings agency Moody’s has acquired the risk management company Barrie & Hibbert. The purchase, which will see Barrie & Hibbert integrated into Moody’s Analytics Risk Management Software, broadens Moody’s range of insurance and pension sector software products.
The independent financial advisory group Collins Stewart Hawkpoint has been taken over by the Canadian financial services firm Canaccord Financial in a deal worth £253.3m.
Rentokil Initial is to acquire MSS Facilities Management from Managed Support Services for £6.5m.
The publishing group Pearson is expand its presence in China with the purchase of Global Education and Technology Group for £188m.
Micro Application Packages has been purchased by the American computer software design company Autodesk.
The Singapore food company SATS has sold the chilled food manufacturer Daniels to Hain Celestial in a deal worth £151m.
International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways, has agreed to buy airline British Midland (BMI) from Lufthansa.
The Centre for Food Robotics and Automation has been acquired by Stafforce Personnel.
The private equity firm Elysian Capital has bought the electrical company Volvox Group from LDC.
Northern Rock, which was taken into public ownership in February 2008, has been bought by Virgin Money. The deal is worth £747m and creates a company with over four million customers.
Universal Music is to buy EMI’s recorded music division. The deal, worth £1.2bn, sees Universal take on the record label which is home to artists such as The Beatles, Katy Perry, Coldplay and Kylie Minogue.
The scientific and high-technology instruments manufacturer Oxford Instruments has strengthened its position in the US market with the purchase of Platinum Medical Imaging.
The video search engine company Blinkx has bought the online performance advertising network and digital marketing agency Prime Visibility Media Group in a deal worth £22.4m.
The management team at Barclays Private Equity have completed a management buy-out which will see the independent investment firm be renamed as Equistone Partners Europe.
IDOX has acquired the document management company CTSpace for £11.6m.
Charter International, owner of the engineering company Howden, has agreed to be taken over by Colfax Corporation in a deal worth £1.5bn.
The infrastructure services company May Gurney has purchased TransLinc for £35m. TransLinc is a provider of specialist fleet management and passenger services to the public sector.
The insurance and reinsurance broker THB Group is to be acquired by the American insurance holding company AmWINS.
The electrical retailer Comet has been sold by Kesa Electricals to an investment group for a nominal fee. As part of the deal Kesa is to invest £50m in the business.
The digital and mobile media company Mobile Interactive Group has been bought by Velti.
Trifast has increased its international profile with the acquisition of the Malaysian industrial fastenings manufacturer Power Steel and Electro-plating Works for £15m.
Bibby Line Group has moved into the retail sector with the purchase of Costcutter.
The Identity Management specialist GB Group has purchased Capscan Parent in a deal worth £11.2m.
Ufi, the owner of the e-learning network learndirect, has been purchased by the private equity firm LDC for £40m.
The online entertainment company Global Media Vault has been acquired by Sainsbury's.
The software provider Pinnacle Computing has purchased Plus One, giving Pinnacle a second office in Scotland.
The private equity firm Alcuin has backed a management buyout of the doughnut retailer Krispy Kreme.
The private equity firm ISIS has acquired a majority stake worth £42m in the cloud computing provider Oynx.
Kerridge Commercial Systems has bought TIS Software.
The business communications provider Avaya has acquired Aurix, which specialises in phonetic speech search and analytics technology.
The optical thin film filter manufacturer EIS Optics has been purchased by the American advanced enabling materials provider Materion Corporation.
The US-based software company Quest has bought ChangeBASE.
A consortium led by businessman Rami Cassis is to take over Parseq in a deal which values the IT company at £33m.
The real time monitoring systems provider Brulines has purchased Lookout Solutions.
The German automotive parts supplier HORN has acquired Pneumatic Components Ltd (PCL).
The private equity firm Palatine has backed the secondary management buyout of WEALTH at work.
The drainage companies UK Drainage Network and Waterflow Holdings have merged to create a £50m company working across a nationwide network of 17 depots.
The private equity firm Vitruvian Partners has acquired College Group in a deal which values the PR firm at £45m.
The document management specialist Paragon Group has bought the trade and assets of Wright Printing Services of Rotherham.
Chime Communications has acquired Gulliford Consulting for £2.5m.
The Canadian-based Capstone Infrastructure Corporation has purchased a 70% stake in Bristol Water for £135m.
The ladieswear retailer Alexon has been acquired by the private investment firm Sun European Partners.
Hamworthy has bought the specialist valve manufacturer AW Flow. The deal, worth £24m, enables Hamworthy to develop its position in the offshore oil and gas market.
The 3D laser scanning specialist Z+F UK has been purchased by Aveva. The deal enables Aveva to develop its position in the 3D data capture market. In addition, a global 3D data capture Centre of Excellence will be opened in Manchester.
Sims Metal Management has acquired S3 Interactive, a company which specialises in the recovery, repair and refurbishment of handheld electronic devices such as smartphones and tablet computers.
Euro Car Parts has been purchased by American motor car parts supplier LKQ Corporation. The deal, worth an initial £225m, is the first move by LKQ into the European market.
The asset and loan finance services provider Virtual Lease Services has been acquired NetSol Technologies and Investec Asset Finance. The deal sees NetSol acquire a 51% stake and Investec 49%.
Premier Oil is to acquire EnCore in a deal which values the oil and gas exploration and production company at £221m.
The managed IT services provider Lumison BlueSquare has bought DediPower Managed Hosting in a deal which increases its combined turnover to £27.5m.
The CAD/CAM software providers Vero Software and Planit Holdings have agreed to merge.
The mobile advertising agency Fetch Media has purchased Lucidity Mobile, which will trade under the Fetch Media brand.
The information management providers Sala International and EDM Group are to merge in a deal worth £52m. The newly formed business will trade under the EDM Group name.
The Australian beer company Foster’s is to be acquired by SABMiller in a deal worth £6bn.
Nice Systems has bought Fizzback, a provider of real time market research services.
The portfolio management company Close Credit Management has been purchased by the Bluestone Group, in a deal which will see the number of accounts managed by Bluestone double.
The provider of premium carrier-neutral data centres Telecity has acquired UK Grid. The deal, worth £11.7m, gives Telecity access to an additional 1.5 megawatts of carrier neutral capacity.
The Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten has made its third European acquisition in twelve months with the purchase of Play.com for £25m.
The aerospace company Cobham has acquired the US satellite systems developer Trivec-Avant for £80m.
The content development organisation Core Gaming has purchased the game development studio Betlow.
Richardson Electronics has bought Powerlink, a provider of satellite communication equipment repair services.
The private equity firm The Carlyle Group has bought the carpet manufacturer Brintons out of administration.
Capita Group has acquired Vertex’s UK Private Sector business for £40m.
The ticketing company See Tickets has been purchased by Vivendi for £83m.
The German chemical distribution company Brenntag has acquired Multisol Group. The deal, which will see Multisol’s existing management team remaining in place, will enable Brenntag to extend its distribution network across Europe and Africa.
Travis Perkins has sold the industrial products distributor Buck & Hickman to Brammer for £27.6m.
CCI Distribution has been purchased by the storage distributor CMS Peripherals.
The technology companies CSR and Zoran Corporation have merged. The combined company has 3,000 employees and a turnover of £740m. It will continue to be listed on the London Stock Exchange.
IBM has acquired i2 as it looks to expand into the fraud and security threat reduction market.
Leading Formula 1 figures Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone have sold their majority stake in Queens Park Rangers to Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes, who founded AirAsia and owns the Team Lotus Formula 1 outfit.
The private equity firm Darwin has purchased the managed services company Attenda for £50m. The existing management team will remain in place.
The networking and communications specialist Cisco has acquired software assets and employees of Axiom Systems, the UK subsidiary of parent company Comptel Corporation.
Gazprom Global Energy Solutions has bought the technology and solutions provider Cyclo Systems International. The deal gives Gazprom access to technology which increases its portfolio of energy management services.
Autonomy, the UK’s largest internet software company, has been acquired by the computer manufacturer HP.
Aromco, a developer and manufacturer of flavours for the food and drink industry, has been purchased by Frutarom Industries for £15m. The deal gives Frutarom access to developing markets such as Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.
Balfour Beatty has bought Opl Group for £8m.
Costain has acquired the industrial support services company Promanex for £16.4m. The deal will see Promanex integrated into Costain’s infrastructure division.
The American provider of online medical research articles M3 USA has purchased Doctors.net.uk, the UK’s largest physician network. The acquisition gives M3 access to 184,000 physicians in the UK.
The Belgian luxury lingerie designer and manufacturer Van de Velde has bought an 87% majority stake in lingerie retailer Rigby & Peller.
Teaching Personnel has purchased rival teaching assistant provider Protocol Education.
The travel guide publisher Time Out has acquired the digital agency LikeCube.
The industry services provider eBECS has bought the business and key assets of business services consultancy ePartners UK.
The deal makes eBECS one of the biggest Microsoft Dynamics resellers in the UK.
The US-based operator of online coupon and deal sites WhaleShark Media has bought eConversions, which runs VoucherCodes.co.uk in the UK and Gutschein-Codes.de in Germany. The deal gives WhaleShark access to 150 million unique website visitors in 2011.
John Crane, the world’s largest manufacturer of mechanical seals, has moved into the US market with the acquisition of Turbo Components and Engineering.
The American digital marketing company IgnitionOne has purchased AdJug.
AEGON has sold Guardian Financial Services to private equity firm Cinven for £275m.
The property developer Minerva has been purchased by Jupiter Properties for £202.6m. The deal will see Minerva delisted from the London Stock Exchange.
Peter Jones, one of the five millionaire entrepreneurs to appear on Dragons Den, has sold Wireless Logic to the private equity firm ECI Partners for £35m.
Citrix Systems has purchased the software infrastructure provider Cloud.com.
Virgin Media's 50% stake in UKTV has been acquired by the US media company Scripps Networks Interactive for £239m. The other 50% is owned by BBC Worldwide, which in a related development is negotiating to increase its stake in UKTV to 60%.
Crown Telecom Solutions has purchased Strata Communications.
Google, the developer of the mobile phone operating system Android, has bought mobile phone manufacturer Motorola.
Charles Wells has acquired a 40% stake in Wells & Young’s Brewing Company from Young & Co.’s. The deal, worth £15.1m, enables Young’s to develop its portfolio of managed and tenanted pubs.
Credit Agricole Commercial Finance, provider of £3bn of finance to UK companies in 2010, has been acquired by GE Capital.
The utilities firm Northumbrian Water Group has been bought by a consortium headed by Hong Kong businessman Li Ka Shing in a deal which values the company at £2.4bn.
The energy services group Hunting is to purchase the oil and gas services provider Titan. The deal, worth £475m, gives Hunting access to the US on-shore shale oil production market.
The media management company Red Bee Media has acquired the software company TV Genius.
The computer software provider FFastFill has bought Spread Intelligence for £1.5m.
The provider of IT assurance, security and consultancy services NCC Group has purchased Axzona.
The US publisher Hearst Corporation has acquired Hachette Filipacchi and is to merge it with National Magazine Company, creating a new company called Hearst Magazines UK.
The quality and safety solutions provider Intertek has acquired the chemical and microbiological food testing lab Food Analytical Laboratories.
The international provider of essential, non-mechanical industrial services Cape has purchased York Linings International for £4m.
Saint-Gobain is to buy Build Center from Wolseley. The deal, worth £145m, will see Build Center merge with Jewson.
The management team of Jonathan Evans and Ian French has acquired Ash & Lacy Building Systems.
The digital design and build company Pushbutton has been purchased by Amazon.
Aegis Group has agreed to sell the market research firm Synovate to Ipsos in a deal worth £525m.
The mobile home and camping holiday operator Holidaybreak has been acquired by Cox & Kings, in a deal which values Holidaybreak at £312m.
The traffic and travel information provider ITIS has been acquired by the US-based company Inrix.
The IT services provider Eurodata Systems has bought by Trinity Expert Systems, creating a team of 450 IT consultants.
Keepmoat and Apollo Group, two of the UK’s leading social housing development companies, have merged to create a business with expected revenues of £1bn.
C&G Concrete has been bought out of administration by Breedon Aggregates in a deal worth £10m.
Egg’s mortgage and savings business has been purchased by Yorkshire Building Society. The Egg brand is part of the deal as well.
The provider of commercial credit information to small and medium enterprises, LM Group, has been acquired by Experian.
The traffic management software company Zeus Technology has been purchased by the American IT performance business Riverbed Technology.
The media sector investment company Writtle Holdings has acquired Loewy Group.
The mutual life and pensions company Royal London is to acquire Co-operative Financial Services’ life and asset management businesses.
The marketing and communications company Hasgrove has sold Interel to its management team for £8m.
The marketing services group Chime Communications has bought Reynolds-MacKenzie. The deal will see Reynolds-MacKenzie become part of Chime’s healthcare division, OPEN Health.
The marketing services provider Multi Resource Marketing (MRM) has been acquired by HighCo. MRM’s management team will remain in place.
The Spanish packaging company Unipapel has purchased Spicers from DS Smith.
The private equity firm Sovereign Capital has backed two takeovers in the healthcare sector, Select Living Options has acquired Inclusion Care and City & County Healthcare Group has purchased Community and Homecare Services.
GKN has acquired the German manufacturer of industrial power management components Stromag. The deal, worth £146m, will see Stromag integrated into GKN’s land systems division.
The electrical equipment distributor Edmundson Electrical has acquired Electric Center from Wolseley.
Sports Direct has acquired a majority stake in the young branded fashion West Coast Capital, and the luxury retailer Cruise Clothing. The deal sees Sports Direct investing up to £20m into the new acquired businesses.
The strategic media planning company MediaVest has been purchased by Aegis Group in a deal which values MediaVest at £95m.
The international multi–brand fleet management division of BMW Group, Alphabet, has bought ING Car Lease in a deal worth £560m.
The chilled and frozen convenience food manufacturer Uniq has been purchased by the Irish food company Greencore for £113m.
The web design agency Baigent Digital has been acquired by the Convio, an American provider of online fundraising, marketing and CRM services.
The private equity firm RJD Partners has backed a management buyout of the ICT provider Intrinsic Technology, in a deal worth £30m.
UKSolutions, Protel and NetworkFlow, three of the UK’s leading managed data services providers, have merged to form a new group which consists of four offices across the UK and 900 customers.
The ID verification services supplier GB Group has purchased Data Discoveries.
The footwear chain Schuh has been purchased by the American retailer Genesco. The deal, worth £100m, will see the existing UK-based management team remain in place.
Home Retail Group, the owner of Argos and Homebase, has acquired the Habitat brand, its brand designs, intellectual property in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, the Habitat UK website and three of its London stores for £24.5m.
The global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group has bought the car insurance and breakdown cover provider RAC from Aviva. The deal, worth £1.0bn, will enable Aviva to focus on its core insurance and savings businesses.
Rontec Investments, a consortium led by the UK forecourt operator Snax 24, has purchased Total’s UK retail network, consisting of 810 Total-branded service stations and its Butler heating oil business, as well as its Channel Islands and Isle of Man businesses.
The scientific and high-technology instrument manufacturer Oxford Instruments has acquired the German-based Omicron NanoTechnology for £28m. It has also purchased Omniprobe for £12m.
The marketing services business Orchestra Bristol has been bought out of administration by Communisis.
The London theatre ticket agent West End Theatre Bookings has been sold by Holidaybreak to Encore Tickets for £10.9m.
The international publishing group Pearson has acquired Education Development International.
The private equity firm Melrose has sold die cast component provider Dynacast to KDI Holdings for £360m.
SeaEnergy has sold its offshore marine renewables development subsidiary SeaEnergy Renewables to the Spanish energy company Repsol. The deal, worth £38.8m, gives Repsol control of three offshore wind farm sites off the coast of Scotland.
The nationwide truck rental and contract hire company Hill Hire has been acquired by Ryder Europe for £154m. Ryder is now responsible for a fleet of 10,000 HGVs.
The Dutch-based component manufacturer Mors Smitt has purchased STS Rail from Key Technologies. STS Rail will continue to manufacture components in the UK.
The bed and mattress manufacturer Silentnight has been bought by the private equity firm H.I.G. Europe in a deal which secures 1,250 jobs.
The metal recycling company Dunn Brothers has been acquired by Sims Group UK.
The US-based telecommunications carrier Global Telecom & Technology has purchased PacketExchange.
A management buyout of the consumer financial services group MoneyPlus has been completed with the backing of the private equity firm Palatine Private Equity.
The Danish coatings supplier Hempel has acquired Crown Paints from the private equity firm Endless for £140m.
The wholesale flower company Flower World has been bought by the supermarket Morrisons.
The private equity firm Graphite Capital has sold the shoe retailer Kurt Geiger to Jones Group for £215m.
Capita Group has acquired healthcare recruitment firm Team24 for £24m. In a separate deal, Capita has purchased Call Centre Technology for £15m.
The international service company Serco has purchased the Indian business process outsourcing firm Intelenet. The deal, worth £385m, enables Serco to enter the Indian domestic market.
Betfred has bought the Tote for £265m. As part of the deal Betfred has been awarded an exclusive seven year licence to operate pool betting on UK racecourses.
The global technology business Vislink has acquired Gigawave for £3.75m.
TowerBrook Capital Partners has sold the luxury shoes and accessories brand Jimmy Choo to private equity firm Labelux.
Twitter has acquired TweetDeck, a developer of third party software applications used to access social networking sites on a variety of platforms.
The private equity firm Exponent has bought Pattonair, the supply chain division of Umeco.
International Game Technology has sold the gaming machine designer and manufacturer Barcrest Group to Scientific Games for £33m.
Sword Insurance, a provider of computer software products to insurance companies, has been acquired by the private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners.
The US-based foodservice equipment manufacturer Middleby has purchased catering equipment manufacturer Lincat for £57.9m.
Ensco, a provider of offshore drilling services, has bought the US-based offshore drilling company Pride International.
The property consultants Jones Lang LaSalle and King Sturge have merged to form a business operating in 70 countries across the EMEA region.
The Hut Group has purchased the online sports nutrition retailer Myprotein.com.
Portsmouth Football Club has been acquired by the Russian businessman Vladimir Antonov.
Verta Energy Trading, a provider of energy from waste materials, has purchased the waste oil procurement and handling company ML Oils. The deal gives Verta access to enough waste liquid biomass to generate 4MW of electricity.
Russian billionaire Alexander Mamut has acquired the book retailer Waterstone’s from HMV. The deal, worth £53m, allows HMV to reduce its short term borrowing requirements.
The biopharmaceutical company Shire has purchased US-based Advanced BioHealing. The deal, worth £461m, enables Shire to establish a regenerative medicine business unit.
NVIDIA, the US-based manufacturer of PC gaming graphics cards, has acquired computer components developer Icera. The deal, worth £226m, enables NVIDIA to move into the 3G and 4G cellular phones and tablets market.
Halma has purchased the US-based security systems manufacturer Kirk Key Interlock for £9m.
The cloud infrastructure and hosted services provider, Nimbus Technology Systems, has been bought by Trustmarque.
The PR company Next Fifteen has acquired the digital agency CMG Worldwide.
Businessman Craig Whyte has bought Glasgow Rangers Football Club from Sir David Murray for a nominal fee.
William Hill has moved into the US sports betting industry with the purchase of Brandywine Bookmaking for £8.5m.
The financial management systems provider PSCAL has been acquired by Civica.
The safety and survival equipment manufacturer Survitec has bought the Marine business of Cosalt. The deal, worth £31m, will see the newly purchased company be rebranded Survitec Service and Distribution.
Wrekin Grain, a provider of a range of services to the farming community, has been purchased by Wynnstay. The deal will see Wrekin Grain merge with Shropshire Grain to form a new business called GrainLink.
The US-based chemical company Techne Corporation has purchased the provider of chemical, peptide and antibody products Tocris for £75m.
The fashion brand AllSaints has been bought by private equity firm Lion Capital.
Leeds Skin, which runs an independent commercial testing facility, has been purchased by the pharmaceutical company Syntopix.
Yorkshire Building Society and Norwich & Peterborough Building Society are to merge. The enlarged society, which will take the Yorkshire Building Society name, will consist of 3 million members and 224 branches.
The US-based school technology provider Schoolnet has been purchased by Pearson for £140m.
Microsoft has acquired Skype, the world’s leading provider of free phone calls over the internet, for £5bn. The deal will see Skype integrated into a range of Microsoft products and devices, including Xbox Live, Kinect and Windows Phone.
The fitness club chain Virgin Active Health Clubs has acquired Esporta Health Clubs. Virgin Active is now responsible for 124 clubs across the UK.
The pub retailer and brewer Greene King has purchased Realpubs. The deal, worth £53.1m, will see Greene King take over Realpubs' 14 premium London pubs.
The Dutch-based technical services provider Imtech has acquired Smith Group.
PTS UK, an operator of heavy goods vehicles, has been acquired by the Swedish-based logistics specialist Greencarrier. The deal, which will see PTS renamed as Greencarrier PTS Ltd, gives Greencarrier a permanent presence in the UK.
Tesco has acquired an 80% stake in the movie and TV streaming site blinkbox.
The Carlyle Group has sold The Mill, one of the world's leading producers of digital visual effects, to Barclays Private Equity for £119m.
The Global web hosting business UK2 Group has been purchased by the private equity firm LDC, in a deal worth £47m.
The insurance underwriter Chaucer Holdings is to be bought by The Hanover Insurance Group for £313m.
Inflexion Private Equity has acquired the home shopping channel operator Ideal Shopping Direct for £78m.
American billionaire Stan Kroenke has acquired a majority stake in Arsenal Football Club, in a deal which values the Premier League side at £731m. Mr Kroenke has stated that the deal will not be funded by debt financed against the club, and that no additional funds will be made available for transfer dealings.
The print services provider Right Document Solutions has been purchased by Capita for £30m.
The email marketing software and services provider smartFOCUS has been purchased by the US-based Emailvision. The deal gives Emailvision the opportunity to establish itself in the UK market.
The vehicle tracking companies Cybit and Masternaut are to merge. The new company will use the Masternaut name and employ 500 people across 32 countries.
The discount department store TJ Hughes has been acquired by private equity firm Endless, in a deal involving senior industry figure Anthony Solomon, who takes on the role of Executive Chairman along with a substantial shareholding.
Sun European Partners LLP has acquired the flexible plastic packaging specialists Britton Flexibles and the magazine printers Polestar.
Islamic Bank of Britain, the UK's first FSA approved Islamic bank, has been acquired by Qatar International Islamic Bank in a deal which values the bank at £25m.
Fourth Hospitality, the UK's leading supplier of computer software to the hospitality industry, has been bought in a management buyout backed by private equity firm ECI Partners.
The right to trade under the name Auto Windscreens, the company which went into administration and then liquidation in February 2011, has been bought by Trifords, which is part of the Markerstudy Group.
Baker Tilly is to merge with Richardson Groves, in a move which will see the size of its Bath office double.
The mobile satellite operator Inmarsat has acquired the Norwegian provider of maritime communications services Ship Equip International, in a deal worth £100m.
The accounting software provider Access has completed a management buy-out, backed by private equity firm Lyceum Capital, in a deal worth £50m.
White Young Green has sold the civil engineering company Adams Kara Taylor in a management buy-out which is backed by the Swedish engineering group Tyrens.
Premier Foods has sold its canned operations to Princes Foods for £182m. The deal includes Premier Foods' sites at Long Sutton and Wisbech, which employ a combined total of 1,000 people, and the brands Crosse & Blackwell, Fray Bentos and Farrow.
The health insurance plan provider Westfield Health has purchased PatientChoice.
Web TV Enterprise, the UK's largest premium online video ad network, has been acquired by the American media company Collective.
The cleaning and hygiene consumable products manufacturer Cannon Consumables has been purchased from OCS Group by Bunzl.
Facebook has bought the developer of mobile phone apps Snaptu. The newly acquired company develops Facebook related apps which allow the social networking site to be used on a wide range of mobile phones.
wagamama, which runs 70 Japanese-style noodle bars across the UK, has been acquired by private equity firm Duke Street.
Prism DM, a provider of home shopping fulfilment services, has bought the digital agency Digivate.
Arcus is to acquire commercial port operator Forth Ports for £760m.
The catering equipment manufacturer Lincat has been bought by the American cooking equipment supplier Middleby. The deal, worth £58m, enables Middleby to build its presence in the UK and gives Lincat access to an established worldwide distribution network.
Spectron Group, a broker of wholesale energy and a range of commodity products, has been acquired by Marex Group for £94.5m.
The insurance company Castle Cover, which specialises in providing insurance products to over 50s, has been purchased by Ageas for £52.8m.
The IT security company McAfee has acquired the database security, monitoring and intrusion prevention firm Sentrigo. The deal allows McAfee to position itself as a market leader in database security.
The US-based medical product supplier Utah Medical Products has purchased Femcare, a company which designs and manufactures medical products for use in gynaecology, general surgery and urology. Its best known brand is the Filshie Clip System, a female surgical contraception device.
The luxury holiday specialist Kuoni has acquired Gullivers Travel Associates for £440m.
The contact centre services provider The Listening Company has been purchased by Serco for £42.1m. The Listening Company will be integrated into Serco's Local Government & Commercial division.
Essential Viewing Systems, a provider of surveillance products, has been acquired by homeland security specialist Digital Barriers for £4.9m.
SLR Management has bought South African environmental consultancy Metago for £7m. This is SLR's fourth acquisition in the resources and energy sectors in the last twelve months.
Avisen has sold Inca Software, a computer software company which specialises in working with IBM products and services, to Logicalis.
Advanced Childcare, a provider of outsourced children's care and education services, has been acquired by private equity firm GI Partners for £28m.
The fertiliser blender and distributor J&H Bunn has been bought by Koch Fertiliser.
The provider of contact centre and fulfilment services Spark Response has acquired the assets of Ethicalsuperstore.com, the online retailer which had been in administration. The newly purchased business will operate as part of a new subsidiary company, Spark etail Limited.
The publisher of health and social care journals Pier Professional has been bought by Emerald Group Publishing. The deal expands Emerald's range of health and social care journals by 23.
The Swedish industrial group Trelleborg has purchased PPL Polyurethane Products, a developer and manufacturer of polyurethane-based products.
Kleinwort Benson has acquired Close Brothers' trust, fund administration, asset management and banking business in Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. The deal, worth £29.1m, allows Close Brothers to focus on its UK-based wealth and asset management activities.
The Foundry, a provider of technology to feature film studios and post production houses, has been bought by The Carlyle Group.
The experiential marketing company The Icon Group has been acquired by Chime Communications for £11m.
The video search engine firm blinkx has purchased the online advertising services company Burst Media Corporation for £18.5m.
The private equity firm AnaCap has acquired the consumer debt purchasing company Cabot Financial. The deal sees Cabot merge with Apex Credit Management, which is also owned by AnaCap.
The Forum for Expatriate Management has been bought by Centaur Media for £2.5m.
eviivo, an online reservation and property management system provider, has been purchased by private equity firm Investcorp in a deal worth £30m.
The energy consultancy Power Efficiency has been bought by Balfour Beatty. The deal, worth £18m, will see Power Efficiency be integrated into Balfour Beatty WorkPlace to create a business with over 100 technical specialists and account managers.
The construction and civil engineering company Costain has acquired a 75% stake in support services provider ClerkMaxwell. The deal, worth £2.4m, will see ClerkMaxwell be integrated into Costain's energy & process division.
G4S has purchased The Cotswold Group, a provider of surveillance, fraud analytics, intelligence and investigations services, for £10m.
Allied Healthcare has purchased the domiciliary homecare company ScotHomecare for £2.5m. The acquisition makes Allied the largest provider of domiciliary care in Scotland.
The pharmaceutical companies IS Pharma and Sinclair Pharma have agreed to merge. The new company, to be called Sinclair IS Pharma, will be headquartered in the UK with direct distribution operations in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Ireland.
The IFA firm Cavanagh has been bought by Close Brothers in a deal worth £26.2m.
The US-based pharmaceutical company SuperGen and the UK-based biotechnology company Astex Therapeutics have agreed to merge, forming a new company called Astex Pharmaceuticals.
The private mental health services provider Priory Group has acquired the autism and learning disabilities services provider Craegmoor Group.
The motor retail group Lookers has purchased Get Motoring. The deal enables Lookers to extend its vehicle leasing business.
Sense Enterprise Solutions, a provider of computing services to the manufacturing and distribution sectors, has been acquired by K3.
Charter International, owner of the engineering companies ESAB and Howden, has acquired the Dutch-based Thomassen Compression Systems for £87m. Thomassen is to combine with Howden to create a world leader in hydrogen compression products.
Accumuli, a provider of network security technologies and services, has purchased the IT security company Boxing Orange for £7.5m. This is Accumuli's third acquisition in this sector since November 2010.
The TV production company The Mob, best known for adapting Sir Terry Pratchett's “Discworld” books to TV, has been bought by Red Arrow Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of the German media company ProSiebenSat.
The technical services organisation Moody International has been purchased by Intertek. The deal will enable Intertek to extend its operations across Eastern Europe, South America and Africa.
Hill & Smith Holdings has acquired the US-based Paterson Group for £28m. The deal enables Hill & Smith to establish a presence and work on projects in the nuclear power market.
The electronic components manufacturer Laird has bought the German-based cooling systems specialist Kluver. The acquisition means Laird is able to offer a full range of complex and critical temperature control services.
The price comparison website BeatThatQuote.com, which specialises in financial services products, has been acquired by Google for £37.7m.
The Irish business support services company DCC has purchased print cartridge distributor Advent Data for £20.8m.
Halma, a manufacturer of products for hazard detection and life protection, has bought the Swiss medical device specialist Medicel for £46.6m.
BP has acquired the Brazilian ethanol and sugar producer CNAA. The deal, worth £422m, is the latest move by BP into the biofuel sector.
Origin Enterprises, an Irish-based provider of agricultural services, has purchased United Agri Products for £33m and Rigby Taylor for £9.2m.
UK Wealth Management, the parent company for a group of wealth management and employee benefit firms, has been bought by private equity firm Duke Street.
The print management company IOT Plc has been acquired by Sharp Electronics.
The Japanese company ITOCHU Corporation has purchased Kwik-Fit for £637m.
The aircraft servicing company BBA Aviation has acquired GE Aviation Systems' legacy fuel measurement business in a deal worth £38.5m. The newly purchased company has operations in the UK, US and Singapore, all of which will transfer to the nearest BBA Aviation location.
Whitbread subsidiary Costa, which runs 1200 coffee shops in the UK, has bought Coffee Nation for £59.5m. Costa plans to use this deal to launch a new self-serve coffee bar brand, Costa Express.
Hawk-Eye, the company behind the tracking technology used to eliminate umpiring mistakes in cricket and tennis, has been acquired by Sony. As part of the deal Hawk-Eye will become part of the B2B branch of Sony Europe.
The data shredding company Shred Easy has been purchased by PHS Datashred.
The digital imaging and printing services company Concept Group has been bought by Xerox.
The world's largest digital marketing network, Digitas, is to merge with Kitcatt Nohr to form Kitcatt Nohr Digitas. The new agency will be owned by Publicis Groupe and its clients will include John Lewis, Samsung and Toyota.
Capita, the UK's largest business process outsourcing company, has acquired computer software provider Talis Information for £18.5m.
The private equity firm Electra Partners is to acquire Sentinel Performance Solutions for £43m from The Riverside Company.
The electricity company International Power has been acquired by French-based gas and electricity supplier GDF SUEZ. The combined operation will have power generation capabilities of over 66,000MW.
The bluetooth and wireless technology provider CSR plc is to purchase the US-based imaging and video technology firm Zoran, in a deal worth $679m.
The specialty pharmaceutical company ProStrakan Group has been purchased for £292m by the Japanese pharmaceutical company Kyowa Hakko Kirin. The deal will give Kyowa Hakko Kirin a sales and marketing base in Europe and the US.
Diageo, the alcohol company responsible for brands such as Guinness, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker, is to acquire Turkey's biggest spirits producer and distributor, Mey Icki, in a deal worth £1.2bn.
Europe's second-largest steel producer, Tata Steel, is to sell certain assets of Teesside Cast Products (TCP) to Thailand's largest steel producer, Sahaviriya Steel Industries. The deal, worth £269m, includes the Redcar Blast Furnace, the Redcar and South Bank coke ovens, TCP's power generation facilities and sinter plant, and the Lackenby steelmaking and casting facilities.
The consultancy, engineering and project management services company Amec has purchased qedi, a provider of services to the oil and gas industry in the UK, Gulf of Mexico, Middle East, the Caspian and Australia.
S&D Group, a specialist supplier of products to the pharmaceutical, food, personal care and performance chemicals industries, has been bought by chemicals distributor Azelis.
The provider of payments automation software for direct debits, Direct Debit Limited, has been acquired by Bottomline Technologies.
Facilities Services Group, backed by NBGI Private Equity, has completed a £9m management buy-out from Spice.
The US-based digital media software provider Sensing Systems has been acquired by OMG plc, a provider of motion capture and visual geometry services, for £5.3m.
The digital and mobile media company Mobile Interactive Group has purchased Golden Bytes, a marketing services company based in the Netherlands and Belgium. The deal, which involves Golden Bytes adopting the Mobile Interactive Group brand, will see consolidated revenues exceed £100m.
The computer software developer BusinessSolve has been acquired by the US-based workplace management technology provider PeopleCube. The deal is PeopleCube's second acquisition in the UK in the last five years.
The pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis is to buy Genzyme, one of the world's leading biotechnology companies, in a deal worth $20bn.
The pan-European equity trading system Chi-X Europe has been purchased by the equities trading platform BATS Europe. The newly formed company, to be called BATS Chi-X Europe, will be one of the largest pan-European trading centres.
Publicis Groupe has acquired the UK-based creative and social media agency Holler. It will become part of the Leo Burnett Group, which is also owned by Publicis.
The healthcare company Assura Group has acquired the investment firm AH Medical Properties, creating the largest primary care property and pharmacy group in the UK.
The commercial property investor The British Land Company has acquired Green Lanes Shopping Centre in Barnstaple for £30m, increasing its shopping centre portfolio to 12.
News Corporation has acquired Shine Group, the television production company founded by Rupert Murdoch's daughter Elisabeth, for £415m.
The support services and construction company Carillion has acquired the energy solutions provider Eaga.
The business telecoms provider Daisy Group has acquired O-bit Telecom.
The plastic packaging manufacturer RPC Group has acquired the European company Superfos Industries.
The marketing support company Affiliate Media has been bought out by its partner company Electric Word. Affiliate has provided marketing services to Electric Word's subsidiary company iGaming Business since 2006.
The US-based collaboration and conference communications services provider InterCall has purchased the computer systems provider POSTcti.
The chemical manufacturing and distribution group Tennants Consolidated has acquired Tessenderlo Fine Chemicals from its parent company Tessenderlo Group in a deal worth £17m. As part of the deal Tessenderlo, a chemical products provider, will be renamed Tennants Fine Chemicals.
The US-based environmental equipment manufacturer In-Situ has purchased Waterra, a provider of groundwater monitoring and measurement equipment. The deal will see the UK operations merging, with the Waterra office becoming the administrative and sales centre.
The stockbroking firm Astaire Group has sold its subsidiary Rowan Dartington to a consortium of private investors led by the experienced industry figure Graham Coxell, who has been appointed as chief executive as part of the deal.
The safety systems provider Kee Safety has sold a majority investment to the private equity firm LDC. Kee Safety exports brands such as KeeGuard, Kee Line, Kee Walk, Kee Access and Kee Klamp to over 35 countries worldwide.
The UK's fourth-largest supermarket chain Morrisons has purchased the online baby products retailer Kiddicare for £70m. The deal is part of Morrisons ongoing aim to build its online non-food business.
The water construction and engineering firm Biwater Services has been purchased by the US-based water systems investment and management specialist MWH.
The event management company WorldEvent has been acquired by the Irish-based United Drug.
Molson Coors, the global brewer responsible for alcoholic brands such as Carling and Grolsch, has acquired Sharp's Brewery in Cornwall, and added the company's Doom Bar cask beer to its portfolio. Doom Bar is the number one selling cask brand in the South West and Wales.
The offshore contract drilling provider Ensco is to merge with Pride International creating the world's second-largest offshore driller, with 74 rigs globally.
Greene King has acquired Cloverleaf Restaurants, a group of 12 pubs in North England and the Midlands, for £55.8m.
The specialist engineering and construction group Renew Holdings is to acquire Amco Group Holdings, an engineering firm in the rail and energy sectors, for £19.8m.
Nestle Health Science, a subsidiary of Nestle that specialises in science-based nutrition, has acquired the UK-based pharmaceutical firm CM&D Pharma.
The high street footwear chain Jones Bootmaker has been purchased by the European non-food retailer Macintosh Retail Group.
In partnership with Palamon Capital Partners, The Carlyle Group has acquired Integrated Dental Holdings, a dental services provider with 315 practices in the UK. Carlyle plans to merge IDH with Associated Dental Practices and open several new branches.
The eye care and laser surgery provider Optegra has acquired Augentis, a group of four ophthalmic clinics in Germany.
The UK-based recruitment company Aston Carter Group has been sold by Baird Capital Partners Europe to the US firm Allegis Group.
London Stock Exchange Group is to merge with the Canadian stock exchange TMX Group creating the world's largest listings venue for SMEs and emerging markets, as well as the natural resources, mining, energy and clean technology sectors.
Following the recent disposal of its meat-free business, Premier Foods has sold its canned grocery operations for £182m to the food group Princes. Several major brands will be included in the sale including the Crosse & Blackwell, Fray Bentos and Smedley's brands.
The consumer data specialist Callcredit Information Group has acquired the digital marketing agency Latitude Digital Marketing.
The toiletries and cosmetics packaging company Albéa has acquired Betts Group, a supplier of laminate tubes to the oral care and personal care sectors.
Premier Foods has sold its meat-free Quorn and Cauldron brands to Exponent Private Equity and Intermediate Capital Group for £205m.
Royal Bank of Scotland Group has sold the mental health care provider Priory Group to the private equity firm Advent International for £925m.
The media and education group Pearson is to increase its minority share in the Indian online tutoring and education technology company TutorVista to 76% for $127m.
Lloyds Development Capital has acquired a majority share in the records management firm Sala International for £11.5m.
The frozen food and cold storage company Yearsley Group has acquired Ice Pak Seafood Specialists. It will become part of the Yearsley Food Sales division.
The aerospace manufacturing firm Gardner Group has acquired Blade Tooling and Blade Technology from administrators.
Stagecoach Group has sold its subsidiary Preston Bus to the travel management group Rotala for £3m.
May Gurney Integrated Services has acquired the Scottish utility infrastructure contractor Turriff Group for around £13.6m.
Redeem, a recycling company that specialises in mobile phones, printer cartridges and electronic devices, has been acquired in a management buy-in.
The oil distribution firm NWF Fuels has acquired Evesons Fuels, adding an 80 million litre depot and 21 tankers to its fleet. NWF will retain the Evesons brand name.
The soft drinks and juices manufacturer Refresco has acquired the Italian carbonated drinks company Spumador.
The UK-based tax and accounting firm ATC Solutions has been acquired by Tricor Aldbridge, a subsidiary of The Bank of East Asia Group.
The online gaming software company Playtech has acquired Intelligent Gaming Systems, a provider of casino management systems.
British Sky Broadcasting Group has acquired The Cloud Networks, a provider of wi-fi technologies and services for companies such as Marriott and Pret A Manger.
Amazon.com is to acquire the remaining shares in LOVEFiLM that it does not already own. Amazon currently has a minority stake in the online DVD rental company.
The plastic packaging manufacturer LINPAC Group has sold five non-core business units to Chamonix Private Equity. Previously classed as LINPAC's speciality businesses, the five units are LINPAC Storage Systems, LINPAC Environmental, LINPAC Recycling, Intellident and LINPAC Metal Decorating. LINPAC now expects to generate 90% of sales from its plastic packaging products.
The social gaming company RockYou has acquired the UK-based firm Playdemic, which is responsible for the popular Facebook title Gourmet Ranch. Playdemic will continue to operate separately and develop Facebook games for the mainstream audience.
The investment firm Endless has acquired the UK-based steel manufacturer Niagara Lasalle from its US parent company for £27m. It has also completed its largest investment to date by backing the management buy-out of the business process outsourcing firm Liberata.
Adding to its existing portfolio of 437 stores, the supermarket chain Morrisons is to acquire 16 former Netto UK stores for £28.1m.
GE has acquired Remote Energy Monitoring, a provider of metering technology based in the UK.
The global security company Securitas is to acquire the UK-based firm Chubb Security Personnel for around £31m.
WS Atkins, the engineering and design firm, has acquired the Danish bridge consultancy Gimsing & Madsen for around £2.8m.
Callcredit Information Group has acquired the transactional data provider The Trading Floor.
Henderson Group is to acquire Gartmore Group, creating one of the largest retail asset managers in the UK with around £78 billion of assets under management.
Ultra Electronics has acquired the US-based portable power manufacturer Adaptive Materials and the wireless networks and communications firm 3e Technologies International.
Trescal, the European calibration services provider, has expanded in the US with the acquisition of Dynamic Technology.
The property website Zoopla.co.uk has acquired Houseprices.co.uk, a provider of information on sold house prices.
The energy services company PSN has been acquired by John Wood Group and will merge with its production facilities business to become Wood Group PSN.
Young's & Co Brewery has acquired Geronimo Group for £60m, an estate of 26 food-led managed pubs.
The British food company Seafood Holdings has been acquired by the South African firm Bidvest, which also owns the UK foodservice distributor 3663.
RPM Performance Coatings Group has acquired the UK-based construction materials supplier Pipeline & Drainage Systems.
BAE Systems is to acquire the Danish technology and intelligence firm ETI Holdings for £137m.
The marketing communications company WPP has acquired the US digital agency Blue State Digital and its UK subsidiary.
The US-based metal packaging company Ball Corporation is to expand in Europe with the acquisition of the aluminium can manufacturer Aerocan for €221m.
As part of an agreement to form a strategic alliance with the Swiss company Helsinn Healthcare, IS Pharma has acquired its Irish division Helsinn Birex.
Automated Systems Group, a provider of printers and copiers, has completed a management buy-out backed by Matrix Private Equity Partners.
The corporate finance and broking firm Westhouse Holdings has acquired Smith's Holdings and its subsidiary Smith's Corporate Advisory, which will continue to operate under its existing name.
The surveillance and security company Quadnetics Group has acquired the defence systems specialist Persides Technology.
OpenBet, a software supplier in the betting industry, has completed a management buy-out backed by Vitruvian Partners.
The international technology firm TAKE Solutions has acquired the UK-based WCI Consulting Group.
The UK-based tea and coffee company Keith Spicer has been acquired by Harris Tea.
Information Services Group has acquired the UK-based IT benchmarking specialist Compass, which is to work in partnership with the group's sourcing advisory division TPI.
Diploma, a group of companies providing technical products and services, has acquired a Canadian medical device distribution firm Carsen Medical for £14.2m.
The wine company Constellation Brands is to sell an 80% stake in its Australian and UK business, Constellation Brands Australia and Europe, to CHAMP Private Equity in Australia, including nearly all of its Australian, UK and South African brands and facilities.
The outsourcing firm Capita Group has acquired SunGard Public Sector Holdings for £86m, a firm providing ICT, radio network and communication services in the emergency services and government sectors. Capita has also purchased the business accommodation and venue booking agency BSI Holdings for £42.5m. As a result, Capita will be one of the top five largest business travel providers in the market.
In association with Bouygues Batiment International, the construction firm Leadbitter Group has completed a management buy-out from its Dutch parent company Heijmans. Bouygues will acquire a majority stake.
Dollar Financial UK, a subsidiary of the consumer finance company Dollar Financial Group, has acquired the online loans provider Purpose UK Holdings, trading as PaydayUK. It has also acquired the Scandinavian pawn lending business Sefina Finance.
Brunner Mond UK, a manufacturing subsidiary of Tata Chemicals, has acquired the vacuum salt production company British Salt.
Attraction World, a provider of theme park and attraction tickets to the travel sector, has completed a management buy-out backed by Maven Capital Partners worth £6.9m, with a view to growing the business and expanding into Germany.
The investment firm 3i has acquired the European medical supplies wholesaler OneMed Group.
Biotec Services International, a supplier of pharmaceutical clinical trial services, has completed a management buy-out backed by Finance Wales.
Ardagh Glass Group has acquired the metal packaging firm Impress Group for €1.7m. The enlarged business will have 81 global facilities and will be renamed Ardagh Packaging Group.
Dechra Pharmaceuticals has acquired the veterinary pharmaceuticals company Genitrix for £5.4m.
The healthcare services company United Drug has acquired the events management agency World Events Group for £13.5m. It will become part of United Drug's contract sales and marketing services division.
The insurance company Paternoster is to sell a majority share in the business to Rothesay Life.
iSoft Group has sold its business accounting and procurement software division iSoft Business Solutions to Capita Group for £23m. The company will be renamed IB Solutions.
Straight, a company that specialises in waste and recycling products, has acquired Tapmagic, a water saving device company, of which it already owned 30%.
The document storage company Restore has acquired Formsafe.
The e-commerce retailer The Hut Group has acquired the male health and beauty company Mankind Direct for £2.5m.
The plastic packaging manufacturer RPC Group has acquired the European firm Superfos.
The Weir Group has acquired a 76% share in the Spanish wind power maintenance company Ynfiniti Engineering Services. This follows Weir's recent purchase of American Hydro Corporation, a manufacturer of hydro-electric turbine components.
The insurance and holiday company Saga Group has acquired the health and social care services provider Nestor Healthcare Group.
GlaxoSmithKline has acquired the Chinese pharmaceutical company Nanjing MeiRui Pharma for $70m, as it moves to expand in the region. Glaxo has also enhanced its nutritional healthcare offering with the acquisition of Maxinutrition Group for £162m, the company responsible for the sports nutrition brand Maximuscle.
Standard Life is to acquire the financial software and consultancy firm Focus Solutions Group.
MasterCard has acquired the prepaid card program management operations of the UK-based foreign exchange supplier Travelex for £290m. The CPM division delivers prepaid travel cards, known as cash passports, to financial institutions, retailers, travel agents and bureau de change outlets.
The UK-based chemicals production firm Yule Catto is to acquire the German manufacturer PolymerLatex Group for £376m.
Reckitt Benckiser Group has acquired Paras Pharmaceuticals, a health and personal care business based in India, for around £460m.
Imagination Technologies, a multimedia technology development firm, is to acquire Caustic Graphics for £17.1m. Caustic has developed graphics technology that can bring cinema quality 3D images to mainstream applications.
A 50% share in South East Water has been acquired by the Canadian public pension fund management company The Caisse for £165m.
Alliance Boots has acquired a 51.65% stake in the German pharmaceutical wholesaler ANZAG for €143m, bringing its total shareholding to 81.64%.
The commercial property company Land Securities has purchased Overgate shopping centre in Dundee for £141m.
Inflexion Private Equity has acquired Asperity Employee Benefits in a management buy-out worth £25.5m. Asperity operates employee discount schemes and benefits packages.
The business support services group Green Compliance has made its third acquisition in the pest control industry with the acquisition of the independent firm Enviroguard.
The private equity firm Silverfleet Capital has acquired the high street footwear retailer Office, which now has 75 stores in the UK.
The business telecommunications provider Daisy Group has acquired NEG MBO Two, a company specialising in communications services for the primary care sector, for £23.5m.
JPMorgan Asset Management has sold its subsidiary company Save & Prosper Insurance to Chesnara.
The independent music company Chrysalis has been acquired for £107.4m by Bidco, a subsidiary of the music publisher BMG Luxco.
Stuart Canvas, a manufacturer of sports ground and haulage covers, has acquired JMS Cricket. Both companies will continue to trade under their existing names.
The first aid and safety supplies company Kays Medical has acquired DM Wood Medical, a leading distributor in the public and private sectors.
YFM Private Equity has backed a management buy-out of two industrial manufacturing firms, Conflow and Bestobell Valves.
Bridgepoint Development Capital has acquired BAS, a specialist provider of building energy management systems, in a management buy-out.
The business process outsourcing firm Arvato has acquired Credit Solutions, a debt collection agency, from ISIS Equity Partners for £10m.
Mergers & acquisitions 2010
The retail property company Westfield Group is to sell a 50% stake in its UK development Westfield Stratford City, located in a key location at the London 2012 Olympics site, for £871.5m. The investors are APG in the Netherlands and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
The private equity firm Nordic Capital has acquired Britax Childcare, a manufacturer of car seats, pushchairs and bike seats.
3i Group continues to invest in the testing and inspection industry with the acquisition of Stork Materials Technology, a network of independent materials testing laboratories, for £130m.
Laird, an electronics and technology company headquartered in London, has acquired Cattron Group International for £56.5m. Cattron specialises in industrial radio remote control products, giving Laird the opportunity to expand its wireless machine-to-machine portfolio.
SABMiller has entered the Argentinean market with the acquisition of CASA Isenbeck, the third-largest brewer in the country.
A 50% share in the international publishing company Time Out has been acquired by Oakley Capital Private Equity, with plans to grow the brand across its numerous print and digital channels.
Thomas Cook Group has acquired a majority stake in the Russian travel company VAO Intourist, as it moves to expand in emerging markets. In Russia the travel industry is fast-growing, with a high demand for beach and family holidays and over six million people booking packaged deals in 2009.
Capital Shopping Centres Group has acquired The Trafford Centre Group, operator of The Trafford Centre shopping mall in Manchester. CSC now owns 14 shopping centres in the UK.
On behalf of Wyndham Vacation Rentals, the holiday accommodation specialist Wyndham Worldwide has acquired the UK-based company James Villa Holidays for $77m. Wyndham thereby expands its rentals portfolio by 2,300 villas throughout popular Mediterranean holiday destinations.
Cable & Wireless Communications, a provider of telecommunications services in the Caribbean, Panama, Macau and Monaco, has acquired a 51% share in the Bahamas Telecommunications Company, previously wholly-owned by the Government, for $210m.
The construction and development company Kier Group has acquired Beco, a designer of solar energy systems, which will become part of a new business unit named Kier Energy Innovations.
Brady, a trading and risk management software provider, is to acquire Viz Risk Management, a Norwegian firm specialising in the energy markets, and in the process become the largest European commodities software specialist.
The commercial lighting systems specialist Enfis Group has completed a reverse takeover of PhotonStar LED for £5.1m.
Sceptre Leisure, an amusement and gaming machines provider, has acquired the assets and operations of RV Smith, including 925 machines and 277 leisure sites in the south of England, for £1.2m.
The communications specialist Vislink has sold its camera-based surveillance division HERNIS Scan Systems. The company, which specialises in equipment suitable for hazardous environments, has been acquired by the electrical products manufacturer Cooper Industries and will become part of the Cooper Safety division. It is Cooper's fourth investment into harsh environment platforms.
Imagination Technologies Group, the UK-based IP licensing and manufacturing firm responsible for the PURE digital radio brand, has acquired the US VoIP firm HelloSoft for £29.5m.
The US investment firm Franklin Templeton is to enhance its product offering in the UK with the acquisition of Rensburg Fund Management.
The professional services company Towers Watson has acquired EMB, a consultancy and software firm operating in the non-life insurance industry.
Daisy Group, the business telecommunications provider, is to acquire SpiriTel for £27.3m.
Crane Co, a US-based industrial manufacturing company, has acquired Money Controls headquartered in Oldham. The firm provides payment systems for the gaming, amusement, retail and transport markets.
Optos, a UK-based medical technology company, is to acquire the ophthalmic device supplier Opto Global Holdings. Purchasing the Australian business will allow Optos to expand its distribution network internationally, and bring Opto Global's products to the EU and US markets.
As part of its strategy to build its product portfolio in the specialist hospital market, the pharmaceuticals company BTG Group has purchased the medical technology business Biocompatibles, which specialises in oncology products.
The financial services software provider Misys is to acquire rival Irish firm Sophis for £375m.
Balfour Beatty has acquired certain assets of the property repair and maintenance group Rok for £7m. This includes segments of its affordable housing and general construction business, which will be integrated into Balfour Beatty's regional construction division Mansell.
The medical diagnostics company Omega Diagnostics has acquired the German allergy testing firm Allergopharma Joachim Ganzer for approximately £5m.
The support services group Green Compliance has strengthened its pest control division with the acquisition of Pestfree Environmental Services.
Two leading food production companies, Greencore and Northern Foods, are to merge. Coming together as Essenta Foods, it is hoped the merger will create a strong group presence in the private label convenience foods category with brands such as Fox's Biscuits and Goodfella's.
Salamander Energy Group, an oil and gas company operating in the Asia region, has acquired the Indonesia-based firm Elnusa Bangkanai Energy for $11.2m.
The IT managed services provider Redstone has acquired Fujin Systems, a company that specialises in ethernet technologies and data centre consolidation, for up to £2.9m.
The digital marketing agency fuse8 has completed its first acquisition with the purchase of Delete Digital Marketing.
The IT solutions provider Innovise Enterprise Service Management has acquired the software division of Expolink Europe. Expolink Software supplies workforce management and quality monitoring solutions to public and private sector organisations.
United Business Media has acquired Lead-In Research, a provider of sales leads and public sector tenders for relocation, refurbishment and business expansion projects. Lead-In will become part of UBM'S Built Environment division, which supplies information to the construction, architecture and commercial property industries.
Advantech, a US-based provider of embedded computer components and software, has acquired the UK firm Innocore Gaming for £3.34m, which specialises in industrial computer boards for gaming applications.
The European division of the insurance and financial services company MetLife is to expand following the group's acquisition of American Life Insurance Company. In particular, MetLife in the UK will offer new products to the IFA and advisory market, and will expand its sales team.
An 80% stake in the UK-based food ingredient supplier Sleaford Quality Foods has been purchased by Jain Irrigation Systems, giving the company's food division an opportunity to enter the UK ethnic food market. Jain is an Indian company with a range of business interests covering industrial water systems, agricultural solutions and industrial manufacturing, including food processing.
Shortly after buying its US-based parent company, PricewaterhouseCoopers has acquired the UK division of Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, a provider of business design and performance improvement services.
The international executive search agency Kinsey Allen has acquired RUSTON wheb, a recruitment firm that specialises in the renewable energy and clean technology sectors. RUSTON wheb will continue to operate as an individual brand but will incorporate the Kinsey Allen Cleantech division.
RI3K, a UK-based provider of paperless transaction technology for the commercial insurance industry, has been acquired by Qatar Insurance Services to expand its own insurance fulfilment system Qatarlyst internationally. QIS aims to gradually integrate RI3K and Qatarlyst into a single platform.
The international engineering company URS Corporation has expanded its global presence with the acquisition of Scott Wilson Group. SWG will become part of the infrastructure and environment division of URS, adding 80 offices to its network.
Barclays Ventures has backed a management buy-out of the leisure club chain Total Fitness.
Hyperion Insurance has acquired Accette Insurance Group through its subsidiary Howden Broking Group. Hyperion hopes to increase its global retail capacity with the acquisition of Accette, the largest independent broking firm in Asia.
The Hut Group has acquired Lookfantastic Group, an online retailer of luxury health and beauty brands, for £19.4m.
The electronic component specialist TT Electronics has sold its electricity transmission division WT Henley for £11.9m. The subsidiary, which has offices in the UK and China, has been bought by the French company Sicame SA.
The private equity firm Doughty Hanson & Co is to acquire the UK cinema operator Vue Entertainment.
Securitas is to acquire the UK-based security services operations of Reliance Security Group with the aim of becoming one of the largest European security providers.
The managed hosting provider iomart Group has acquired another leading company in the sector Titan Internet for £4.2m.
PFH Technology Group, an Irish ICT company, has acquired Redstone Technology, also based in Ireland, from its UK-based parent company Redstone.
The office supplies company Euroffice has completed a management buy-out backed by Darwin Private Equity, which takes a majority share.
The payment solutions company Bottomline Technologies has acquired the London-based software-as-a-service provider SMA Financial.
Bobst Group, a supplier of equipment to packaging manufacturers, has sold its UK-based subsidiary Atlas Converting Equipment in a management buy-out.
Skipton Building Society has sold Advance Mortgage Funding, which trades as Pink Home Loans, and its subsidiary BDS Mortgage Group to LSL Property Services.
IMImobile Europe, a provider of managed services within the mobile industry, has acquired the UK-based data services company WIN.
Electronic Arts has acquired the UK-based games publisher Chillingo. As one of the world's largest publishers for the iPhone platform, Chillingo will help the company's EA Mobile division to strengthen its leading position in the wireless entertainment market.
The investment banking company Astaire Group has sold its subsidiary business Astaire Securities to Sandfire Capital for £2.45m.
Lyceum Capital has acquired a majority stake in the intellectual property rights management firm Compact Media Group. Lyceum has invested £17m to grow the business and pursue new opportunities internationally.
Digital Barriers has acquired the defence technology specialist Waterfall Solutions for £5.5m, with the aim of developing its product offering to the homeland security market.
The print and graphics company Greywell Press has bought the print finishing specialist Holland & Watts out of administration.
The accountancy firm Grant Thornton has acquired the UK-based litigation support provider Legal Inc. Legal specialises in e-disclosure solutions, dealing with electronic communication in businesses, and it will contribute to Grant Thornton's forensic advisory services.
Lancaster University has acquired The Work Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that advises on working life and organisational effectiveness. Although The Work Foundation will continue to operate independently, the partnership is regarded as an opportunity to share complementary research and networks.
The US-based investment firm State Street Global Advisors has acquired Bank of Ireland Asset Management for around €57m.
Dechra Veterinary Products, a division of Dechra Pharmaceuticals, has acquired the US-based animal dermatology company DermaPet.
The UK financial services firm Resolution is to buy Bupa Health Assurance for £165.2m. This includes the Bupa Group Risk and Bupa Individual Protection divisions, allowing Bupa to concentrate on its healthcare business.
Stagecoach Group has purchased the bus transport business of East London Bus Group, which is currently in administration, for £59.5m. It is the third-largest bus operating company in London with 15% of the market and around 1,400 buses. The acquired business will operate as a standalone division within the group.
Royal Bank of Canada is to acquire the London-based credit fund manager BlueBay Asset Management.
Clipper Windpower, the wind turbine manufacturer, is to be acquired by United Technologies Corporation for around £139.5m. UTC, a provider of high-technology products for the aerospace and building industries, already owns 49.9% of the company and will now acquire the remaining share.
Amplio Group, an investment company focused on the renewable energy and environmental sectors, has acquired Environmental Water Systems. EWS, which provides water treatment, purification and wastewater recovery systems, will contribute to the expansion of Amplio Filtration, a subsidiary of the group. As a result of the acquisition, Amplio Filtration hopes to achieve a 25% share of the UK's food, beverage, healthcare and industrial filtration market.
Serviced Office Group is to acquire Bourne Financial, allowing the company to offer a more complete service to financial institutions. Bourne, which provides office, infrastructure and financial services to new businesses, is currently owned by Serviced Office Group's director Andrew Bourne.
Pressure Technologies, a manufacturer of speciality pressure systems, has acquired the high-pressure equipment supplier Hydratron for £3.3m. Hyrdratron has offices in the UK, USA and Australia, and although a sales presence will be maintained in all regions, the Australian subsidiary will be closed.
The pub company Amber Taverns has completed a management buy-out backed by LGV Capital, marking the private equity firm's fourth investment in the pub sector.
The investment firm Platina Partners, supported by Environmental Technologies Fund, has completed a management buy-out of TAG Energy Solutions. Following the investment, TAG will become the UK's first manufacturer of subsea foundations for offshore wind turbines at a new specialist facility.
KANA Software, a US company that specialises in service experience management solutions, has acquired the UK firm Lagan Technologies, a provider of customer relationship and case management systems for governments.
The international engineering company IMI is to acquire Zimmermann & Jansen for €135m. Z&J manufactures critical process and severe service valves for use in the steel, petrochemical and refining industries.
The newspaper publisher Trinity Mirror has expanded its digital classified portfolio by acquiring the online listings brand Fish4.
The cash and carry wholesaler Booker has acquired the speciality fine foods distributor Ritter-Courivaud for £14.5m. Booker has also purchased the trading business and assets of the on-trade drinks wholesaler Classic Drinks for £4m. Both companies will continue to operate under their existing brand names.
Ultimate Finance Group, a provider of factoring and invoice discounting for businesses, is to acquire Ashley Commercial Finance for £4.75m.
The US restaurant reservation website OpenTable has acquired its UK equivalent TopTable for $55m.
Lion Capital, an investment firm focused on businesses in the consumer sector, is to acquire the French frozen food company Picard.
RSA Insurance Group has acquired the Canadian insurer GCAN Insurance Company for £259m, making RSA the fourth-largest general insurer in Canada.
The energy and climate change consultancy AEA Technology is to acquire the US firm Eastern Research Group for around £52.5m.
Thomas Cook Group and The Co-operative Group are to merge their high street travel and foreign exchange businesses creating a network of over 1,200 shops. The combined group, which will be 70% owned by Thomas Cook, will be the largest high street travel retailer in the UK with 4.3m customers. The merger does not include Thomas Cook's online business ThomasCook.com, but its Going Places stores will be rebranded as Co-operative Travel.
Advanced Computer Software Group has made its third acquisition of the year with the purchase of the care industry software provider CareSys Software for £2.6m.
Mears Group has acquired Jackson Lloyd, a provider of social housing maintenance in the North West of England, for £2.7m.
Lloydspharmacy has acquired an 80% share in Betterlife Healthcare, an online and mail order retailer of healthcare and mobility aids.
Eden Supported Housing has completed a management buy-out supported by Sovereign Capital.
RJD Partners has backed a management buy-in of Dunham Leisure, an operator of two holiday parks in Scotland.
Darwin Private Equity has acquired the womenswear brand Fenn Wright Mason with plans to create more stand-alone stores.
The independent regional airline Eastern Airways has acquired Air Southwest, a subsidiary of the Sutton Harbour Group that operates from Plymouth, Newquay and Bristol airports.
Velti, a provider of mobile marketing and advertising technology, has acquired the mobile ad exchange network Mobclix.
The buy-out firm AAC Capital Partners has acquired a majority share in NSL Services Group, a provider of outsourced urban management solutions, for £120m.
The vending machine operator SnackTime aims to expand its product offering with the acquisition of Vendia UK for £10.98m.
The building services company Managed Support Services has acquired Environmental Control Services, a mechanical and engineering maintenance provider, for £3.2m.
Tru-Test, a manufacturer of livestock scales and milk meters based in New Zealand, has made two acquisitions in the UK. Ritchey and Fearing, previously owned by Animalcare Group, provide various animal identification and agricultural products, but are also long-standing distributors of Tru-Test products.
Sovereign Capital has acquired Guardian Homecare to expand its domiciliary care provider City & County Healthcare.
Luke Johnson, the chairman of Risk Capital Partners, has acquired the Japanese restaurant chain Feng Sushi and the Mediterranean dining firm Ego Restaurants. In the 1990s Luke Johnson was chairman of PizzaExpress, growing the business from 12 restaurants to over 250.
F&C Asset Management has acquired Thames River Capital. As TRC integrates into the group, the F&C distribution team will focus on institutional clients and the TRC team will deal with IFAs and wealth managers.
The insurance intermediary Bridle Insurance has acquired Southampton Insurance Services, which trades as Simple Insurance Services.
The Canadian company Ingenium Group has established an international base in the UK with the acquisition of the architectural firm Archial Group. The group will now be registered as Ingenium Archial.
Lloyds Development Capital has sold its majority stake in Cable Management Group, a UK-based cable systems manufacturer, to the US firm Thomas & Betts Corporation for $110m.
The information services company Experian has expanded its range of consumer brands with the acquisition of Mighty Net for $207.5m. Mighty Net is a US firm that provides an online credit monitoring service for consumers.
Capital IQ has acquired the research and estimates business of TheMarkets.com, which specialises in research and workflow technologies for institutional investment management firms. The acquisition will allow Capital IQ to offer a more complete financial research and analysis platform.
BAE Systems is to acquire Intelligence Services Group, a subsidiary of the US firm L-1 Identity Solutions, and a provider of defence and intelligence solutions to the US government.
The UK dating site operator EasyDate has acquired the US company Cupid.com for £4.4m, intending to grow the business both in America and worldwide.
The US-based software company CSG Systems is to acquire Intec Telecom, a UK provider of business support software to the communications industry.
Ardagh Glass Group has acquired the metal packaging company Impress Coöperatieve U.A. from the private equity firm Doughty Hanson & Co for €1.7 billion. The group will trade as Ardagh Packaging Group.
Unilever is to acquire Alberto Culver Company for $3.7 billion. Unilever will be adding personal care brands such as TRESemme, St Ives and Simple to its portfolio, making it the world leader in the hair conditioning market and second in shampoo products.
3i Group is to acquire the debt management business Mizuho Investment Management from Mizuho Corporate Bank for £18.3m. 3i will create a new division called 3i Debt Management to incorporate Mizuho's services with its existing activities.
PZ Cussons has acquired St Tropez Holdings, the UK's market leader in sunless tanning products, for £62.5m.
Centrica is to acquire the gas and electricity services divisions of Connaught Compliance for £11.2m through its subsidiary company British Gas Business. Connaught's parent company Connaught Group has gone into administration.
The contracts and related assets of Connaught Housing Partnerships, the social housing maintenance division of Connaught Group, have been sold to Lovell Partnerships for £28m.
IQE, a supplier of electronic components to the semiconductor industry, has acquired the US firm Galaxy Compound Semiconductors for up to $14.2m.
Stanley Gibbons has acquired the collectibles company Benham for £1.5m.
The UK-based engineering company Tomkins has been acquired by a Canadian consortium operating as Pinafore Acquisitions.
Stenham Asset Management has acquired the London-based investment management firm Montier Partners, increasing its assets under management to $3.5 billion.
The IT company SCC has cemented its position as a leading provider of data centre transformation solutions with the acquisition of Kavanagh, a specialist in data centre IT consulting and infrastructure services. Kavanagh will be rebranded as SCC.
Atlas Copco Construction & Mining has acquired H&F Drilling Supplies. H&F will become a subsidiary of Atlas.
The investment firm 3i has acquired a majority share in Trescal, a European specialist in measurement equipment calibration services.
Miranda, a Canadian firm that provides technology for the television broadcast industry, has acquired the UK-based media management software firm OmniBus Systems.
Montagu Private Equity is to buy Host Group Europe, a web hosting company serving businesses in Germany and the UK, for £222m. There are plans to integrate the German and UK divisions, the UK arm of which currently trades as Webfusion.
Polar Capital Holdings has acquired the fund management company HIM Capital Holdings to create a financial sectors franchise within the group.
NeutraHealth, a UK consolidation company focused on the vitamins and supplements sector, is to be acquired by Elder, a subsidiary of the Indian manufacturing firm Elder Pharmaceuticals.
United Business Media has purchased Canon Communications for £185m. Canon specialises in trade shows, publications and electronic media for the medical device design and manufacturing sector. UBM expects to become the market leader in this field as a result of the acquisition.
U-POL, a global manufacturer of automotive refinish products, has completed a £130m management buy-out backed by Graphite Capital. This is the second time that Graphite has invested in the company.
The global drinks company Gruppo Campari has acquired the Carolans, Frangelico and Irish Mist brands from William Grant & Sons.
Progressive Digital Media Group has acquired Canadean, a provider of market intelligence to the beverage industry, for £9m.
The building services group Northern Bear has sold its industrial plumbing and heating subsidiary company DJ McGough to its founders for £1.
Praesepe, an investment company specialising in the gaming market, has acquired eight gaming centres from Noble Gaming for £1m.
Global Plastics Solutions has acquired Orchid Plastics, a manufacturer of industrial plastic products.
The financial intermediary BGC Partners has acquired certain assets of Mint Partners and Mint Equities. Mint will operate as a division of BGC and retain its brand name.
The security services provider Vision Security Group has become part of Compass Group UK & Ireland.
Alterian, the online and social media marketing company, has acquired the consulting business Intrepid, which specialises in social media analytics.
Tawa, a consolidation company within the non-life insurance sector, is to acquire the Bermuda-based insurance firm Island Capital, and its UK subsidiary, for an initial sum of $7.8m.
After being placed into administration in June 2010, The Art Group has been acquired by the poster and merchandise company Pyramid International.
The postage stamps and collectibles company Stanley Gibbons has acquired the specialist stamp business M&N Haworth, adding a stock of over 300 volumes to its range.
The energy services company Hunting has acquired Innova-Extel, a provider of harsh environment electronics solutions to the energy industry.
Senior Group, a manufacturer of technology components for the aerospace, automotive and energy sectors, has acquired the US company WahlcoMetroflex for £8.5m.
The online payment processing firm DataCash has been acquired by Mastercard for around £333m.
Servoca, a public sector recruitment company, has bought Phoenix Employment Services out of administration. Phoenix provides nursing and domiciliary care staffing solutions.
The recycling storage supplier Straight has acquired the plastic injection moulding business Dyro Holdings for £2.9m. Dyro, which trades as Powell Plastics, is an existing manufacturing partner of the company.
Confetti Network and Iwantoneofthose.com have been sold by the home shopping group Findel to e-commerce specialist The Hut Group.
The Canadian company Processia Solutions has purchased the British product lifecycle management firm IP3 Technologies.
Warner Bros has purchased a controlling stake in the British television production company Shed Media.
The UK-based power generation company International Power is to merge with GDF SUEZ Energy International to create New International Power.
Mitchells & Butlers has sold its Hollywood Bowl subsidiary to AMF Bowling for £39m.
CVC Capital Partners is to acquire a majority share in the vending machine business Autobar Group. Charterhouse Capital Partners retains a minority stake.
The US firm AECOM Technology Corporation has acquired the cost and project management consultancy Davis Langdon for $324m.
Euromoney Institutional Investor, the business publishing and information group, has acquired Arete Consulting. Arete provides an online source of information on structured retail investment products.
The computer software company First Derivatives has acquired the Canadian firm LakeFront Data Ventures.
The IT managed services provider Esteem Systems has acquired SiRViS IT Holdings with the aim of achieving a £60m turnover. SiRViS will continue to operate as a separate division.
Mattioli Woods has acquired City Trustees, a pensions administration business, for £1.85m from Lighthouse Group.
The Irish healthcare services provider United Drug has acquired The InforMed Group, a healthcare communications company, for £11.4m.
After going into administration in 2009, Merchant Inns has sold six properties to Bespoke Hotels Group.
Barclays Private Equity has backed a management buy-out of the glass packaging manufacturer Allied Glass worth £75m. Barclays Private Equity now owns a majority share in the firm.
The outsourced call centre provider beCogent has been purchased by the international firm Teleperformance.
Digital Barriers, a specialist provider of homeland security solutions, has acquired Overtis Group for £3.2m. Overtis offers user activity management software to monitor employee actions within an organisation.
Teaching Personnel, a provider of teaching and supply staff, has completed a £45m management buy-out backed by Graphite Capital.
Meridian Bioscience, a US-based life sciences company, has acquired the UK firm Bioline for $23.3m.
The London-based investment company Salamanca Capital Investments has acquired Barcelona Marina, also known as Marina Port Vell, in Barcelona. In partnership with the Spanish Port Authority, Salamanca plans to develop the Marina into a prime destination for privately owned super yachts.
The industrial valve manufacturer Valvitalia has acquired the UK-based company Broady Flow Control.
Fairpoint Group, a consumer debt solutions business, has acquired the price comparison site Moneyextra.com with the aim of offering a wider range of financial services to its customers. In particular, Moneyextra will provide money saving options on products such as loans, mortgages and credit cards.
IDOX, a software supplier to the public sector, is to acquire Computershare Electoral Management Services, a provider of software for local authorities, for up to £4.4m. Computershare, which currently trades as Strand Business Systems, will be renamed Strand Electoral Management Services.
The international marketing communications company Aegis Group is to acquire Mitchell Communication Group, based in Australia, for £207m.
The UK-based companies Graham Engineering and Graham Spares and Service, specialists in the manufacture of label and shrink sleeving machines, have been acquired by the US firm Accraply.
The international biopharmaceutical company Shire is to acquire the Belgian firm Movetis for €428m.
Royal Bank of Scotland Group has sold 311 RBS branches and seven NatWest branches to Santander UK for £350m.
Advent International and Bain Capital have acquired RBS WorldPay, the online payment processing subsidiary of Royal Bank of Scotland Group, for £2.03 billion. RBS will retain a 19.9% stake in the company.
The American retailer Men's Wearhouse has acquired the UK-based business Dimensions Clothing and certain assets of Alexandra, suppliers of corporate clothing and uniforms, for £61m.
YouGov, a research company that specialises in public opinion and consumer behaviour, has acquired the US-based marketing and research consultancy Harrison Group.
Chemring, a manufacturer of products for the defence industry, is to acquire the contract engineering company Roke Manor Research for £55m. The acquisition will particularly enhance Chemring's technology offering in the homeland security, global countermeasures and counter-terrorist markets.
Five Group, the company responsible for Channel Five and its related channels, has been sold by RTL Group to the media company Northern & Shell for £103.5m.
Unilever has sold the Italian division of its frozen foods and seafood company Findus to Birds Eye Iglo for €805m.
Synchronia, the mobile messaging solutions provider, is to acquire the Canadian mobile software company iseemedia. The combined business will have access to a market of 44 mobile operators with 853 million subscribers.
Reckitt Benckiser Group is to boost its health and personal care division with the acquisition of SSL International, the consumer goods company with brands such as Durex and Scholl, for £2.54 billion.
The UK-based mining company Firestone Diamonds has acquired Kopane Diamond Developments, adding operations in Lesotho to its current interests in Botswana and South Africa.
Promethean World, a learning technologies provider, is to acquire the US-based firm SynapticMash, which produces assessment software and devices for the classroom.
Pace, an independent developer of digital television technologies, is to acquire 2Wire, a US supplier of software for broadband service providers, for £308m.
KBC Peel Hunt, the stockbroking and advisory firm, has completed a management buy-out of the business from its parent company KBC Group for £74m.
The private investment firm TPG Capital has acquired the fashion retailer Republic from Change Capital Partners. Since Change acquired the business in 2005, Republic has opened 27 new stores and doubled its turnover.
The enterprise technology and computer components provider Arrow Electronics has acquired the UK-based IT distribution firm Sphinx Group.
The business processing firm Xchanging is to acquire Data Integration, an IT network and infrastructure provider, for around £9m.
Rightmove Group has sold its majority share in the holiday accommodation company Holiday Lettings to the travel website operator Tripadvisor.
Viridor Waste Management has acquired Reconomy Recycling Solutions for £23.8m.
The UK-based provider of outsourced contact centre solutions Careline Services has been acquired by the international outsourcing firm HGSL, which aims to expand in the UK and European markets.
Resolution, the business acquisition firm focused on the insurance and financial services markets, is to buy AXA UK Life for up to £2.75 billion. It will become part of Resolution-owned Friends Provident, which will be rebranded as Friends Life.
LECG, an international business advisory firm, has expanded its UK presence with the acquisition of the London-based consultancy Bourne.
The James Grant Group subsidiary OJK, a provider of accountancy and financial services to the entertainment, sports and music sectors, has acquired the accountancy firm Addis & Co.
The specialist distribution and outsourcing company Bunzl has acquired Global Net, a cleaning supplies business based in Belgium.
Stewarts Law is to strengthen its commercial litigation department with the acquisition of Masseys, a fellow litigation law firm.
SDL, a provider of multilingual information management software, has acquired the US-based firm Language Weaver, a specialist in machine translation solutions, for £28.2m.
Hoping to improve its services in the specialist nursing market, the health and social care recruiter Healthcare Locums has acquired three staffing companies. They are Redwood Health Business, Orion, and the Australian firm LML.
The environmental consultancy SLR has acquired the US firm Hoefler Consulting Group, which specialises in offshore drilling, pollution prevention and oil field regulation for the energy and mining sectors.
Lloyds Banking Group's private equity business LDC has acquired the traffic surveillance technology firm Computer Recognition Systems through its portfolio company Vysionics. Under the Vysionics brand, LDC has brought together a group of businesses that specialise in traffic management systems.
The technical recruitment agency Morson has acquired Acetech Personnel, a subsidiary of Babcock International Group, for £2.35m.
The private equity firm HgCapital has acquired the German company Teufel Speakers, a retailer of loudspeaker systems that has recently expanded into Europe and the UK.
The business investment firm Amplio Group has made its first UK purchase with the acquisition of the water filtration and water treatment company Puresep Holdings. Puresep will become part of the Group's subsidiary Amplio Filtration.
The crane hire company Weldex has completed a management buy-out backed by Dunedin.
Paragon Group, the printing and document management firm, has acquired the Hull and Thornaby sites of the transport ticketing manufacturer BembroseBooth.
The UK-based investment firm Primary Capital has backed a management buy-out of Paperchase Products from Borders Group for around $31m.
As part of an effort to dispose of its non-core business assets, Royal Bank of Scotland Group has sold its retail and commercial banking operations in India to HSBC.
The international power company AES Corporation is to acquire a subsidiary of the UK-based natural gas provider BG Group for £99m. The subsidiary in question is BG's Premier Power division, which operates a power station in Northern Ireland.
Travis Perkins, the building materials and home improvement retailer, is to buy The BSS Group. In particular, the companies hope that the combination of their plumbing and heating divisions will create a leading trade and retail distribution business in this sector.
The online technology retailer eXpansys is to acquire Data Select Network Solutions, a SIM card provider, and the digital marketing specialist PJ Media for a total of £38m.
Green Compliance continues to grow its group of water, fire, pest and energy compliance services with the acquisition of the pest control business Envirocare, and the water hygiene company Pure Group Management.
The UK-based polymer engineering company Fenner has acquired MRI Medical, a US firm that manufactures medical devices.
Allergy Therapeutics, a UK-based pharmaceutical company, has expanded its presence in Europe with the acquisition of the Swiss firm Teomed.
The construction and property consultancy Cyril Sweett has acquired Widnell, a firm of chartered quantity surveyors largely based in Asia. Widnell will be renamed Widnell Sweett, and Cyril Sweett's offices in Hong Kong, China and Macau will also operate under this name.
AIM Aviation, a manufacturer of aircraft interiors, has completed a management buy-out with investment from the private equity provider LDC Birmingham.
The risk consultancy firm Kroll has been sold by Marsh & McLennan to the US security solutions provider Altegrity for $1.13 billion.
Begbies Traynor Group has strengthened its presence in the north west of England with the acquisition of the Manchester and Blackburn-based business recovery and insolvency firm Tomlinsons.
The online and direct home shopping retailer N Brown Group has acquired Figleaves.com, a lingerie and swimwear company, for £11.5m.
The online and mobile consumer engagement specialist Linnaeus Consulting has been acquired by the marketing agency Indicia.
Motan and Colortronic are to merge to become Motan-Colortronic, headquartered at Colortronic's site in Chesterfield. Both companies produce technology products for the plastics industry.
As part of a strategy to increase its recycling capabilities, the waste management company Biffa has acquired the recycling-led business Greenstar UK for £135m.
SAS, the international business analytics software company, has acquired the UK-based firm Memex. Specialising in law enforcement and security intelligence solutions for the public and private sectors, Memex offers SAS the opportunity to become a global leader in this sector through improved data management and distribution.
The packaging and office products supplier DS Smith is to acquire Otor Group, a French corrugated packaging company.
Findel, the home shopping, education and healthcare retailer, has sold its subsidiary company Webb to the turnaround investment business Endless for £1. The deal includes both Choices Group UK and Webb Ivory Burton, the retail and consumer home entertainment trading companies of Webb.
The investment group Audasi has acquired the machine division of the label manufacturer Sessions of York after the company went into administration, creating a new company named Sessions Label Solutions.
Marwyn Capital Investments is to purchase the energy solutions division of National Grid. The reverse takeover of Fulcrum, a unit that provides gas connection and transportation services, will be completed for a nominal fee of £10.
The wealth management division of the financial advisory firm Collins Stewart is to acquire Andersen Charnley.
The US firm Broadcom Corporation, a provider of semiconductor technology for the communications industry, has acquired the UK-based communication electronics specialist Innovision Research & Technology.
Bureau Veritas, an organisation that helps companies to meet standards in quality, health and safety, environment and social responsibility, has acquired the UK-based commodities inspection and testing firm Inspectorate for £450m. As a result of the acquisition, Bureau Veritas becomes one of the top three companies worldwide in the inspection field.
The business processing firm Xchanging is to acquire a majority share in Kedrios, the Italian subsidiary of the payment systems provider SIA-SSB. The aim of the acquisition is to create an Enterprise Partnership between SIA-SSB and Xchanging that will enable the latter to enter the Italian market and increase its international presence.
Persian Gold, an Irish mining company with gold and copper projects in Iran, is to buy the UK-based business Hydrocarbon Exploration, which has interests in Ghana and Bolivia.
Daisy Group has acquired MurphX Innovative Solutions, a provider of infrastructure services for businesses, for £4.8m.
Primary Health Properties, a company that leases healthcare facilities to NHS general practitioners, is to purchase Health Investments, which owns pharmacy sites and 14 primary care properties, for £11.7m.
WIN plc, a UK-based mobile services provider, is to be acquired by IMImobile Europe, which offers value added services to network operators, media companies and businesses.
The advertising agency Lowe London is to merge with DLKW and be renamed DLKW Lowe. Creston Group sold the creative communications business to Lowe's parent company IPG.
The accountancy firm RSM Tenon has purchased certain assets of a rival company Vantis after it entered administration, including offices in London, Epsom and Leicester, Vantis' financial management operations, and its Thames Valley recovery office. The acquisition will allow RSM to expand, particularly in London and the Thames Valley region.
United Business Media has made several acquisitions in South America, including the purchase of a majority share in Sienna Interlink, a Brazilian exhibition company responsible for Concrete Show South America, the largest cement tradeshow in the region. It has also acquired the remaining shares in PR Newswire Brazil and PR Newswire Argentina that it did not already own, and a 60% stake in the Brazilian shipbuilding tradeshow Navalshore.
The UK oil company Dana Petroleum is to make its largest acquisition with the purchase of Petro Canada Netherlands from Petro Canada for around £270m. Petro Canada Netherlands, an oil and gas company operating in the North Sea, will boost Dana Petroleum's producing fields from 36 to 54.
The business telecoms specialist Daisy Group has acquired the mobile handset provider Fone Logistics for £3.6m.
The plastic packaging manufacturer Sharp Interpack has been purchased by Groupe Guillin. The French company, which already holds a strong position in the European market, will acquire Sharp Interpack's three sites in Aylesbury, Bridgwater and Yate, taking more than 60% of its operations outside France.
Teledyne Technologies, a provider of electronic components for marine, environmental and industrial purposes, is to acquire the aerospace electronics specialist Intelek.
The European buy-out firm Charterhouse has acquired the retail chain Card Factory.
The drinks company Global Brands has expanded its premium spirits portfolio with the acquisition of Inspirit Brands, a brand development agency currently responsible for products such as Frangelico, El Dorado Rum and No.3 London Dry Gin.
Mayfair Fire Protection has become part of Green Compliance, a group of companies providing water, fire and energy compliance support services.
Capita Group has acquired the medical reporting and screening services provider Premier Medical Group for £60m.
British Sky Broadcasting is to acquire Virgin Media Television from Virgin Media for £160m. Sky will be adding channels such as LIVING, Challenge and Bravo to its basic pay service, and the company will no longer have to pay fees for distributing these channels. Virgin Media will also have access to Sky content, which will be available through its on-demand service.
GlaxoSmithKline has acquired the Argentine pharmaceutical company Laboratorios Phoenix for $253m. The purchase will significantly improve GSK Argentina's position in the country's pharmaceutical market, and will contribute to GSK's planned growth in the region.
Pitney Bowes MapInfo UK is to acquire the customer interaction software provider Portrait Software for £44.4m.
The Weir Group, an international engineering solutions company, is to acquire the Malaysian firm Linatex for £119m. It is hoped that the mining process equipment manufactured by Linatex will provide new growth opportunities for Weir's minerals division.
Barclays Bank is to sell its US mortgage servicing business HomeEq Servicing to Ocwen Loan Servicing for $1.3bn.
Cambridge IP, an intellectual property consultancy, has acquired the science literature and information provider Boliven.com.
Zeta Compliance Group, a provider of health and safety technologies for businesses, has acquired the safety consultancy The Fire Strategy Company.
Kier Group has acquired Pure Recycling Warwick and Pure Buildings for £2m. Both companies are in the process of constructing a new materials recycling facility in Warwickshire.
A US-based business and IT consultancy Cognizant has acquired PIPC, a management consultancy firm with offices in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the US.
Centocor Ortho Biotech, a subsidiary of the consumer healthcare company Johnson & Johnson, has acquired the UK-based drug discovery firm RespiVert.
HgCapital has acquired a majority share in Manx Telecom from Telefonica for £158.8m. Manx Telecom provides telecommunications and internet services to customers in the Isle of Man.
The international security services provider G4S has purchased the Brazilian electronic systems integration specialist Instalarme for £17.1m. As Brazil prepares to host the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016, G4S hopes its first acquisition in the country will see further growth in an already profitable security market.
Asda is to purchase Netto Foodstores, the UK subsidiary of Dansk Supermarked. Netto's 193 stores in the UK will be rebranded.
The home shopping group Flying Brands has acquired the flower delivery company Flowers Direct for £2.95m.
Bglobal, an energy measurement and smart metering provider, is to acquire the energy data management company Utiligroup for £12.8m.
ASSA ABLOY, the door opening and security products specialist, has acquired the lock manufacturer Paddock.
The UK-based law firm Denton Wilde Sapte is to merge with the US firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal to become SNR Denton.
The marketing and print services provider St Ives has acquired Occam, a direct marketing and data management specialist. Occam is to become a subsidiary of St Ives.
The buy-out firm AAC Capital has acquired the pharmaceutical company Martindale Pharma.
The Channel Tunnel management group Eurotunnel has acquired the British freight train company GB Railfreight from FirstGroup.
The utility company United Utilities is to sell its Australian subsidiary United Utilities Australia. The company is to be acquired by a consortium led by Mitsubishi Corporation.
The UK-based marine electronics manufacturer Raymarine has been acquired by the US firm FLIR Systems for $180m, adding 1,000 dealer outlets to FLIR's network.
A US provider of simulation and training technologies for the energy industries, GSE Systems, has acquired the UK firm TAS Holdings, which trades as TAS Engineering Consultants. TAS specialises in engineering and safety system design.
The foodservice organisation Compass Group has acquired the French firm Caterine Restauration, which specialises in services for the education and healthcare sectors.
Engine Group, a marketing communications agency, has acquired the social media company Jam, after its parent company i-level went into administration.
Sun European Partners, an adviser to the investment firm Sun Capital Partners, has acquired the UK-based equipment rental company Hewden.
Team Telecom Group, a subsidiary of the utility support services company Spice, has undergone a management buy-out, backed by Gresham and HSBC, for £32.8m.
The private equity firm Warburg Pincus is to acquire a majority share in Poundland, while the retailer's management team will retain a minority share.
Amey and Bechtel, shareholders in the Underground maintenance firm Tube Lines, have sold their private shares in the business to Transport for London. It is hoped that bringing the London Underground upgrade programme back into the public sector will save money and reduce disruption. Tube Lines is to become a subsidiary of Transport for London.
A UK-based provider of digital radio platforms and systems Axis Network Technology has been acquired by the Korean companies Ace Technologies and Ace & Partners for $35m.
Discovery Holdings, a South African financial services company, has acquired Standard Life Healthcare, the Standard Life Group subsidiary, for £138m. Discovery aims to strengthen its investment in PruHealth, its existing UK venture, through the acquisition of a complementary business.
Lingo Media, a Canadian company that specialises in English language learning products, has acquired UK-based ELL Technologies. The acquisition will significantly expand Lingo's customer base, as ELL's multi-media and online services are currently distributed in eleven countries.
Two investment management firms have joined forces following the acquisition of GLG Partners by Man Group.
Pearson, the UK media and education company, is to acquire the vocational training provider Melorio.
The defence and aerospace company BAE Systems has acquired the US firm Atlantic Marine for $352m. Atlantic Marine specialises in vessel repair and construction and will become part of BAE's ship repair division.
Britvic has acquired the French soft drinks company Fruité Enterprises for €237m.
Segro, a provider of office space and commercial buildings, is to acquire a 50% share in the Airport Property Partnership from BAA. APP has a portfolio of airport-related industrial assets in major UK airports. Aviva Investors owns the remaining share.
The UK-based natural gas and energy company BG Group is to sell its 50% share in Seabank Power for £211.7m. The stake in Seabank, which operates a gas power plant near Bristol, is to be bought by Electricity First, a subsidiary of Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings.
F&C Asset Management is to acquire Thames River Capital Group for up to £53.6m.
The UK-based private equity firm Palamon Capital Partners has sold its majority share in the Swedish consumer loans business Nordax to Vision Capital.
Hewlett-Packard is to acquire the smartphone operator Palm for $1.2 billion. The acquisition will allow HP to expand in the competitive smartphone market.
Bridgepoint, the private equity firm, has acquired the arts and crafts retailer HobbyCraft in a management buy-out, with plans to expand the company both on the high street and online.
The cider company C&C Group is to sell its spirits and liqueurs division to William Grant & Sons for €300m. William Grant will be adding niche brands such as Frangelico and Irish Mist to its product portfolio.
IntercontinentalExchange, an operator of futures exchanges, is to acquire Climate Exchange, which specialises in traded emissions markets.
Piper Private Equity has backed a management buy-out of the British clothing brand Weird Fish and gained a majority stake in the business.
Membrane Extraction Technology, a UK-based company that provides separation services for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, has been acquired by the German firm Enovik Industries.
The European packaging company The Guillin Group has acquired Sharp Interpack, a UK-based food packaging manufacturer.
The sofa retailer DFS is to be acquired by the private equity firm Advent International.
Datamonitor, the business information and analysis provider, has acquired the packaging research company Pack-Track.
The commercial law firm Beachcroft has acquired Williams Holden Cooklin Gibbons, a specialist insurance practice.
The private equity firm TA Associates has acquired a majority share in the British fashion and household brand Cath Kidston.
Homeserve, a UK provider of home insurance and emergency assistance, has increased its customer base in the US with the acquisition of the service contract division of National Grid Energy Services. In addition, the company has reached an agreement to use the National Grid Energy Services brand name to market its insurance products in America.
UK-based digital agency Grand Union has been acquired by FullSIX, an international relationship marketing company. The private equity group, and FullSIX owner, Cognetas has backed the deal to help the company grow in the UK, and has plans to develop the Grand Union brand globally.
The hovercraft manufacturer Griffon Hoverwork has acquired Hovercraft Consultants, a company that specialises in hovercraft skirt technology.
Andor Technology, a manufacturer of scientific cameras and equipment, has acquired the US-based Photonic Instruments.
Managed Support Services has acquired Data Sound, a health and safety consultancy, for £2.8m. The company will be integrated into the MSS group.
The London theatre and attraction tickets company Encore Tickets has completed a management buy-out, backed by ISIS Equity Partners, worth over £20m.
STV Group, the Scottish television and media brand, is to sell its cinema advertising company Pearl & Dean Cinemas for £1. The business has been acquired by a newly formed company that is backed by a director of Empire Cinemas.
The insurance intermediary BGL Group, owner of comparethemarket.com, has acquired the motor and home insurance division of Bradford & Bingley through its affinity specialist Junction. Junction will retain the Bradford & Bingley brand name to market motor and home insurance products.
Looking to expand in the European market, Zipcar, the US-based car-sharing network, has acquired the UK car club Streetcar. Operating as Zipcar, the companies hope to offer their members access to a larger network of vehicles and an improved online service.
NCC Group, a provider of IT security and assurance services, has acquired the specialist IT testing solutions company SDLC Solutions for £15m.
Randall & Quilter Investment Holdings has acquired the French reinsurer La Licorne Compagnie de Reassurances.
2e2 is to acquire the IT services provider Morse for around £69.8m.
Spice, a company that provides outsourced support services to the utility sector, is to sell its telecoms division for £32.8m. The private equity firm Gresham is backing SIATEL Holdings to purchase the business.
Crompton Greaves, a subsidiary of the Indian business conglomerate Avantha Group, is to acquire the UK-based electrical engineering firm Power Technology Solutions for £30m, allowing Crompton Greaves to expand in the engineering, procurement and maintenance sector.
The private equity firm Duke Street has acquired a controlling stake in Payzone, the payment services group. Taking on a 69% share in the group, Duke Street hopes to grow the business by introducing new services and making complementary acquisitions. Further expanding its financial services portfolio, Duke Street has also acquired a controlling interest in the Marlin Group, a consumer debt purchaser.
Investec, the investment banking and asset management firm, is to acquire the remaining 52% share in Rensburg Sheppards that it does not already own.
Mercian Labels Group, a label printing specialist, has acquired the barcode label manufacturer AC Labels.
The UK-based consumer packaging supplier Chesapeake has acquired the Polish labels and cartons manufacturer Cezar.
The UK arm of the investment research firm Morningstar has acquired a rival company, Old Broad Street Research, for £11.95m. OBSR will become a subsidiary of Morningstar.
Reliance BIG Entertainment, the media division of leading Indian enterprise group Reliance ADA, is to acquire a 50% share in the computer games publisher Codemasters. Reliance BIG's subsidiary Zapak Digital Entertainment, the largest gaming firm in India, will manage the investment. The remaining 50% of the company is owned by an existing investor, Balderton Capital Managment.
Gresham Private Equity has invested £12.3m in the insurance claims management and emergency repair provider Lanes Assistance Services. Lanes is to undergo a management buy-out and expand the business.
Burst Media, the online advertising network, has secured its position in the UK market with the acquisition of the London-based company On The Phone Media, which trades as OTP Media.
Innovise Software, a provider of facilities management solutions, has acquired the ID card and visitor management specialist Identifile Systems.
Plink, a UK-based company that develops visual search engines for mobile phone applications, has been acquired by Google. Plink staff will now join Google to develop its own version of the technology, Google Goggles.
Coventry Building Society is to merge with Stroud & Swindon Building Society creating an organisation with 91 branches and 1.5 million members in the Midlands and South West. The Society will operate as Coventry Building Society but the Stroud & Swindon brand name will be retained.
Stepstone Solutions, a talent management and e-recruitment software provider, has been acquired by the private equity firm HgCapital. This is the third investment that HgCapital has made into software-as-a-service technology in two years.
Entec Holdings, an environmental and engineering consultancy, has been acquired by AMEC for £61.2m. The company will become part of AMEC's earth and environmental division.
Brulines Group, a provider of data management services for pubs and the leisure sector, is to acquire Energy Level Systems. Brulines plans to expand its interests in the petrol forecourt industry by acquiring ELS, a specialist in fuel gauging and delivery systems.
RehabWorks, a provider of rehabilitation and return to work treatment services for employers, insurers and public sector organisations, has completed a £10m management buy-out backed by Sovereign Capital.
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, the Canadian pension provider, is to acquire the UK National Lottery operator Camelot Group for around £389m.
London Mining, a developer of mines for the steel industry, has acquired the remaining 80% share in International Coal Company that it did not already own. The acquisition, worth up to $14m, opens up new opportunities for London Mining in Columbia.
The live-in care provider Active Assistance has merged with First Call Care Services based in Essex.
The private equity firm Synova Capital has acquired the Dental Buying Group, a membership organisation providing products and services for the dental industry.
The residential landlord and asset management company Grainger has acquired PHA for £15.3m. PHA currently owns 162 properties in Devon.
Chrysalis, the music publishing group, has acquired the intellectual property and copyright manager First State Media Group, which currently controls over 45,000 music copyrights.
Ebiquity, a media and marketing analytics agency, has acquired the media monitoring company Xtreme Information Services, and also plans to buy the remaining 50% share in the German company Thomson Media Control that it does not already own.
SpiriTel, the business communications company, has acquired the IP telephony and networking division of the Nessco Group, Nessco Ltd, for £1.2m. It is SpiriTel's first acquisition in Scotland and Nessco will become part of the company's business division.
The buy-out firm Cinven has purchased Sebia, a French medical diagnostics company, from Montagu Private Equity.
DavyMarkham, a UK-based manufacturing firm, has become part of the Indian infrastructure group IVRCL Infrastructures & Projects. The company has been acquired by IVRCL's engineering subsidiary Hindustan Dorr Oliver.
T Clarke, the building services contractor, has acquired the facilities management firm D&S Engineering.
Independent News and Media has sold two of its titles, The Independent and The Independent on Sunday, to Independent Print, a company owned by the Russian businessman Alexander Lebedev. Lebedev already owns the London Evening Standard.
Avon Products has expanded its global portfolio, particularly in anti-ageing products, with the acquisition of the skincare brand Liz Earle Beauty Co, a range marketed around naturally active ingredients.
Babcock International Group is to acquire VT Group, a provider of defence, government and critical support services. It is hoped that the combined group will reach a wider customer base with an increased service offering.
The managing director of the lettings agency Leaders has led a management buy-out of the firm worth £48m, which includes finance for expansion. The deal is backed by the private equity firm Bowmark Capital.
BP Labels has been acquired by the specialty plastic and fibre products supplier Filtrona for up to £4.5m. Filtrona's coated and security products division, which offers items such as pressure sensitive tear tape, is hoping to utilise BP's complementary industry solutions.
The metal packaging firm Impress has purchased Service Tool International, a supplier of machinery and tooling equipment, after the company went into administration.
James Hay, a provider of self invested personal pensions, has become part of the financial services company IFG Group. James Hay was sold by Santander Private Banking for up to £38.9m. As a result of the acquisition, IFG will become the largest SIPP provider in the UK market.
eg solutions, a software company that provides back office optimisation solutions, has acquired the performance management software supplier XTAQ.
Towergate Financial, a subsidiary of Towergate Partnership, has acquired the mortgage advisory firm John Charcol. Towergate has stated its intention to create a mortgage broking business to complement its private client and corporate services.
Avisen, the performance management consultancy, is to acquire the IT services group Xploite. It is hoped that the enlarged company will have improved buy-and-build capabilities for further development.
The management team of Synseal Extrusions, a manufacturer of windows and conservatories, has acquired the company in a management buy-out backed by HIG Capital.
Hamilton Bradshaw, the private equity firm owned by the Dragons Den businessman James Caan, has acquired a 90% share in DRC Group, which provides locum services and temporary staffing for the NHS.
Deb Group, the company responsible for the Swarfega industrial hygiene brand, has been acquired in a management buy-out backed by Charterhouse Capital.
The private equity firm Bridgepoint is to acquire Care UK, the health and social care provider, for £281m.
The retail chain Pavers Shoes has acquired the online store Shoe-shop.com allowing the company to offer a multi-channel service. Shoe-shop.com was established in 1999 by Stuart Paver, son of the founder of Pavers Shoes, Catherine Paver.
The private equity house Endless, in partnership with HSBC, has acquired the schoolwear supplier Trutex.
Fishawack Communications, a UK-based medical communications agency, has expanded in the US with the acquisition of Nexus Communications. The deal was backed by the investment firm YFM Group.
Baxter Healthcare has acquired the UK-based medical technology company ApaTech for up to $330m.
Advanced Computer Software has acquired Cerrus, a provider of software to the community health and social care sectors.
Sovereign Capital has backed a management buy-out of the drain and sewer services specialist Euro Environmental Group.
Access Intelligence has acquired Cobent, a provider of learning management systems and compliance training software, for £5.2m.
Avacta Group, a provider of analytical technology to the drug development and diagnostics sectors, has acquired ReactivLab. The company specialises in veterinary diagnostic services and will become part of the Avacta Animal Health division.
Deloitte has expanded its environmental consulting practice with the acquisition of dcarbon8, a consultancy that helps businesses to achieve responsible carbon management and sustainability.
The payment service provider PayPoint is to acquire Verrus, the company that pioneered mobile phone payment systems used by parking authorities, for up to £29m.
Straight, a supplier of recycling containers, has acquired the UK division of the Greek firm Helesi for £1.65m. Straight will hold the manufacturing and distribution rights for Helesi products in the UK, which will be jointly branded.
The construction materials group Michelmersh Brick Holdings has acquired Freshfield Lane Brickworks.
K3, a supplier of supply chain software to the retail, distribution and manufacturing markets, has expanded its business in the UK and Europe. It has purchased the managed IT services company DigiMIS for up to £1.3m, and Pebblestone Netherlands, a provider of enterprise resource planning solutions for the fashion industry, for £1.26m. Pebblestone will become part of K3 Nederland, K3's Dutch retail solutions business.
The British industrial steel engineer Delta has been acquired by the US company Valmont Industries.
The insurance company MetLife is to acquire American Life Insurance Company, an international subsidiary of AIG, for $15.5 billion. The purchase will significantly boost MetLife's market position in Japan, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.
Byotrol, a company that develops advanced anti-microbial products, has acquired ByoFresh, a supplier of pet grooming and hygiene products. ByoFresh has already been using the Byotrol technology in its products for several years.
The support services provider Europa has enhanced its facilities management capabilities with the acquisition of Integrated Building Services Engineering Consultants. The company, which trades as Operon, had previously entered administration, and its team will now become part of Europa.
The digital brand agency LBi has merged with the search marketing company bigmouthmedia. LBi foresees that the deal will create the largest digital agency in Europe able to offer integrated online marketing, consulting and technology services.
The Chesham Building Society is to merge with Skipton Building Society. The Chesham's branches will be renamed but will remain open, and members will have access to Skipton's numerous branches and customer services.
The investment firm Lion Capital has sold the UK and US operations of Kettle Foods to the US snack foods company Diamond Foods for $615m.
Li & Fung, the Hong Kong-based consumer goods supply chain management company, is to acquire the UK-based clothing design and distribution business Visage for £173m, in an effort to expand within Europe.
Zerographic Systems has acquired the document printing and presentation company Murodigital, which will continue to operate under its existing name.
JF Hillebrand, a provider of wine and beverage logistics services, has acquired ABV Logistics. Both companies hope to benefit from a wider customer base. In particular, ABV has a strong presence in Iberia and Italy.
equityCare, a specialist in financial and legal advice for the care home sector, has merged with Paying For Care At Home, the domiciliary care subsidiary of Better Retirement. The organisation will operate under the equityCare brand.
A majority stake in the London-based computer games developer Rocksteady Studios has been acquired by Warner Bros Home Entertainment Group. The acquisition follows Rocksteady's success with the critically acclaimed game Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009, a key franchise brand for Warner Bros.
Ideal Shopping Direct, the television and internet home shopping company, has acquired the online retailer Lead The Good Life.
Excelsyn, a pharmaceutical services company based in North Wales, has been acquired by the US firm AMRI.
3i Group has sold its controlling stake in the Nordic healthcare provider Ambea to the buyout firm Triton, for around €850m.
Through its subsidiary Centrica Resources, Centrica is to acquire certain gas assets of Suncor Energy for £246m. The assets in question are based in Trinidad and Tobago and provide the company with its first liquefied natural gas position.
Rolls-Royce is to buy the remaining 67% stake in the Norwegian marine technology company ODIM ASA that it does not already own.
A 70% stake in the online insurance company esure will be sold by Lloyds Banking Group. Peter Wood, a founder of the esure business, will lead a management buy-out through the newly formed company esure Group Holdings.
Following the announcement that the company had entered administration, London Town, a pub group with around 350 sites in the UK, has been acquired by its management team.
SLR, the environmental consultancy, has acquired the Australian company Heggies. It is SLR's first acquisition in this region. The company has also acquired the specialist ecological consultancy Andrew McCarthy Associates.
United Business Media has acquired the banner advertising platform Game Advertising Online, through its subsidiary UBM TechWeb, for up to $8m. TechWeb specialises in business technology solutions for technology professionals, and hopes that this acquisition will expand its client base within the games industry.
Through its European division Wyndham Exchange & Rentals, the US hospitality group Wyndham Worldwide is to acquire the UK holiday firm Hoseasons Holdings for approximately $60m.
Handicare, a Norwegian-based group of companies specialising in mobility products, has acquired the UK stairlift manufacturer Minivator.
Halfords has acquired Nationwide Autocentres, the car servicing and repair company, for £73.2m. Halfords, which already holds a leading retail position in car maintenance, hopes to add 200 new outlets to Nationwide's 224 existing sites, and rebrand the company as Halfords Autocentres.
Affiliated Managers Group has purchased two UK-based businesses, Pantheon Investments and Artemis Investment Management.
Advanced Computer Software, a provider of IT services to the primary care sector, has acquired Redac Holdings for £100m. Redac owns COA Solutions, which specialises in business management and information systems for service sector organisations.
Astaire Securities, the institutional investment firm, is to acquire the stockbroker Hoodless Brennan for £3.6m.
Alliance Pharma is to acquire Cambridge Laboratories, a pharmaceutical distribution and development company, for up to £16.4m. Alliance will gain 18 prescription brands to add to its portfolio of established niche products.
RSA Insurance Group has acquired the Oman-based Al Ahlia Insurance Company for £31m. RSA's emerging markets platform in the region will benefit from the acquisition and Al Ahlia will become the largest insurance group in Oman.
Barclays Bank is to increase its European presence with the acquisition of the Italian credit card division of Citibank International Bank, which consists of 197,000 credit card accounts. Eventually the business will become part of Barclays Italy and the cards will be rebranded under Barclaycard.
A group of private equity firms has entered into an agreement to acquire the software-as-a-service e-learning solutions provider SkillSoft. Berkshire Partners, Advent International Corporation and Bain Capital Partners will pay around $1.1 billion for the business.
Robotic Technology Systems, a specialist in automation systems for life sciences and industrial processes, has acquired a 65% share in the US-based scientific instrument manufacturer Hatch Science.
The online gaming software supplier Playtech has acquired Virtue Fusion, a bingo software company, for up to £36m. As a result of the acquisition, Playtech will have a market leading position in online bingo as well as poker and casino.
Asterand, a specialist in human tissue research, has acquired the US-based research company BioSeek.
The veterinary service provider CVS Group is to acquire Veterinary Enterprises & Trading, the holding company of several veterinary surgeries and a laboratory in the South East of England.
The property and infrastructure consultancy Capita Symonds has acquired NB Real Estate, a commercial property management company, for £10m. It will continue to trade under its existing name.
Guinness World Records moves to expand its online presence with the acquisition of the social networking site Bragster.com, which allows visitors to upload videos of dares and challenges. Guinness has plans to create a new version of the site that will allow users to share record attempts through an online community.
Daisy Group has acquired the IP telecoms carrier and telephony reseller BNS Telecom Group.
The television and radio production company Above The Title has been acquired by UBC Media Group, a provider of services to the radio industry.
First Artist Management has been acquired by the talent management agency James Grant Media as it establishes a new division to represent the factual and specialist, sports media and news broadcast genres.
The corporate advisory and stockbroking firm Daniel Stewart Securities has expanded its global presence with the acquisition of the financial consultancy MENA-RL, which operates throughout Europe, Africa and the six Gulf Co-operation Council member states.
AXA Private Equity has sold a 65.5% stake in Spotless Group, a French manufacturer of household products, to the private equity firm BC Partners.
In preparation for launching its new division TSG Enterprise Solutions, the IT company Technology Services Group has acquired the consultancy Croft Technology.
The Latin American chemical production company Mexichem is to buy INEOS Fluor, the fluorochemicals division of the INEOS Group.
European Nickel is to merge with the Australian company Rusina Mining. The combined group is predicted to produce around 45,000 tonnes of nickel a year through it projects in Turkey and the Philippines.
The private equity firm Bridgepoint has acquired LGC, a laboratory services specialist, for £257m.
Portugal's Banco Espirito Santo de Investimento has acquired a 50.1% stake in the UK-based investment banking group Executive Noble. The combined group will have nearly 1000 offices worldwide and the opportunity to provide investment banking services in new markets such as Brazil and India.
Trinity Mirror is to acquire GMG Regional Media, the local media division of the Guardian Media Group, for £44.8m. The division is currently responsible for 32 regional publications in the north west and south of England, including the Manchester Evening News and the Reading Post. The deal does not include Channel M, a TV station in Manchester, or the local newspapers in Woking.
Adventis Group is to acquire bChannels, the technology and telecoms marketing company. bChannels will work alongside the group's existing marketing agency Second2.
The newly formed private equity firm Better Capital has acquired Gardner Aerospace, a supplier of metallic components to the aerospace industry.
Swindon-based AML, a company that manufactures armour and security products, has been acquired by TenCate. AML's activities, particularly within vehicle armour production, will complement and expand TenCate's offering in the UK and throughout Europe.
The BSS Group, a distribution company supplying specialist trades, has acquired the builders merchant UGS for £5.1m.
The insurance group Amlin has acquired the insolvency insurance business of Lockton. The company will trade as AUA Insolvency Risk Services, an FSA-registered broker.
The customer insight consultancy dunnhumby has acquired KSS Retail, a provider of price modelling and optimisation software for retailers. dunnhumby works with leading retailers such as Tesco.
The GCI Telecom Group, which trades as Edge Telecom, has acquired the electronic communications company Invomo, bringing inbound telephony and network expertise to the group.
The investment firm YFM has backed a management buy-in worth £3.5m at Deep-Secure, a provider of communication solutions for military, defence and intelligence organisations.
Balfour Beatty has acquired Multibuild Hotels & Leisure and Multibuild Interiors for £1.9m. The companies, which were originally a subsidiary of Multibuild Holdings, provide construction and fit-out services.
Klarius, the car parts manufacturer, has acquired Quinton Hazell Automotive, thereby widening its product offering and global network. Quinton Hazell was previously owned by the US firm Affinia.
In its fortieth acquisition in six years, Chess Telecom has acquired the business telecommunications company Pennycom.
Callprint Group has acquired Redwood Press, a Liverpool-based printing and creative solutions company that had entered administration.
The UK subsidiary of the Finnish food group Raisio is to purchase the snack foods company Glisten.
The US project management firm Versar has acquired the UK-based Professional Protection Systems. PPS manufactures protection equipment for the nuclear industry.
The Tall Group, a provider of special cheques and payment solutions, has acquired Card Data Management. The company, which trades as ID Data, provides secure card payment services.
KKR, an alternative asset management firm, has acquired the pet retail chain Pets At Home from the investment company Bridgepoint.
The online gaming company Sportech is to acquire Scientific Games Racing, a division of the US-based gaming systems specialist Scientific Games Corporation, for up to £51.4m. As a result of the acquisition, the combined company will be a leading pool-based betting systems provider focusing on football and horseracing services. To fund the deal Sportech has sold a stake in its business to software firm Playtech who will bring e-gaming solutions to the group.
Watson Pharmaceuticals has acquired the UK-based Eden Biopharm Group. Eden will become part of the global brands division at Watson and boost its biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing capabilities. Watson already owned a small stake in the business following its previous acquisition of the Arrow Group.
The private equity firm Advent International has acquired Xafinity, the pensions administration and employee benefits consultancy.
Warburg Pincus, the private equity firm, is to acquire a majority stake in the safety and survival equipment manufacturer Survitec Group. Survitec's management will retain a minority share in the company, which was previously owned by Montagu Private Equity. It hopes that investment from Warburg Pincus will allow the company to continue its global expansion.
The engineering and project management company Amec has acquired Currie & Brown, an Australian cost management consultancy.
The business telecommunications provider SpiriTel has acquired Boucon Network Solutions, a Swansea-based telephony specialist.
Vindon Scientific, a company that provides environmental testing and storage solutions, has acquired Westech Instruments, a US-based business that has been distributing Vindon products since 2006. There are plans to expand the US business, which will now trade as Vindon.
West Africa Diamonds, a mining company with projects in Guinea and Sierra Leone, is to complete a reverse takeover of Stellar Diamonds, which operates in the same region.
Horizon Print Finishing Equipment has acquired Graphic Arts Equipment, a finishing equipment distribution company that went into administration at the beginning of 2010. The newly formed company will trade as Intelligent Finishing Systems.
The environmental consultancy RSK Group has acquired Green-Car-Guide.com, a website providing news and information on green vehicles. RSK believes this may be the first deal of its kind for an environmental consultancy and plans to utilise the website in its work within the transport sector.
The education and information group Pearson will expand the services offered by its business publication The Financial Times through the acquisition of Medley Global Advisors. Medley provides macro policy information for hedge funds, asset managers and investment banks.
Amobee Media Systems is to acquire the UK-based mobile advertising company RingRing Media. Amobee, which provides advertising solutions for mobile operators, plans to create the industry's largest mobile advertising exchange by using RingRing's platform to connect advertisers, media buying agencies, mobile publishers, operators and application developers.
The advertising agency JCDecaux has purchased certain assets of Titan Outdoor Advertising, including the rail and retail divisions, after the company was placed into administration.
West Ham United Football Club has been acquired by David Sullivan, the former owner of Birmingham City. He has purchased a 50% controlling stake in the club, and will become joint chairman alongside David Gold, his partner at Birmingham.
Adecco Group has acquired the US recruitment company MPS Group. The MPS UK subsidiaries Badenoch & Clark and Modis International will join Adecco UK but will continue to operate as individual businesses.
SDL, the translation and information management software provider, has acquired the ecommerce software specialist Fredhopper. The acquisition allows SDL to move into the retail sector and create new solutions for online customer support. Fredhopper will operate as SDL eCommerce Technologies.
The ICT infrastructure specialist Logicalis Group has acquired NetStar Group, an IP network service provider in the Asia-Pacific region and the US, for $19.8m.
Teachers' Private Capital, the investment department of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, has acquired the UK-based organisation Acorn Care and Education. Acorn operates a network of schools and fostering services for children and young people with learning difficulties.
James Fisher & Sons, the specialist marine services provider, has acquired Australian Commercial Marine through its subsidiary FenderCare Marine Solutions. The £3m acquisition allows FenderCare to expand in the Asia-Pacific region where ACM is a local supplier of equipment to the commercial shipping and offshore industries.
Halma, a group of companies that develops health, industrial safety and hazard sensor technologies, has acquired the US firm SphereOptics for £1.5m. SphereOptics, which specialises in light measurement products, will merge with Labsphere, a company within Halma's health and analytics division.
Daily Mail & General Trust has acquired a 50% stake in the property search engine Globrix through its consumer website division Associated Northcliffe Digital. Globrix will become part of The Digital Property Group, AND's network of property sites that already includes Primelocation.com and FindaProperty.com.
Spectrum Interactive, the internet kiosk and WiFi provider, has acquired the specialist marina WiFi operator Ocean Wave Europe. As a result, Spectrum will be responsible for connecting around 15,000 permanent and visiting berth holders to the internet at 40 marinas in the UK and Ireland.
Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group has strengthened its employee benefits consultancy service with the acquisition of iimia Wealth Management, a division of Midas Capital. JLT hopes to benefit from iimia's expertise in discretionary portfolio management, as the popularity of arranging personal pensions grows.
Deloitte has expanded its capabilities in the real estate market with the acquisition of the property advisory firm Drivers Jonas. Deloitte will create a new company trading as Drivers Jonas Deloitte that will offer real estate advisory and transaction services.
After much negotiation, Kraft Foods has announced it is to acquire Cadbury for £11.6 billion. The combined group will be a global market leader with a portfolio of 40 confectionery brands, and both companies stand to benefit from an increased international presence. Kraft is having success in developing markets such as China, Brazil and Russia, while Cadbury offers a strong position in Europe and India.
The accountancy firm Cowgill Holloway has merged with the Liverpool-based accountancy Jackson UK. The combined company will operate as Cowgill Holloway.
Virgin Holidays has acquired the tailor made and escorted holiday firm Bales Worldwide.
Perspective Financial Services ended 2009 with the acquisition of the financial planning firm Platinum Portfolios. The company has since acquired the Somerset-based firm Future Lifestyle, which will become part of Perspective's subsidiary Charles Reynolds Associates.
Impact Holdings, a provider of short term funding solutions and business services, is to acquire Sutherland Professional Funding.
Alberto Culver Company, the US-based manufacturer of beauty care brands such as TRESemme, St. Ives and Alberto VO5, has acquired the UK company Simple Health & Beauty. As a result of the acquisition, Alberto Culver will become the second-largest skin care manufacturer in the UK, its primary foreign market.
Wolseley UK, the construction materials distributor, has sold its entire business in Ireland to WIBHM Limited for £23.8m. The Irish network consists of 67 branches, including a subsidiary in Northern Ireland.
Obtala Resources, a mining company with interests in East Africa, has acquired Sierra Leone Hard Rock, a subsidiary of African Minerals.
Pinnacle Telecom Group has acquired the business internet and telecommunications provider Solwise Telephony, and its subsidiary Sipswitch.
Vertu Motors is to acquire its first dealership in Scotland through its subsidiary company Bristol Street First Investments. Specifically Vertu will acquire Boydslaw, the owner of the Ford dealership Dunfermline Autocentre, for around £2.7m.
The directors of the vocational training provider JHP Group have completed a management buy-out of the company backed by Lloyds TSB Development Capital.
The marketing communications group Media Square has acquired Chick Smith Trott, an advertising agency formerly part of the Cagney group. CST will be based at the same offices as The Gate, Media Square's existing advertising agency.
Mergers & acquisitions 2009
HMV Group is to acquire the MAMA Group, a collection of music and media businesses, for £46m. HMV already owns a small portion of the company, which undertook a joint venture with HMV in 2009 to run the Mean Fiddler Group. MAMA operates live music venues such as the Barfly network and Hammersmith Apollo, provides artist management and publishing services, and is responsible for the music magazine The Fly.
The private equity investment firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is to acquire British Car Auctions from Montague Private Equity.
Chloride, the secure power solutions provider, has acquired the French company AEES, which provides secure power services within the energy and infrastructure sectors.
Quality Leisure Management, a provider of performance management and safety services for the leisure industry, has become a subsidiary of PHSC, a health and safety consultancy group.
The transport packaging manufacturer Cartonplast has purchased Demes Logistics, a division of the office products and packaging company DS Smith.
The accountancy firm Moore Stephens has acquired AHL Business Assurance, a specialist in governance, risk and internal audit services within the public sector. The acquisition will allow Moore Stephens to grow its practice within this sector. The staff from AHL will join the company's governance, risk and assurance team.
Proximagen Neuroscience, the pharmaceutical research company, has acquired Minster Pharmaceuticals for £4.3m.
Lyceum Capital, the mid-market investment firm, has acquired the energy management consultancy McKinnon & Clarke for £22m.
The information services company Experian has acquired a majority share in A-Care Systems, a Japanese email marketing firm. Experian's permission-based email marketing and customer intelligence division, Experian Cheetahmail, will incorporate A-Care. As a result, Experian will become the largest permission-based email marketer in the world.
The security solutions group G4S has acquired Nuclear Security Services Corporation for $22m. NSSC is an American company working mainly within the nuclear power and government sectors.
Deloitte is to acquire ReportSource, an information management consultancy that specialises in Enterprise Performance Management and Business Intelligence. Staff from ReportSource will join the business systems division of Deloitte's consulting practice.
Close Brothers Group, the financial services provider, has acquired the invoice financing loan book of GMAC Commercial Finance for up to £98m. Close Brothers intends to integrate the business into its own invoice finance division.
The Davis Service Group, a European textile maintenance company, has acquired a Scandinavian facility service division of ISS, and a German workwear business for a total of £44.5m.
Aviva Investors, the asset management company, has acquired the US-based River Road Asset Management. The company will become part of Aviva Investors North America.
Virgin Money is to acquire the private bank Church House Trust. Virgin intends to use this acquisition as a base for its retail banking business, which will offer deposit and mortgage services as well the credit card, investment and insurance products currently under the Virgin Money brand.
Networkers International has acquired the telecoms, energy and ICT recruitment company Comms Group.
The drug development firms Silence Therapeutics and Intradigm Corporation are to merge. The companies specialise in RNA interference, a method of research based on gene function. The new business will operate as Silence Therapeutics.
The engineering and industrial holding company Southern Bear has acquired IPCL, Intumescent Protective Coatings Limited, a specialist in fire and corrosion protective coatings for the construction industry.
Capita Group has acquired Synetrix, an ICT solutions provider within the public, private and education sectors, for £75m.
Following its acquisition of Turquoise Trading, the London Stock Exchange Group plans to merge the business with Baikal Global creating a pan-European trading company. It will operate under the Turquoise brand.
The online gaming company 888 has acquired Wink Bingo from Daub. Wink operates online bingo networks such as Posh Bingo and Bingo Fabulous, providing expansion for 888's business-to-consumer offering.
The UK-based biotechnology company Kiotech has sold its sports fishing brand Ultrabite to the fishing tackle specialist Rapala VMC Corporation. Rapala has already developed products using Ultrabite, a pheromone attractant technology, and has further plans for expansion. Kiotech will now focus on its aquaculture and agriculture business.
The internet group Forward, formerly known as TrafficBroker, has acquired uSwitch.com from US company Scripps Network Interactive. uSwitch will become the flagship brand of Forward Innovations, the group's consumer division made up of several money-saving sites.
Nuance, a US-based provider of speech and imaging technologies, has acquired the UK company SpinVox, which specialises in voice-to-text services. Nuance plans to integrate the company's systems into its own speech recognition products.
Phoenix IT Group has acquired the UK business and certain assets of Office Shadow through its subsidiary ICM Business Continuity Services. Office Shadow brings business continuity planning, business impact analysis, risk management and compliance tools to ICM.
The Orchid Group, an independent pub and restaurant operator, has acquired Premium Bars and Restaurants from administration. This includes 43 bars, restaurants and nightclubs throughout the UK, taking the number of venues under Orchid's ownership to 292.
Procter & Gamble is to acquire the home care brand Ambi Pur from the Sara Lee Corporation for €320m.
Kingspan Group, a manufacturer of insulation materials, has acquired the Australian insulation distribution company AIR-CELL Innovations.
Whitbread, the hotel and restaurant group, has acquired coffeeheaven international through its subsidiary Costa. coffeeheaven has 90 locations throughout Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary and Latvia. It will become a subsidiary of Costa.
The global investment bank Nomura has expanded its UK business with the acquisition of Tricorn Partners, a corporate finance advisory firm.
Perspective Financial Services has added an eleventh business to its expanding group with the acquisition of Charles Reynolds Associates, a firm of financial advisers in London.
Helvetia Wealth, the asset management firm, has acquired City Gate Money Managers and a controlling stake in TAM Asset Management.
Fast.co.uk, the home and business broadband provider, has acquired the internet services company, Firenet.
ClearDebt has acquired four subsidiaries of the consumer debt advisory company Relax Group for £2.7m. Relax Group recently went into administration.
The private equity advisory firm Apax Partners has acquired Marken, a clinical trial logistics and support services provider. The company has also acquired Psagot Investment House based in Israel.
Vitruvian Partners, the private equity firm, has acquired a majority stake in Callcredit Information Group from the Skipton Building Society.
The merger of Tenon Group and RSM Bentley Jennison will create the seventh-largest financial and business advisory firm in the UK, with 3000 advisors in 50 locations. The new company will be called RSM Tenon and will be the UK subsidiary of RSM International.
Computacenter has acquired the German company becom Informationssysteme, a provider of large IBM systems, for €2m. It has also acquired certain assets of the UK-based Thesaurus Computer Services, which will be integrated into the Computacenter brand.
Playtech, the online gaming software provider, is to acquire Gaming Technology Solutions for around €21.6m.
Go-Ahead Group is to sell its ground handling and cargo operations at Heathrow Airport to Dnata, an air travel services supplier in the Middle East. Servisair UK has also purchased Go-Ahead's ground handling operations at eleven UK airports.
Vertu Motors, the motor retailer and business consolidator, has acquired Typocar, trading as David Penman Cars, for around £1.1m. This is the third Renault dealership to be acquired by Vertu. David Penman is also a SEAT dealership, the first SEAT outlet to join the Vertu group. The dealership will be renamed Bristol Street Motors.
Hunting, the international energy services company, has acquired the Welltonic Group for up to £9m.
Tracsis, a provider of scheduling software to the transport industry, is to acquire Safety Information Systems, which provides safety and performance reporting software to the rail sector.
The digital communications agency Digital Marketing Group has acquired 20:20 London for up to £2m. 20:20 will be integrated into DMG's existing digital marketing division, which consists of five subsidiary businesses. Together these companies will be reorganised and rebranded as 20:20 Network, 20:20 Technology, 20:20 MediaAnalytics and 20:20 London.
Oakley Capital Private Equity has acquired a controlling stake in Verivox Holdings, a German energy and telecommunications price comparison website. The acquisition was completed through VVX, a new subsidiary company of Oakley.
IFG Group, the Irish financial services provider, has acquired the UK-based James Hay, a provider of Self Invested Personal Pensions (SIPP), for £35m. James Hay was previously owned by Santander Private Banking.
Delphic Diagnostics has been bought out of administration by Lab21, a clinical diagnostics provider, in its third acquisition this year.
The HR and outsourcing agency Staffline has acquired Peter Rowley, a training company within the manufacturing industry, for up to £1.5m.
The retail trade associations, British Shops and Stores Association and the British Hardware Federation, have merged.
V Networks, a subsidiary of Opal Telecom, has acquired the telecommunications provider UK Telco.
Aldermore Bank, a specialist lending services firm, has acquired the factoring and invoice discounting company Absolute Invoice Finance. Aldermore purchased the business from AnaCap Financial Partners, a private equity firm that actually bought Aldermore earlier this year.
Inmarsat, the mobile satellite communications specialist, has acquired a US-based internet protocol solutions provider Segovia, which works with the US military and government agencies. Segovia will continue to operate as a separate business under Stratos, Inmarsat's direct distribution division.
Two leading employee benefits companies have come together through the acquisition of HSBC Actuaries and Consultants by Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group.
Greene King has strengthened its position in Scotland with the acquisition of seven pubs from Mitchells & Butlers for £12.7m.
Managed Support Services, the building solutions provider, has acquired Status Building Services for £3.7m. Status has three operating divisions offering building services, electrical services and fire protection solutions.
C&C Group, the company responsible for alcoholic brands such as Bulmers and Magners, is to acquire certain assets of the US-based wine company Constellation Brands. C&C will purchase the Gaymer Cider Company from Constellation for £45m. This includes several cider brands as well as production and warehouse facilities in Somerset.
Thomson Reuters has acquired the Swiss information company ASSET4 that provides environmental, social responsibility and governance information for investors and corporate executives.
Huntsworth, the healthcare communications and PR agency, has extended its international network with the acquisition of Dutko Worldwide Holdings for up to £27m. Dutko is a US-based company providing public policy management.
Galliford Try has acquired the Rosemullion Property Company based in Cornwall, adding nine development sites to its business in the South West.
Yorkshire Building Society and Chelsea Building Society are due to merge creating the second-largest building society in the UK, with 2.7m members and 178 branches. The Chelsea brand name will be retained but the new organisation will be called Yorkshire Building Society. The merger is expected to take place by April 2010.
The senior directors of Timscris have completed a management buy-out of the business, which specialises in reader offers and mail order.
CACI, the marketing and technology solutions provider, has acquired the digital agency Monitor Media. CACI hopes that Monitor's expertise in online marketing activities will develop the company's consultancy service.
TP Toys, an outdoor toys manufacturer, has added outdoor clothing to its product range following the acquisition of the online retailer Muddy Puddles.
Sesame Group has acquired the IFA support services businesses Bankhall Group and PMS from Skandia UK. The newly formed group has been named Sesame Bankhall Group.
CDC Software has acquired the Canadian firm Truition, a software-as-a-service e-commerce provider for retailers and brand manufacturers. CDC has also announced the intended acquisition of US-based gomembers, a company specialising in software-as-a-service for not-for-profit organisations and NGOs.
The joint managing directors of the British School of Motoring have purchased the business from Arques Industries for £10m.
The foodservice supplier Pasta King has been acquired following a management buy-in. Howard Farquhar and Mike Cole, who will take up management roles at the company, were backed by NGBI Private Equity in a deal worth £13m.
Veale Wasbrough and Vizards Tweedie law firms have merged to become Veale Wasbrough Vizards, based in Bristol and London.
MBL Group, the CDs, DVDs and computer games distributor, is to acquire Global Media Vault. It is hoped that GMV, which provides various website, mobile and in-home retail services, will expand MBL's online capabilities.
G4S, the security services company, has acquired the US-based All Star International through its subsidiary Wackenhut Services for $59.9m. All Star is a facilities management company providing support services for the US Government.
The specialist travel insurance intermediary Rock Insurance has achieved its third acquisition this year with the purchase of the online insurance broker 24drtravel.com.
Tangerine PR has acquired the social media marketing agency Juice Digital. Juice will become a division of Tangerine under its existing brand name.
Morris & Son, a residual stock management and wholesale specialist, has acquired the traditional confectionery company Stockley's Sweets.
Amlin, the insurance and reinsurance underwriting company, has enhanced its commercial insurance product range with the acquisition of Crowe Livestock Underwriting.
A company that provides business cost reduction services, Cost and Expense Solutions, has acquired Expenses4Less, an outsourced procurement services firm.
In its third acquisition of the year, Capita Symonds, the property and infrastructure consultancy, has purchased the engineering consultancy Multi-Tech Contracts.
Professional Investment Management Services, a firm of financial advisers, has become part of Perspective Financial Services.
PricewaterhouseCoopers has acquired the business performance management company Paragon Consulting Group. Staff will join the PricewaterhouseCoopers consulting business based in Turkey, Singapore, the UK and Dubai.
Allocate Software, the workforce optimisation software provider, is to acquire the Swedish company Time Care, which specialises in software for the healthcare market. The purchase allows Allocate to expand within Europe and become a leading workforce management solutions provider in the healthcare sector.
The Japanese contact lens manufacturer Menicon has acquired the UK-based company David Thomas Contact Lenses.
The PRO Group of insurance companies has been acquired by Tawa, an insurance run-off management firm, for up to £38m.
The Go-Ahead Group has acquired the public transport provider Plymouth CityBus for £20m. PCB, which has a fleet of 173 buses and 11 coaches, was formerly owned by Plymouth City Council.
Digital Angel has sold its UK-based subsidiary McMurdo for €10m, to the French technology company Orolia. McMurdo specialises in emergency location beacons, which will complement Orolia's range of positioning, navigation and timing equipment.
Uniq, the convenience foods group, is to sell its German and Polish business units to IFR Capital for €28.5m. It has also announced the sale of its business in the Netherlands to Glide Equity Management for €20m. This follows the sale of Uniq's French division Marie earlier this year.
Debenhams is to acquire the leading Danish department store chain Magasin, which includes six stores in total, for £12.3m.
Randall & Quilter Investment Holdings has acquired a majority stake in the US-based reinsurance firm Goldstreet Insurance Company. It is possible that Randall & Quilter may also purchase the remaining share in the company as negotiations continue.
International SOS has acquired a majority stake in Abermed, a UK provider of health services to the energy sector, especially in the UK and North Sea. International SOS operates in a similar field, providing medical and security assistance to businesses employing staff abroad.
Endemol, the entertainment production group, has acquired three new film and television production companies. Tiger Aspect Productions, Darlow Smithson Productions and Tigress Productions have been sold to Endemol by the media company IMG.
JP Morgan Cazenove, the UK investment bank, has been acquired entirely by JP Morgan. Cazenove Group has relinquished its 50% share in the business, which was originally a joint venture between the two companies. JP Morgan Caznove will continue to operate under its existing name.
Doodson Broking Group, the independent insurance company, has acquired the specialist entertainment insurer Albemarle Insurance. Albemarle will be renamed Doodson Albemarle.
The leadership team of the consumer debt collection agency Robinson Way & Co have completed a management buy-out of the company, and have renamed the firm Robinson Way Ltd. Its parent company London Scottish Bank went into administration in November 2008.
British Airways and the Spanish air transport company Iberia have announced their intention to merge by the end of 2010, creating a leading airline group of 419 aircraft. TopCo, a newly created holding company based in Spain, will own both businesses.
Chime Communications, the brand management and advertising firm, is to merge its subsidiary company Bell Pottinger Corporate & Financial with Pelham Public Relations. The new business will be renamed Pelham Bell Pottinger and Chime will own a majority share.
Electronic Arts has shown its intent to grow in the social entertainment market with the acquisition of the London-based gaming company Playfish for $275m. Playfish has ten titles played across social networking platforms such as Facebook and iPhone, with around 60 million monthly players. The company will become part of EA Interactive.
Live Nation has sold its UK theatres to the Ambassador Theatre Group for £90m. As a result of the purchase, which includes The Lyceum and Apollo Victoria in London, ATG will operate a total of 39 venues.
The online gaming company PartyGaming has acquired WPT Enterprises for $12.3m. The US-based WPT specialises in televised gaming and tournaments such as the World Poker Tour.
The web agency Design Logix has merged with SDS Technology Group. The software group already includes a vehicle tracking business and an asset management division.
Vertu Motors has acquired Lichfield Vauxhall from Steve Thompson Cars for £2.78m. The purchase of the dealership increases the number of Vertu's Vauxhall sites to seven.
Alternative Networks, the business telecoms provider, has acquired the telecoms billing and call management software company Aurora Kendrick James.
The business telecommunications firm SpiriTel has expanded its customer base with the purchase of two voice and data services companies, ADK Communications and Edge Solutions. SpiriTel has made eight acquisitions in three years.
TrainFX, a provider of passenger information, communication and security products for the rail sector, has bought ASG Media Group out of administration.
Zoom Media, an out-of-home digital media specialist, has acquired Gym Screen Media, which produces television channels for 160 fitness venues such as David Lloyd and Virgin Active. The acquisition will expand Zoom's network to 650 fitness facilities in the UK.
Barclays Bank is to acquire Standard Life Bank from the insurance company Standard Life for £226m. It is thought that around 270 employees will transfer to Barclays.
Brady Corp, the US-based manufacturer of workplace identification products, has acquired the UK provider of industry equipment Welco, after its parent company went into administration.
Wealth advisory firm Towry Law has acquired the UK offices of Edward Jones, the US-based investment company. Jones will transfer around 50,000 clients and £1.5 billion of managed assets to Towry.
Thomson Reuters is to acquire Breakingviews, an online financial commentary service. The combined commentary teams will operate under the existing Breakingviews brand name.
Regent Inns, the operating company behind bars, restaurants and clubs such as Walkabout, Jongleurs and Old Orleans, has successfully sold several sites after the business fell into administration. Three directors of Regent Inns have formed a new company named Intertain to buy 60 sites, while Punch Pub Company has acquired 12.
The US-based market research company e-Rewards is to acquire Research Now, the UK online fieldwork and panel company.
First Derivatives, the capital markets software provider, has acquired the US-based financial data systems company Reference Data Factory for around $10m.
The scientific research company Proximagen Neuroscience is to acquire Cambridge Biotechnology, a subsidiary of the Swedish pharmaceutical company Biovitrum.
Computacenter UK has sold its subsidiary Computacenter Distribution to the technology distribution company Ingram Micro. Computacenter Distribution staff will transfer to Ingram Micro's UK offices.
ACAL Technology is to expand into Europe following the acquisition of the French company BFi OPTiLAS for €10m. Both companies specialise in the distribution of electronic components.
Netcall, a provider of callback and auto-messaging services, has added workforce management tools to its product offering with the acquisition of Q-Max, a leading company in this field.
The shareholders of VoiteQ, a provider of voice directed IT systems, have established a holding company to manage the business. The first action of the newly formed CentriQ Group is to acquire Cirrus Logistics, a simulation tools specialist. VoiteQ and Cirrus will continue to operate separately under their existing brand names.
The marketing and technology firm Amaze has acquired both a technology consultancy, MCL Digital, and the online and eCRM agency Underwired. The eCRM function at Underwired, which boasts clients such as News International and Nickelodeon, will continue to operate under its existing brand name. MCL will be integrated into Amaze.
Vitrolife, a manufacturer of biotechnology and medical products, has acquired IVF Ltd, a company previously responsible for the sales and marketing of Vitrolife's fertility products in the UK and Ireland. As a result of the acquisition the marketing function will return to Vitrolife and IVF will be renamed to reflect its new ownership.
System C Healthcare, the health and social care informatics service, has merged with the Scottish web solutions firm Conscia Enterprise Systems.
Anheuser-Busch InBev is to sell its operations in nine Central European countries to the private equity and investment firm CVC Capital Partners for up to $800m.
RHJ International, the diversified investment holding company, is to acquire Kleinwort Benson from Commerzbank for £225m. The purchase includes both the UK-based Kleinwort Benson Private Bank and Kleinwort Benson Channel Island Holdings, which will help RHJ to develop a European financial services business.
LSL Property Services is to become the second-largest estate agency network in the UK following its acquisition of Halifax Estate Agencies. LSL will gain 218 branches, which will be integrated into the company's existing brands: Your Move, Reeds Rains and InterCounty. Halifax Estate Agencies was sold by Lloyds Banking Group for £1.
The real estate investment firm British Land Company has entered into a joint venture with the US asset management company Blackstone Group. Blackstone is to acquire a 50% stake in Broadgate, a City of London office estate operated by Broadgate Estates, a subsidiary of the British Land Company.
Ultra Electronics, the specialist security and aerospace systems group, has acquired the US-based company Scytale for around £4.5m. It is hoped that Scytale, which specialises in communication security software, will strengthen Ultra's capabilities in the battlespace IT market.
The independent investment company Global Infrastructure Partners has acquired London Gatwick Airport from BAA. Gatwick is now part of GIP's growing portfolio of UK investments, which includes London City Airport, Biffa and Great Yarmouth Port Company. BAA was ordered to sell Gatwick by the Competition Commission in order to create greater competition between London airports.
The technology firm NanoGaN has been acquired by IQE for £3.6m. Both companies produce semiconductor wafers, which are used in mobile handsets, DVDs, printers and other electronic devices.
Following its acquisition of The Crystal Rooms in London, the gaming company Praesepe has purchased 13 gaming centres in South West England and South Wales, consisting of nine adult gaming centres and Praesepe's first family entertainment sites.
Next Fifteen Communications is to acquire several divisions of Upstream Marketing and Communications known collectively as Upstream Asia. The subsidiaries, which are located in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney, will become part of Next Fifteen's Bite Communications Group.
Europackaging Ltd has been acquired by its former owners, the Majid family, through their company Europackaging Jersey Guarantee. The family originally sold the business in 2006 to MidOcean Partners.
Investment firm Patron Sports Leisure has acquired Powerleague, the operator of 43 five-a-side football centres in the UK, for £42.5m. Patron was already a shareholder in the company with a 29% stake.
Videojet Technologies, the provider of coding, marking and labelling solutions, has acquired the German company Wolke Inks & Printers. It is hoped that Wolke's expertise in thermal ink jet coding systems will enhance Videojet's service offering. Wolke will continue to operate in Germany under its existing company name.
The reinsurance firm Guy Carpenter is to acquire Rattner Mackenzie, an insurance and reinsurance broker and subsidiary of HCC Insurance Holdings. Following the purchase, Guy Carpenter will provide reinsurance intermediary services for HCC.
Sinclair Knight Merz, a provider of engineering, science and project delivery services, is to acquire the UK-based Enviros, an environmental and health and safety consultancy.
Keller Group, the ground engineering company, is to acquire the Singapore-based foundation contractor Resource Holdings for £30.6m.
Media Corporation, the online publishing and advertising company, has acquired the internet gaming firm Purple Lounge.
The Parkmead Group, a merchant bank within the oil, gas and energy sectors, has acquired the economic consultancy firm Aupec, which also specialises in the energy industry. Parkmead hopes the acquisition will advance the company's efforts to become a leading oil and gas investment and advisory firm.
Homeserve Emergency Services, a division of Homeserve plc, has completed a management buy-out backed by Lloyds TSB Development Capital for £11m. HES, which provides emergency home cover, replacement and repair services, will be rebranded as Evander Group.
Premier Farnell, the electronic components distribution company, has acquired the German computer aided design software firm CadSoft Computer.
Wine Cellar, the operator of retail outlets under the brand names Booze Buster, Simply Drinks and Simply Food & Drinks, has gone into administration. EFB Retail has purchased 109 of the 170 stores, saving around 700 jobs.
The accountancy and business advisory company Beever and Struthers has merged with the Blackburn-based firm Waterworths creating one of the largest independent financial companies in the North West. Waterworths will be rebranded as Beever and Struthers.
Avalon Acquisitions, a new company backed by the private equity firm Permira, is to acquire the specialist life insurer Just Retirement.
The private equity firm August Equity has acquired Funeral Services Partnership and is contributing £23m to the development of the company.
Aquascutum, the luxury fashion brand, has been acquired by the retail entrepreneur Harold Tillman, and Belinda Earl, the Group CEO of Jaeger. The purchase sees the brand return to British ownership after it was bought by Japanese apparel company Renown in 1990.
Emerald Energy, the UK-based oil and gas exploration company, is to be acquired by Sinochem Resources.
Gresham Private Equity has backed a management buy-out of five companies from the Formation Group for £20.75m. The businesses, which provide management and professional services to the sports, music and entertainment industries, will form the James Grant Group.
John Wood Group has acquired Baker Energy, the energy services division of US company Michael Baker Corporation, for $37.9m.
Advanced Computer Software continues to expand with the acquisition of Oak Labs, an Indian company that develops software for local government, charity and healthcare organisations. ACS also acquired Business Systems Group and StaffPlan earlier this year.
Advanced Medical Solutions Group, a provider of medical products for the wound care market, has acquired the remaining 50.6% of Corpura, originally a joint venture with Belgian company Recticel. Recticel has sold its stake in the business for around £2.1m.
Civica Group, a provider of software solutions and managed services in the public sector, has acquired the health and social care software company in4tek through its subsidiary Civica UK.
The storage and distribution company Prestige Services Group has improved its service offering through the acquisition of Pakfin Logistics, which provides finishing services for printers and publishers.
The UK division of General Physics, the performance improvement solutions company, has acquired Milsom Industrial Designs, an aerospace and engineering technical services provider.
The insurance companies PBS Holdings and Longhawk Insurance Group have merged. The combined business will rebrand under a new name and be headquartered in Leeds.
Consort Medical, a medical device manufacturer, is to enhance its product offering with the acquisition of The Medical House, which specialises in delivery systems for injectable drugs.
The healthcare diagnostics company DxS has been acquired by the international medical technologies firm QIAGEN for around $95m.
ExactTarget, the global email marketing company, has acquired the London-based Keymail Marketing, providing a headquarters for its expanding European operations.
Monilink, the UK provider of mobile banking and payments services, is now entirely owned by its parent company Monitise. Monilink was originally a joint venture between Monitise and VocaLink, which has now sold its 50% stake in the business.
Home Delivery Network, the provider of delivery and collection services for retailers, has acquired G&M Distribution, a former sub-contractor for the company in Scotland. G&M will continue to operate under its existing name.
The fund management firm Midas Capital has sold its corporate finance division Intelli Partners, and its subsidiary Intelli Corporate Finance, to the investment bank Canaccord Adams.
Chime Communications, the PR and marketing company, is to add another agency to its group of 50 with the acquisition of the sports marketing, media and management agency Essentially for around £18.23m.
The confectionery company Bon Bon Buddies has acquired the branded toy manufacturer Teepee Creative. Along with the sweetmakers Mr Lucky Bags and Stockleys Sweets, Teepee recently went into administration but it is the first to be sold by administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Unilever is to acquire the global personal care business of the Sara Lee Corporation for €1.275 billion. As a result, Unilever will add brands such as Sanex and Radox to its portfolio and strengthen its leadership position in the skin care and deodorants market.
The gaming company Praesepe has acquired The Crystal Rooms, a gaming venue in London's Leicester Square. It will become a flagship venue for the group.
Boom Extreme Publishing, a subsidiary of the television production group Boomerang Plus, has acquired the Method publishing company that produces a snowboarding magazine, website and online television channel.
City Car Club has acquired the pay as you go car rental company WhizzGo, which will adopt the City Car Club brand name. As a result of the merger the rental service will be available in 15 UK cities.
The law firm Simpson Millar has strengthened its services in the healthcare and education sectors with the acquisition of the specialist firm Maxwell Gillott Solicitors, which will continue to trade under its existing company name.
Mothercare has gained full ownership of the social networking site for parents, Gurgle.com. The website was originally a joint venture with Fleming Media, which has now sold its 50% stake in the business.
The Co-operative Group has merged with the Plymouth & South West Co-operative Society, which operates several food stores, post offices, petrol stations and funeral homes in Devon and East Cornwall.
N Brown Group, the home shopping retail company, has acquired the High & Mighty menswear brand from administrators for £1.6m.
Tangent Communications, the digital marketing company, has acquired the customer insight agency Snowball for £3.2m.
Sovereign Capital, the private equity firm, has acquired the home care services provider, London Care for £18m.
Synova Capital has acquired Clearwater Care, a group of 14 care homes that provide residential care and support services for people with learning disabilities.
Garnett Dickinson Print, the magazine and catalogue printing company, has acquired Acorn Web Offset from Trader Media Group.
Chemring Group, the defence and military equipment manufacturer, is to acquire Hi-Shear Technology Corporation for £80m. The US-based Hi-Shear manufactures products for space and defence programmes.
The engineering and construction company Balfour Beatty hopes to expand its global presence with the acquisition of the US professional services firm Parsons Brinckerhoff. Balfour Beatty is to acquire the company for £380m.
Babcock International Group, the support services company, is to acquire UKAEA Ltd from the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority for £50m. UKAEA's expertise in nuclear site services will strengthen Babcock's existing nuclear division.
France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom are to merge their UK operations, Orange and T-Mobile. The new joint venture will create the UK's leading mobile operator with more than 28 million customers and a 37% market share. The merger will have to be approved by the competition authorities.
MKM Group, the marketing services company, has sold a 90% stake in its London-based subsidiary Promodus to the recently formed Stripe Marketing.
Merchant Securities, the financial services group, is to acquire the wealth management company Cavendish Young.
The wealth management company Brooks Macdonald Group has completed its first acquisition with the purchase of Lawrence House Fund Managers. The assets under management at Lawrence House will be integrated into the group's specialist division, Brooks Macdonald Asset Management.
The Go-Ahead Group is to acquire Arriva's bus services in Horsham for £5m. The purchase includes 19 vehicles and 58 employees, which will become part of Go-Ahead's Metrobus division.
Evolve Capital is to acquire the corporate finance business Whim Gully Capital. As part of the agreement, Evolve will also obtain St Helen's Capital, which is being purchased by Whim Gully.
HMV Group is to acquire a 50% equity stake in the digital media company 7digital for £7.7m. 7digital will be responsible for HMV's digital operations, and it is hoped that the company's technology and extensive music catalogue will help HMV to grow in the digital entertainment market.
Three Yorkshire property companies established by Warren Hill, Burford Park Estates, Prospect Business Centres and Loxley Homes, have been brought together as Monument Investments.
Lloyds TSB Development Capital, the private equity firm, has purchased a majority stake in 1st – The Exchange, a provider of financial services technology solutions.
Facebook has acquired the social networking site FriendFeed, which allows users to share and discuss photos and videos.
Al Fahim Asia Associates, owned by businessman Sulaiman Al Fahim, has completed its acquisition of Portsmouth Football Club.
Primesite, the outdoor advertising company, has acquired the roadside billboard estate of Titan Outdoor Advertising, adding 8,600 panels to Primesite's portfolio. Titan will now focus on its rail and retail divisions.
TradeLabs, an algorithm trading company, has acquired the Hong Kong-based IT distribution company Right Deal for up to $1.25m.
In its second acquisition of the year, the training solutions provider Redtray has purchased PPi Learning Services.
Acorn, the training and recruitment agency, has acquired the technical recruitment firm Oracle Global Resourcing. The purchase of Oracle, which will now trade as Exxell, strengthens Acorn's presence in the South East.
C&C Group, the manufacturer and distributor of branded alcoholic drinks such as Bulmers and Magners, has acquired certain assets of Anheuser-Busch InBev for £180m. This includes the Irish, Northern Irish and Scottish divisions of the company and the Tennent's lager brand.
The housing and care provider Housing 21 is to purchase Claimar Care for £19.5m. The deal is unusual as it sees a not-for-profit organisation acquire a PLC.
The private equity firm Silverfleet Capital is to acquire the German company Kalle, a manufacturer of artificial sausage casings, for €212.5m.
James Fisher & Sons, the marine services provider, has acquired the nuclear and aerospace engineering company MB Faber. The acquired business will trade as JF Faber and operate as part of James Fisher Nuclear Holdings.
The senior management team of Air Energi Group, a recruitment firm for the oil and gas industry, has led a management buyout of the company for £30m. The deal was backed by Zeus Private Equity.
Orange has acquired the digital advertising network Unanimis, which will continue to trade under its existing name. It will become part of the Orange Group Advertising Network, allowing advertisers and media agencies to reach over 70% of the online population.
Amcor, the global packaging manufacturer, is to acquire certain divisions of Alcan Packaging from Rio Tinto for $2 billion. This includes Alcan's global pharmaceuticals business and its European food business.
The financial services company Perspective Financial Group has made its eighth acquisition with the purchase of McGregors Wealth Management. McGregors will continue to trade under its existing name.
Eve Trakway, the provider of temporary industrial access solutions, has acquired Anglia Traffic Management Group. Eve Trakway will expand its service offering and its depot network in Cambridge, Kent and Scotland.
The PR firm Hayhurst Media has been acquired by Schwartz Communications, a technology, healthcare and cleantech PR agency, which hopes to benefit from an increased client base in the life sciences and cleantech sectors.
Hollywood Signs and Monster Digital have merged to become Hollywood Monster, the largest provider of signage and digital print services in the Birmingham region.
FleetCor, the fuel card company, has acquired the fuel card division of Retail Decisions in the UK and Ireland. This is the ninth European acquisition for FleetCor since 2006.
UBC Media, the digital radio services company, has acquired Radio Lynx for £1.6m. Radio Lynx, which has been sold by Music Marketing Services, creates marketing content for radio stations and websites.
EnergyQuote has acquired John Hall Associates, the energy procurement company, to become one of the largest energy consultancies in Europe.
Associated British Foods has sold its Polish sugar business BSO Poland to the Polish company Pfeifer & Langen.
The BNY Mellon Asset Management division of The Bank of New York Mellon is to acquire Insight Investment Management from Lloyds Banking Group for around £235m. Insight, the specialist asset management firm, will become a subsidiary within the company.
Scottish and Southern Energy is to acquire Uskmouth Power Company from Welsh Power Group for £27m. Uskmouth operates a coal-fired power station in Wales where Scottish and Southern currently supplies gas and electricity through its SWALEC subsidiary.
Darwin Private Equity has acquired Hampson Aerospace Machining for £23.7m. The company, which is a division of Hampson Industries, will be renamed Bromford Industries.
TD Waterhouse, the share dealing and investment firm, has acquired OMX Security Services, an outsourced settlement company. OMX will be renamed TD Waterhouse Corporate Services.
The telecommunications company Daisy Group continues its expansion with the acquisition of Redstone Telecom for £17m.
The fund management company AnaCap Financial Partners is to acquire Cattles Invoice Finance from Cattles plc for around £70m. AnaCap hopes to expand within the SME market currently served by CIF.
The recruitment company Spring Group is to be acquired by Adecco through its subsidiary Adecco UK Holdco, for around £107m.
VINCI Construction UK has acquired Haymills Group, the property construction and maintenance company, which recently went into administration. The acquisition saves around 430 jobs.
JCT600 Group has acquired its first Audi dealerships from the Gilder Group. JCT600, which already has 44 car dealerships in Yorkshire and the North East, has purchased two sites in Hull and York.
NCO Europe, the business process outsourcing company, has acquired the credit and debt recovery firm Complete Credit Management from Severn Trent Services Group.
Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt, the personnel and financial services companies, are to merge. The combined firm will be called Towers Watson & Co.
Walstead Investments has acquired the commercial and magazine printer Southernprint from Newsquest Media Group. The purchase sees Walstead expand upon its previous acquisition of the Wyndeham Press Group in 2008.
Accenture is to acquire the professional services unit of Nokia responsible for providing engineering and customer support for the Symbian smartphone operating system. Around 165 staff are expected to transfer to Accenture.
The metal trading business Wogen is to be acquired by Sanctuary Partners, a company established by the Wogen management team.
Coffee Republic has been bought out of administration by the property investment company Arab Investments.
Lavendon Group, the rental company specialising in powered access equipment, has acquired the trade and assets of EPL Access for £1.3m, which includes seven depots and 320 rental units.
The footwear retailer Mr Shoes has been bought out of administration by the company's previous directors, through a newly formed business, Glayone. As a result, nine stores and 53 jobs have been saved.
The East of England Co-operative Society has sold its department and home stores to Vergo Retail.
The web hosting and domain registration companies LCN.com and Telivo.com have merged. The company will operate under the LCN brand name.
Dawson News, the newspaper and magazine distribution division of Dawson Holdings, has gone into administration. As a result, certain assets have been sold to Smiths News for £1.5m and John Menzies for £500,000. Dawson's remaining businesses, Dawson Media Direct, Dawson Books and Dawson Marketing Services will continue to trade.
A 50.1% stake in Digital Window, the affiliate marketing network operator, has been acquired by two European media companies. Axel Springer, the German newspaper publisher, and PubliGroupe, the Swiss media marketing agency, hope the investment will strengthen their position in the UK.
JD Sports has acquired its second rugby apparel brand in 2009, with the purchase of Canterbury Europe for £6.5m. JD also acquired Kooga Rugby in July.
Philip Downer and Mark Little, the chief executive and finance director of the book retailer, Borders have led a management buy-out of the company, backed by Valco Capital Partners.
The debt collection company Robinson Way & Co has been acquired by its directors from its parent company London Scottish Bank, which went into administration in 2008.
Lombok, the home furnishings retailer, has been acquired by a financial consortium led by the investment firms, Privet Capital and Paradigm. The acquisition ensures that 14 of Lombok's 19 stores can continue to trade and that 124 of 161 jobs will be saved.
Systemax, the US computer retailer, is to acquire WStore Europe, which supplies IT products to businesses and operates in the UK and France.
The property website Zoopla.co.uk continues its expansion with the acquisition of the PropertyFinder Group from News International. Websites such as propertyfinder.com, HotProperty.co.uk and UKPropertyshop.co.uk will be integrated into Zoopla's service, which will also gain an extra three million visitors a month.
Publicis Groupe, the international communications company, is to acquire the digital marketing agency, Razorfish for £318m. Razorfish, which has been sold by Microsoft, will become part of the VivaKi digital platforms network at Publicis.
brightsolid, the provider of IT business services, is to acquire the Friends Reunited Group from ITV for £25m. The acquisition will bring together several genealogy websites as the Friends Reunited Group owns Genes Reunited, and brightsolid operates several websites in this sector such as findmypast.com and scotlandspeople.gov.uk.
Daisy Group, the business telecommunications company, has acquired business technology firm AT Communications, and telecoms and IT supplier Eurotel.
Next Fifteen Communications has added a fifth subsidiary brand to its group of PR companies. It has acquired the US-based M Booth, which will eventually integrate with Lexis Public Relations, to create a global consumer agency.
PuriCore, the life sciences company, has acquired Labcaire Systems, a supplier of endoscope disinfection equipment and air filtration systems. The Labcaire facility in Clevedon, North Somerset will continue to operate.
The mobile phone repair company Total Repair Solutions has been acquired for £6.25m by Regenersis, a provider of after sales support services for technology products.
Holidaybreak, the education, leisure and activity travel group, is to acquire a 150 acre site to develop a new outdoor education centre. Formerly the site of The Liddington Hotel, the centre has been purchased from administrators for £9.44m.
The Centrica subsidiary British Gas Business has acquired the Newnova Group for around £3.5m. The group, which provides energy management and control systems for the building services industry, will retain its trade names, BMS Solutions and BMS Setpoint.
MITIE Group, the property services company, has acquired Dalkia Technical Facilities Management for around £130m.
Avisen, the performance management company, has acquired the IBM reseller, Inca for £3.5m. As a result, Avisen will become a leading IBM Cognos reseller and enhance its technology consultancy services.
The financial services provider Friends Provident is to be acquired by Resolution Holdings, which will be renamed Friends Provident Holdings.
Modelzone Holdings, the owner of the model retailer, Modelzone has completed a management buyout for £5.6m. The deal is backed by LloydsTSB Development Capital, the private equity arm of the Lloyds Banking Group.
Astaire Group, the specialist investment banking business, has acquired the corporate finance company Ruegg.
In its third acquisition of the year, the mobile communications technology provider 2ergo has acquired the ActiveMedia Technologies Group, which operates in the UK and India. AMT specialises in mobile couponing solutions and has provided the technology for campaigns such as ‘Orange Wednesdays'.
PR Newswire, the marketing services subsidiary of United Business Media, has acquired a US-based website software company The Fuel Team for $2.5m.
Transport for London has sold the assets of East Thames Buses to the Go-Ahead Group for £5m. TfL hopes to save £30m in nine years as a result of the sale, which sees East Thames Buses incorporated into the Go-Ahead London Bus Company.
Innovise, the managed services and software company, has acquired RapidHost, a managed hosting services provider. RapidHost will eventually become part of Innovise's managed services division.
The online gaming company PartyGaming has acquired the bingo website operator Cashcade for £95.9m. PartyGaming hopes to expand within the popular online bingo market, in which Cashcade is responsible for leading brands such as Think Bingo and Foxy Bingo.
The property development company Telford Homes has acquired Clifford Contracting for £6.2m.
The demolition and civil engineering contractor Keltbray has acquired Gamble Rail from administrators. Gamble Rail, which specialises in track maintenance and renewal projects, will retain its trading name and operate as a division of Keltbray.
Titan Technology Partners, the US-based provider of consultancy and outsourced industry solutions, has acquired the UK company Application Lynx.
GHA Livigunn, the engineering design consultancy, has merged with Birkett Stevens Colman Partnership, a civil and structural design consultancy. At present, the companies will continue to trade under their existing names.
The customer intelligence and data analysis company Webtrends has acquired Widemile, a provider of testing and targeting services for online marketers.
IBM has strengthened its business analytics capabilities with the acquisition of the analytics software and services provider SPSS for $1.2 billion. SPSS will be integrated into IBM's information management software division.
The engineering and project management company Amec has acquired the Australian company GRD for £52m. The purchase of GRD, which has mineral projects in Australia, Africa and South America, will strengthen Amec's presence in these regions.
The television, radio and wireless infrastructure provider Arqiva is to acquire the platform assets of Project Kangaroo. Arqiva plans to launch a new video-on-demand service using the Project Kangaroo platform created by BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4.
The business equity provider Close Growth Capital has been bought out of the financial services group Close Brothers by its executive directors. The company has been renamed Growth Capital Partners.
Energy Conversion Devices, a US manufacturer of roofing products for the solar power industry, is to acquire the global solar solutions provider Solar Integrated Technologies for $16.3m.
The management team of TSC Foods has completed a management buyout of the company for £24m, with the backing of Key Capital Partners.
Computer 2000, the trade-only distributor of IT products, has strengthened its presence in Ireland by acquiring certain assets of the Irish Autodesk distributor Cadco. The purchase particularly benefits the design software division of Computer 2000, Datech, which will now manage the Autodesk business from offices in Cork.
STM Group, the financial services provider, has acquired the Luxembourg-based Citadel Group for €1.88m. Citadel consists of seven companies, which provide corporate and trustee services to Northern European and South African clients.
Huntsworth, the PR and communications group has acquired Tonic Life Communications for £3m. With the acquisition of the healthcare PR company Huntsworth will expand its own healthcare division.
The utility support services provider, Spice has completed an acquisition through its telecommunications subsidiary, Team Simoco. The radio communications specialist has acquired the Australian company ComGroup for £6.9m.
Zoopla.co.uk, the property website, has acquired Thinkproperty.com from Guardian Media Group.
The Middle Eastern consortium Munto Finance has completed its acquisition of Notts County Football Club.
Capita Hartshead, the pensions outsourcing arm of The Capita Group, has expanded in London and the South East, with the acquisition of Gissings, the pension consultancy firm.
System C Healthcare, the provider of IT services to the healthcare sector, has expanded into social services with the acquisition of the social care systems provider Liquidlogic for £14.2m.
Advanced Computer Software, the provider of IT services to the primary care sector, has acquired StaffPlan, a software supplier for the homecare industry, for £1.36m.
A subsidiary of the Finsbury Food Group has acquired the speciality bread company Goswell for £2.2m. Nicholas & Harris has purchased Goswell, which supplies brands such as Vogel and Cranks to UK supermarkets.
Connaught, the integrated service provider for the social housing and public sector, is to acquire the grounds and tree maintenance company Fountains.
Hamworthy, the provider of specialist systems for the marine, oil and gas industries has acquired the technology and products division of the Norwegian oil services company Aibel for £3.5m. The acquired business will operate as part of Hamworthy's gas systems division.
The founder of Holiday Autos, Clive Jacobs is to acquire the TWgroup and its associated brands, including Travel Weekly UK.
The business email marketing company StrongMail has acquired PopularMedia, a provider of marketing solutions within social networking environments.
The PR agency Freshwater has expanded upon its eight UK-based PR teams with the acquisition of the Irish company Life Communications.
The Norwegian company Bayerngas Norge is to acquire the oil and gas exploration company Genesis Petroleum Corporation for £14.74m.
The international investment company LMS Capital has purchased a majority stake in Updata Infrastructure UK. LMS has acquired the share in Updata, which provides broadband networks for public sector organisations and mobile operators, for £6.2m and in support of a management buy-out.
In its second acquisition of the year Equiniti, the shareholder and employee services provider, has purchased a firm of chartered secretaries, David Venus. The company will bring secretarial and specialist corporate governance advice services to Equiniti.
The Irish clinical research organisation ICON has acquired Veeda Laboratories, a subsidiary of Veeda Clinical Research Group.
Alterian, the integrated marketing platform provider, has acquired the social media monitoring company, Techrigy. Alterian hopes to strengthen its marketing capabilities by engaging directly with consumers online.
Ultra Electronics has acquired the Australian company, Avalon Systems for £8.1m. Avalon, which specialises in defence electronics, will complement Ultra's work within the security, defence and aerospace industries.
Penna, the human resources consulting group, has acquired Barkers Group after the recruitment advertising agency went into administration.
Liberty Acquisition Holdings (International) has acquired Pearl Group with the intention of injecting up to £510m into the life assurance company.
IDBS, which specialises in research data management software, has acquired InforSense. The scientific and business data technologies offered by InforSense will contribute to the company's international data sharing capabilities and life sciences portfolio.
In an effort to expand within the professional publishing sector, Bloomsbury Publishing is to acquire Tottel Publishing for £9.96m. Tottel, which publishes books and journals for lawyers, accountants and business professionals, is to be renamed Bloomsbury Professional.
Domino's Pizza Group has acquired Dresdner Kleinwort Leasing March (2), an equipment leasing division of Dresdner Kleinwort Leasing.
Talisman Energy, the upstream oil and gas company, is to acquire Rift Oil, which has operations in Papua New Guinea.
SDL, the provider of multilingual global information management solutions, has acquired XyEnterprise, the component content management company. SDL will merge its SDL Trisoft division with XyEnterprise to create a new business unit, SDL XySoft.
GlaxoSmithKline has acquired the branded generics business of the pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb in the Middle East and North Africa for £14.2m. With this purchase, GSK adds sites in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Libya and Yemen to its previous acquisitions in Pakistan and Egypt.
The heating systems manufacturer, Baxi Group is to merge with the Dutch company De Dietrich Remeha Group creating one of the largest boiler companies in Europe.
The US-based packaging specialist, Bemis Company is to acquire Alcan Packaging Food Americas for $1.2 billion. Alcan is being sold by the international mining company Rio Tinto, which purchased the business in 2007.
AEC Education has acquired the London-based English language school, Malvern House for up to £3.9m. This is the first UK acquisition for AEC, which has headquarters in Singapore and a large student network in Asia.
Campbell Hooper Solicitors has merged with the law firm Speechly Bircham. The combined firm will operate as Speechly Bircham and will be based at the firm's new offices in London.
The building consultancy and quantity surveying company, Baqus has acquired the Nigel Rose Group, a firm of chartered quantity surveyors based in London, Cheltenham, Wokingham and Warrington.
The power generation company, International Power is to sell its Czech subsidiary, International Power Opatovice to the Czech-Slovak investment firm J&T Group for £738.3m.
British American Tobacco has acquired an 85% stake in Bentoel, the fourth largest cigarette maker in Indonesia, for £303m.
Dawson International, the Scottish-based cashmere company, has sold its Todd & Duncan division, to the Chinese company, Ningxia Zhongyin Cashmere Company. Zhongyin is already a supplier of cashmere fibre to Todd & Duncan, which will be renamed Todd & Duncan Ltd.
Uniq, the convenience foods group that supplies Marks & Spencer, has sold its French company, Marie, to the poultry and delicatessen group, LDC for €60m.
The TEG Group, the specialist in-vessel composting company, has acquired Norfolk-based Banham Compost for £3.2m.
The Local Radio Company has sold two radio stations, Arrow FM and Sovereign Radio, to Media Sound Holdings.
The private equity firm, Charterhouse Capital, has acquired Wood Mackenzie, the Edinburgh-based provider of research and consultancy services to the energy and mining industries. Charterhouse Capital agreed to fund a management buy-out worth £550m.
The founding management team of the cheese and specialty foods wholesaler, H&B Foods, has regained ownership of the business in a management buy-out. The parent company, Novel Group went into administration recently prompting the sale.
Bowman International, the bearings and components manufacturer, has purchased Oilite Bearings, which went into administration in 2008.
ICAP, the interdealer broker, has acquired the transactions division of the patent brokerage firm, Ocean Tomo, for $10m.
Lincoln UK, the investments and pensions company, has been acquired by Sun Life Financial of Canada for £195m.
RSA Insurance Group has acquired Intouch Insurance Group, which has operations in Poland, Czech Republic and Russia, for £59.1m.
Executive recruitment and talent management firm, Korn/Ferry has purchased Whitehead Mann.
Pricewaterhouse Coopers has sold four depots in the liquids division of Dairy Farmers of Britain to The Capital Dairy Company. Another depot based in Cheshunt has been acquired by a dairy in Wiltshire, Braeforge. As a result, 172 employees will transfer to the new owners.
JD Sports has acquired the sports footwear retailer Chausport, for €8m. The company has 78 stores in France, which will allow JD to expand outside the UK and Ireland.
HomeServe, provider of emergency related insurance products, has acquired French company SFG for £24m. SFG specialises in extended warranty services for electrical products.
Former CEO of Friends Reunited, Michael Murphy, has completed a management buy-in of online cashback cooperative, Quidco, which sees him assuming the role of Executive Chairman at the company.
In its first acquisition of a British company, German mobile marketing business, YOC Group has purchased Bluestar Mobile.
Synova Capital, the private equity fund, has expanded its luxury handbags and accessories business, TLG Brands, with the acquisition of Nica. Nica, which produces handbags, joins the Fiorelli and Modalu brands at TLG.
TKC Direct, the parent company of retailer Route One, has acquired online clothing retailer, Everything but the Music from administrators.
Amery Capital has purchased footwear and accessories brand, Oliver Sweeney, through a new company, McFL Trading. The company was formed in partnership with footwear manufacturer Tim Cooper, and it acquired Oliver Sweeney from PricewaterhouseCoopers.
PricewaterhouseCoopers has sold Lubborn Cheese, a leader in the soft cheese market, to Lactalis McLelland. The company has also sold the Llandyrnog Creamery, manufacturer of traditional Welsh cheese, to Milk Link. Both businesses were previously part of the Dairy Farmers of Britain co-operative, which was placed into receivership in June 2009.
Blackrock has acquired Barclays Global Investors for £8.2 billion. The combined investment management firm will be renamed Blackrock Global Investors.
Capita Group has acquired Carillion IT Services, a division of the building and support services company Carillion, for £36m.
Pinnacle Telecom has acquired Northampton-based reseller, Accent Telecom UK.
THB, the independent insurance and reinsurance broker, has acquired Property Risk Management. PRM, which specialises in insurance for commercial and residential properties, will be integrated into THB's risk management division.
Bridgepoint Capital Management Group has taken on the management of the direct private equity investment divisions of Hermes Fund Managers. The Hermes Private Equity team will transfer to Bridgepoint and operate as a separate business division, Bridgepoint Development Capital.
Equiniti has acquired Belfast-based software and services provider ICS Computing, which will enable the company to expand on its share registration services into business process outsourcing.
Galliford Try has acquired the residential development assets of Wright (Hull) Ltd, which consists of five housing sites in Hull and York with 147 plots.
Loss Management Group has acquired E-Register from Helphire Group. Both companies provide specialist insurance services for jewellery and valuable collectables.
Advanced Computer Software, provider of IT services to the primary care sector, is to buy Business Systems Group, which will expand its effective hosting, managed services and outsourcing capabilities.
The business processor Xchanging has acquired FondsServiceBank (FSB), the investment funds division of DAB Bank, for £19.1m.
2ergo, the mobile communications provider, has acquired Australian-based mobile services agency Wapfly Technologies. The purchase will enable 2ergo to expand into the Asia-Pacific region.
RM, provider of ICT software and services to the education sector, has acquired education interiors supplier Isis Concepts, for around £2.69m.
Aircraft Medical, a UK manufacturer of medical devices, has acquired Barcelona-based Morpheus Medical, which develops anaesthesia monitoring equipment.
Sheffield Industrial Saws has purchased Spear & Jackson International after the company faced liquidation in April 2009.
Mobile marketing agency Mediaburst has acquired text messaging services company, Promptext.
McKinnon & Clarke, the energy consultancy firm, has purchased its competitor UCA (Utility Cost Analysis). As a result, UCA's staff will relocate to three regional offices within M&C.
Staffline, a recruitment company with offices throughout the UK, has expanded its presence with the acquisition of Yorkshire-based The Workplace.
Thistle Underwriters, part of the JLT Group, has acquired Ingham & Co, an underwriting agency for the SME market.
Lyris, the US online marketing company, has acquired the UK-based email marketing agency Facultas, with the intention of opening a new central London office and expanding the Lyris global service. Facultas currently operates as a Lyris reseller.
Sunday, a customer publishing business, has acquired the digital design agency, Goose Creative.
PSL Tool Hire has expanded its business with the acquisition of M&R Hire Centres.
Following the acquisition of Panacea Services in February, IT provider Kelway continues its growth with the purchase of Repton plc. Kelway now employs over 350 staff in seven regional offices with a turnover exceeding £180m.
Augustus Martin, provider of POS communications, has acquired the litho and digital business Walkersmcr. The company will now trade as Walkers Instore and retain its 42 members of staff.
Digital marketing organisation TMN Group is to acquire the B2B publishing company and information provider, Progressive Digital Media Group, in a reverse takeover. Mike Danson, the owner of Progressive and a non-executive director of TMN since October 2008, will receive 85% of the company's share capital.
National Express Group has sold its London bus business, Travel London, to Dutch company NedRailways for £32m. The sale will include 36 Transport for London routes, 30 Surrey County Council and Kingston University services and the transfer of all 1,600 staff.
The US company Advanced Computer Services is to acquire Anix, a division of UK IT services group Xploite, for £31.5m. The agreement will see ACS expand its global presence and gain more than 150 employees.
Braveheart Investment Group has acquired the Yorkshire-based specialist investment business Inkopo for up to £1.31m.
West Ham United has been sold to CB Holding, an asset management company which is majority-owned by the Icelandic investment bank Straumur-Burdaras.
Capita Group has acquired the European loan administration, asset management administration and commercial
mortgage backed securities administration services division of Capmark Financial Group for £10m. The deal includes Capmark Services UK, which will become part of Capita Fiduciary Group.
Amlin is to acquire Fortis Corporate Insurance from the Netherlands government for €350m, in a move that establishes the UK firm as a leading provider of marine, liability and commercial property insurance in the Netherlands and Belgium.
UKRD has taken over The Local Radio Company, adding more than 25 radio stations to its network.
The administrators of Bay Trading have sold the business to Rinku Group, the owner of the retail brands Tigi-Wear, Viz-a-Viz and iZ. Rinku has acquired 45 Bay Trading stores, 85 Bay Trading concessions, together with Bay Trading's stock and intellectual property. The deal will safeguard 566 jobs but 1,200 employees will be made redundant.
Close Brothers Group is to sell its corporate finance advisory business Close Brothers Corporate Finance to Daiwa Securities SMBC Europe for £67m. Close Brothers will now focus on its three larger divisions, Banking, Asset Management and Securities.
QinetiQ Group has agreed to sell its Winfrith-based underwater systems business to Atlas Elektronik UK for £23.5m. Atlas Elektronik is jointly owned by ThyssenKrupp and EADS.
Ruffler Bank has been bought by the private equity group AnaCap Financial Partners.
Charles Taylor Consulting has acquired Axiom for up to £7.85m. Axiom is the holding company of a group that provides insurance support services to Lloyd's and London insurance market businesses. Following the acquisition, Axiom will be integrated into a new Insurance Support Services Division within CTC, which will be led by chief executive, Mike Peachey, and chairman, Andrew Brannon.
The Carphone Warehouse's TalkTalk is to acquire Tiscali's UK operations for £236m. The deal makes TalkTalk the UK's largest residential broadband provider with over 25% market share and 4,250,000 customers.
SovGEM, the emerging market equity finance house, is to acquire the investment bank Hanson Westhouse Holdings.
The British software firm Micro Focus International is to acquire the NASDAQ-listed Borland Software Corporation in a deal that values the American firm at around $75m. Micro Focus says that the enlarged group will benefit from a broadened product portfolio, a large combined customer base, greater penetration of the strategically important US technology market and significant cost synergies. In a separate move Micro Focus is also buying the Application Testing and Automated Software Quality Solutions arm of Compuware Corporation for $80m.
The uninterruptible power supply specialist Chloride Power Protection has acquired Malcolm Power Systems, a company that has 20 years experience of UPS supply and maintenance.
The marketing agency Gyro International is to merge with the US integrated agency HSR to form GyroHSR. The combined entity will have 17 offices across Europe, North America and the Middle East, and employ more than 600 people worldwide.
Hays Travel has bought the failed holiday firm Freedom Direct Holidays, taking on the bookings of 9,000 holidaymakers and the Freedom Direct website and saving the jobs of many of Freedom Direct's employees. Freedom Direct turned over £40m in 2008.
The online market research agency YouGov has acquired the US firm C Horizons in a transaction worth up to $2.7m.
Woodspeen Training is to acquire Futures Training Centres for up to £2.7m. Futures Training Centres offers training to adults, largely under the government's Learndirect and Train to Gain programmes.
The facilities and catering group Hollywood Media Services is to acquire the pre-production and casting studio business The Casting Suite and the production staff agency Production Switchboard.
Ultimate Products has bought the consumer electronics firm Intempo Digital.
The energy services company Hunting plc has acquired the US manufacturer of subsea hydraulic equipment National Coupling Company for $55m.
The corporate travel firm ATP International Group is to buy Instone International, a leading service provider to the marine and offshore industries.
The emerging technologies investment firm Toumaz Holdings has acquired Future Waves UK. Toumaz already owned 76.8% of the semiconductor firm.
Portmeirion Potteries has purchased the Spode and Royal Worcester brand names and intellectual property from the administrators of Royal Worcester Spode. The £3.2m deal does not include the Royal Worcester Spode retail shops, which remain with the administrators.
The enterprise content management company Objective Corporation has acquired Limehouse Software. Limehouse Software has 200 clients in the UK local government sector as well as a growing presence in the US.
Chesnara is to acquire the Swedish life assurance company Moderna Forsakringar Liv for £20.1m. Chesnara is the
owner of Countrywide Assured.
Anglia Business Solutions has acquired Norwich-based Supply Chain Systems from its US parent company AgriWise Inc.
The digital marketing agency Crayon is to merge with the relationship marketing agency Hicklin Slade and Partners.
Oracle is to buy Sun Microsystems for $7.4bn, giving the world's largest enterprise software company ownership of the Java software brand and the Solaris operating system.
GlaxoSmithKline is to acquire the dermatology specialist Stiefel Laboratories for $2.9bn. GSK plans to combine Stiefel with its existing prescription dermatological products and the new division will operate under the Stiefel brand as part of the GSK Group.
COBRA Holdings has acquired the Manchester-based general insurance broker Thornway Insurances. COBRA plans to integrate Thornway into its regional operations in Manchester.
The PR agency Borkowski has bought the events consultancy Beatwax.
The 100-year-old print business Burlington Press has been bought by Bluepoint Cambridge.
Homecraft Rolyan, the supplier of easier living aids, therapy and paediatric products to hospitals, local authorities and retailers, has acquired Mobilis Healthcare, the specialist physiotherapy, podiatry and sports medicine group.
The Swedish pharmaceutical company Orexo has acquired the UK drug delivery business PharmaKodex.
The hardware retailer Robert Dyas has been bought out by its management in a deal thought to be worth £30m. The company was previously owned by the private equity firm Change Capital which saw its investment in the retailer wiped out by the agreement which was necessary to keep the 137-year-old retailer from going into administration. Robert Dyas now plans to develop new product ranges and new store layouts.
The direct marketing group DM plc has acquired PDV, an online and offline lead generation business, in a deal worth up to £1.13m.
Fernau Avionics, which manufactures and supplies ground-based navigational aids to the global aviation market, has been bought by Moog Controls for £32m.
Capita Group has acquired Hero Insurance Services from LV= for £15m. Hero offers vehicle and home insurance through brands including AQuote, 1stQuote, Motorcycles United and Telebikes. It will become part of Capita's insurance intermediary and administration business. In a separate £11.6m acquisition, Capita has taken over CHKS, a provider of healthcare intelligence and quality improvement services to healthcare professionals.
Cheyne Capital Management is to buy the fund of hedge funds manager Altedge Capital.
Barclays has sold its iShares exchange-traded funds business to the private equity firm CVC Capital Partners for £3bn, in a deal that enhances the bank's capital position. iShares was part of Barclays Global Investors and the majority of iShares' 620 employees transfer with the business.
Cranswick is to acquire the pork processing arm of the family-run farming business Bowes of Norfolk for £17m. The acquisition does not include the arable farming business or property portfolio of Bowes and these will be taken on by members of the Bowes family.
The hedge fund GLG Partners has acquired SG Asset Management UK.
Kaboose has sold its UK mother and baby data business, Bounty, to Barclays Private Equity for £54m.
The private equity firm RCapital has acquired the doorstep lender Morses Club.
Entertainment Rights has fallen into administration and immediately been sold by the administrators to the US intellectual property firm Boomerang Media, a company backed by the Chicago-based private equity group GTCR. Entertainment Rights develops and licences children's brands including Rupert The Bear and Postman Pat. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange and shareholders will receive no return on their investment.
Nationwide Building Society has taken over Dunfermline Building Society. The acquisition includes Dunfermline's employees at its 34 branches and retail sites plus Dunfermline's headquarters and over £2bn of retail deposits, but excludes “high risk assets” such as commercial loans, which have been taken on by the government. The deal will increase Nationwide's market share of retail deposits to around 11% and its membership to 15 million. The Dunfermline brand and branch network will continue to operate but it is likely that some back office and central group functions of Dunfermline will no longer be required.
Eidos, the company behind the Tomb Raider video game, has agreed to be taken over by SQEX, a company owned by Square Enix Holdings. Square Enix is a Japanese developer, publisher and distributor of entertainment content including Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. Eidos will consequently be de-listed from the London Stock Exchange.
The German company Aurelius has acquired the home shopping group sit-up from Virgin Media. Sit-up owns the digital home shopping channels bid tv, price-drop tv and speed auction tv, and generated income of £242m in 2008.
The telecoms distributor Nimans has acquired its rival Rocom from ATC Group in a £12.45m deal that creates a combined business employing 400 people with a turnover of almost £100m.
The US neuromarketing firm NeuroFocus is to buy its Surrey-based counterpart Neuroco. Both firms use neurological testing to measure brainwaves that show consumers' levels of attention, emotional engagement, and memory retention, as well as eye-tracking and skin-response measurements to monitor people's responses to product design, packaging, branding and marketing.
Neuroco will be renamed NeuroFocus Europe.
IRIS Software Group has acquired the Sussex-based accounting software reseller ATW Information Technology Systems.
The private equity firm Northern Link has taken a majority share in the salmon farm operator Lighthouse Caledonia.
Smiths News has acquired the book wholesaler Bertram for £8.6m. Bertram was formerly part of the Woolworths Group. Smiths News is the UK's leading wholesaler of newspapers and magazines and was formed in 2006 following the demerger of WH Smith plc.
First Derivatives, the Newry-based provider of software and consulting services to financial markets, has acquired an Australian risk management technology firm, Hologram.
The lighting systems specialist FW Thorpe has acquired Solite Europe, a manufacturer of cleanroom lighting equipment.
Ethical Superstore, the supplier of fair trade, organic and eco-friendly products, is merging with the organic and natural products mail order firm Natural Collection. Andy Redfern, co-founder of Ethical Superstore, becomes chief executive of the combined company, which hopes to increase turnover to £8m for 2009/10.
Egdon Resources, the UK-based oil & gas explorer, has acquired YCI Resources from the Heyco Energy Group.
Valiant Sports has bought the snooker and pool hall operator Rileys. The deal includes 129 Rileys clubs across the UK. However 30 clubs have been closed with immediate effect and the loss of 200 jobs.
JJB Sports has sold its fitness clubs business to Dave Whelan Sports for £83.4m. The purchase covers 53 fitness clubs with approximately 228,600 members across the UK and Ireland, as well as leases relating to 10 planned fitness clubs. The fitness business turned over £138.7m last year and employs 1,500 staff, all of whom will transfer to the purchaser.
Smallbone, the manufacturer of exclusive kitchen, bedroom and bathroom furniture, has been bought out of administration by Canburg in a move that secures 400 jobs. The deal also includes Smallbone's subsidiary Mark Wilkinson Furniture. Canburg is owned by the entrepreneur Leo Caplan.
Bunzl has acquired the Chessington-based food products distributor W K Thomas and the Peterborough-based cleaning and hygiene products distributor Industrial Supplies. Both businesses were part of the same group of companies that were in administration.
King Express, a supplier of catering equipment and supplies and part of the King UK business, has been sold out of administration to its management team. The administrators were unable to find a buyer for King's contractual business and as a result 320 employees were made redundant.
The security & fire protection firm SectorGuard is to acquire Legion Group, a supplier of parking services and security.
The Carphone Warehouse subsidiary Opal Telecom is to acquire The Airtime Group, the main operating subsidiary of Canisp, which supplies fixed-line communications services to businesses and consumers in the UK.
Sims Metal Management has acquired the Birmingham-based metals recycler All Metal Recovery.
Johnston Carmichael, one of the largest chartered accountant and business advisory firms in Scotland, is merging with its smaller counterpart Duncan Young & Co.
Tangent Communications has acquired the digital agency Lateral. Lateral's clients include Firetrap, Hachette, Paco Rabanne and RSPCA.
The North Sea exploration firm Valiant Petroleum is to acquire Nor Energy (UK).
Bhs is to be integrated into the Arcadia Group and be run as one of its brands, alongside Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Topman, Topshop and Wallis. The move will see the consolidation of functions such as logistics, property and finance. Bhs and Arcadia are both owned by Sir Philip Green.
The direct marketing firms Broadsystem and EuroDirect have merged to become the Marketing Solutions business of Callcredit Information Group. Caroline Worboys takes up the role of managing director of Callcredit Information Group Marketing Solutions, which also incorporates GMAP Consulting and employs 750 people.
The digital advertising specialist Unanimis has acquired the UK-based affiliate network Global Direct Media.
The relationship marketing agency HS&P is to merge with the digital agency Crayon.
The broadcast technology firms Pro-Bel and Snell & Wilcox are to merge. The combined entity will have 2,000 active customers in more than 100 countries.
The sealing technology firm Garlock (Great Britain) has acquired PTM, a manufacturer of rubber moulding and gasket fabrications.
Majestic Wine has acquired the fine wine specialist Lay & Wheeler for £4.75m.
After a brief period of administration, Ennstone plc has been de-listed from London Stock Exchange and its UK and Polish subsidiaries have been sold to Breedon Holdings, a company backed by several financial institutions including Barclays Ventures. Shareholders are not expected to receive any return on their investment but the sale saves 1,000 jobs. Ennstone supplies a range of products and services to the construction sector, including asphalt, aggregates and readymix concrete.
The mobile and hosted IT services provider Genesis Communications has acquired Increase CRM, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM hosted services business of Increase Ltd.
The accessories retailer Dune has bought Shoe Studio Group out of administration, saving 1,660 jobs. Shoe Studio's footwear brands include Pied a Terre, Bertie and Nine West.
The stockbrokers WH Ireland and Blue Oar are to merge in a deal that will see WH Ireland pay around £16.2m for the entire issued share capital of Blue Oar.
The administrators of Waterford Wedgwood UK have sold the company to KPS Capital Partners, a New York-based private equity firm. The acquisition includes the assets of Waterford, Wedgwood and Royal Doulton in the UK and Ireland.
Harcostar has sold its garden products division to the Leeds-based waste and recycling firm Straight. The division has a range of compost bins, water butts and watering cans.
The law firms Morgan Cole and CIP Solicitors have merged to form a practice with more than 570 staff, including 57 Partners, with offices in Reading, Oxford, Cardiff and Swansea as well as a headquarters in Bristol. The merged firm will operate under the name Morgan Cole.
Avacta Group, the supplier of services and technologies for the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector, has acquired YorkTest Veterinary Services, a York-based provider of allergy testing services to veterinary practices. In two further separate deals, Avacta has also taken over two personalised medicine diagnostics companies: Theragenetics for up to £2m; and the AIM-listed Curidium for £6.18m. Personalised medicine identifies which patients respond more effectively to a particular drug treatment.
The construction and engineering consultant hurleypalmerflatt has acquired the Glasgow-based building services firm, ATCO Consulting.
Mears Group has acquired the social housing maintenance firm 3C in a deal worth up to £12.5m.
Meridian Audio has acquired the US consumer electronics company Sooloos.
The private equity firm Graphite Capital has acquired a majority stake in Performance Window Group, which it plans to build into “a substantial and diversified timber building products business”. Part of the investment will fund the group's acquisition of the Oxford-based TimberWindows.com.
Garry Biggs, the managing director of Denby Pottery, has led a £30m management buyout of the 200-year-old firm. The buyout was funded by Valco, the private equity arm of Hilco.
Westminster Group, the AIM-listed fire, safety, security and defence specialist, has acquired the security services organisation Longmoor Services for up to £2.4m. Longmoor's customers include the BBC, Kofi Annan and Al Gore.
Intertek, the quality and safety specialist, has acquired two companies: the US-based engineering consulting firm APTECH Engineering Services Inc, and WISco, a specialist in third-party inspection, expediting and co-ordination services for industrial facility construction and development. WISco has more than 120 full-time staff based in locations across the USA, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and more than 600 freelance contractors.
The French online dating company Meetic is to acquire Match.com's European operations from IAC. Under the terms of the agreement, Match.com is licensing the Match.com brand for its European operations to Meetic, and Meetic will “optimise the two brands on a market-by-market basis”. As well as operating in the UK, Match.com is active in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
ITV Network has sold its 70% shareholding in JFMG to Arqiva for £1m. Arqiva now owns 100% of the company that provides access to the radio spectrum and issues licences for applications such as wireless microphones and wireless cameras. The sale is the latest example of ITV's policy of disposing of its non-core assets. The broadcaster is also thought to be seeking a buyer for Friends Reunited, the social networking website that it bought for £175m in 2005.
The management of Zircotec have completed a management buyout of the high technology heat management and surface engineering specialist. The company's products are used in motorsport and by car manufacturers, tuners and classic car enthusiasts to manage heat effectively.
The North Sea oil firm Dana Petroleum has agreed to buy Canada's Bow Valley Energy for £123m. Bow Valley currently has four oil fields producing in the UK, and the purchase will bring the total of Dana's active UK oil fields to 35.
Ticketmaster and Live Nation have agreed a controversial merger. The proposed combination of the leading live music promoter and the world's biggest ticket agency has led to criticism that it would hold a dominant position in the industry which would lead to higher prices. However the companies concerned say that the merger would lead to “improved access, a more fan-friendly purchasing experience and better ticketing technology”. They also claim that “a very substantial portion of the tickets put on sale to the public for live events goes unsold” and that the merger will ensure increased attendance. The merged company is to be known as Live Nation Entertainment.
AMEC's strategy of buying businesses that provide services to operators in the oil and gas sector continues with its acquisition of the Aberdeen-based oil and gas engineering consultancy Performance Improvements Group.
Tenon, the accountancy and business advisory firm, has acquired HWSEG, a specialist medical accountant and tax adviser. HWSEG was formerly known as Sandison Easson & Gordon. Tenon Medical Services is the third largest medical specialist accountant in the UK with a client base of 420 medical-related practices.
As part of its strategy of focusing on its core insurance and vehicle breakdown activities, Aviva has sold the British School of Motoring and its subsidiaries to Arques Industries. BSM operates a franchised network of around 2,700 driving instructors and has assets of around £36m.
Dimension Data, the South African specialist IT solutions and services company that is listed on the London Stock Exchange, has acquired Teksys, a UK Microsoft infrastructure and licensing services company. Dimension Data plans to combine Teksys with its existing Microsoft Solutions business.
The intellectual property firm Murgitroyd Group has acquired the London-based patent and trade mark attorney practice Raworth Moss & Cook.
CSR is to merge with the US semiconductor firm SiRF in a move that will see the Cambridge-based Bluetooth company strengthen its position in the fast-growing GPS technology market.
Polyformes has acquired the Bedfordshire-based packaging manufacturer Performance Solution Packaging. PSP is one of the few companies holding an accreditation that enables it to supply to the Ministry of Defence and the aerospace industry.
Payslip stationery and pressure seal equipment specialist, Economailer, has been acquired by Prolog Print Media.
Allport Packaging has acquired the assets and business of Arkadian Packaging.
More than 500 jobs across the UK have been saved following the sale of the retailer Greenwoods Menswear out of administration to Harvest Fancy Hong Kong, a subsidiary of one of China's largest clothing retailers. Greenwoods Menswear has 92 stores throughout the UK, selling suits, shirts, ties and accessories and offering a wedding wear hire service.
PricewaterhouseCoopers has acquired Sustainable Finance, an international advisory firm focused on environmental and social risk management in the financial sector. In the UK Sustainable Finance will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Mercury Packaging has acquired the food packaging specialist Certiforms. The acquisition will enhance Mercury's print capabilities, production efficiencies and technical expertise, and significantly increase its presence in the food industry.
Transactis, the transactional data provider, has been acquired by the direct marketing firm, CDMS.
dotMailer, the digital marketing agency, has been acquired by West End Ventures in a reverse takeover. The company will be renamed dotDigitalGroup and its shares will be traded on the PLUS market.
Austin Reed has bought Viyella out of administration, saving 230 jobs. The womenswear manufacturer and retailer collapsed in January, and the deal means that although many outlets have been shut down, 21 Viyella stores and 16 concessions will continue to trade.
Virgin Group has sold its party plan cosmetics and skincare company Virgin Vie At Home to its management team for an undisclosed sum. Ros Simmons, Vie at Home's chief executive, says, “With retail high street sales set to continue to struggle over the next year, we will be moving away from high street sales to a comprehensive direct to consumer model, involving e-commerce and direct mail.” The company plans to recruit and train new consultants and managers, review its existing product range and expand internationally.
Henderson Group is to acquire the troubled New Star Asset Management for £115m. Henderson says that it envisages making cost efficiencies through headcount reduction and transferring New Star's business onto Henderson's operating platforms. Andrew Formica, chief executive of Henderson, said, “Very rarely will you find an opportunity to significantly enhance your strategic position at compelling financial terms. New Star presents such an opportunity for Henderson and enables us to expand our footprint in our key markets, notably the UK retail market”.
The administrators of Woolworths have sold the toy brand Chad Valley and all related intellectual property rights to Home Retail Group, the owner of Argos, for £5m. Separately, the Woolworths brand name and the Ladybird childrenswear brand have been sold to Shop Direct Group. The owner of Great Universal, Kays and Littlewoods plans to re-launch Woolworths as an online store selling a range of products including the Ladybird children's label. Shop Direct is owned by the Barclay Brothers, who also own the Daily Telegraph, The Spectator and the Ritz Hotel.
In a deal worth £9m, Global Traffic Network is to acquire the commercial division of UBC Media Group. The division supplies traffic and travel information to UK commercial radio stations.
After 259 years on the high streets of Britain, the name of Dollond & Aitchison is to disappear when the company merges with Boots Opticians later this year. The combined business will trade as Boots Opticians and will be the second-biggest player in the UK opticians market behind Specsavers, with around 690 practices, including about 210 franchises, and will employ more than 5,000 people. Alliance Boots will hold a controlling stake in the new company which will be jointly owned with the Italian eyewear specialist, De Rigo.
Unilever is to acquire the global TIGI professional hair product business from Bruno, Guy and Anthony Mascolo, the creators of Toni & Guy. Following the $411.5m acquisition, TIGI will operate as a stand-alone global business unit within Unilever. TIGI has operations in the US, the UK, Italy, Germany and Australia and its brands include Bed Head, Catwalk and S-Factor. The deal does not include the Toni & Guy salon business.
Pfizer is to acquire Wyeth in a $68bn deal that will create the world's biggest biopharmaceutical company.
Britannia Building Society and Co-operative Financial Services are to merge, creating what the two businesses call a “super-mutual as an ethical alternative to shareholder-owned banks”. The merged business will be a wholly owned subsidiary of The Co-operative Group and will have £70bn of assets, nine million customers, more than 12,000 employees and over 300 branches. The existing Britannia, Co-operative, Smile and Platform brands will be kept but a single product range is planned once the integration of customer systems is complete. The process of integrating the two businesses is anticipated to take three years and significant synergy benefits are expected from procurement and supplier savings.
Autonomy Corporation is to buy the US content management software specialist Interwoven in a $775m deal. Autonomy expects the combination of the two companies to provide significant cross-selling opportunities as well as synergies, specifically in the removal of duplicate administrative, marketing and other costs.
The customer service software specialist Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories has acquired the Canadian enterprise software firm Conseros.
Associated Newspapers has sold a majority interest in the London newspaper the Evening Standard to Evening Press, a company formed by the Russian businessman Alexander Lebedev. A new company called Evening Standard Ltd will be set up to publish the newspaper. Associated Newspapers' parent company DMGT will retain a 24.9% stake in the business.
HMV has bought 14 stores from its ailing rival Zavvi. Zavvi's adminstrator says that 269 employees will transfer across to HMV immediately and the 14 stores will be rebranded as HMV in the coming weeks. In a separate move, HMV is to enter the fast-growing live music market through a 50:50 joint venture with MAMA Group. The new venture, Mean Fiddler Group, will own 11 leading mid-to-large size venues across the UK, including The Hammersmith Apollo, The Forum, The Garage, The Edinburgh Picture House, The Birmingham Institute, Heaven, The Borderline and Moshulu. The venues within the joint venture had total revenues of £20.25m for the latest financial year. As part of the deal, HMV is paying MAMA an initial £18.2m.
The Rugby-based ultra-light electric vehicle manufacturer Aixam Mega has acquired the assets of NICE Car Company, the electric vehicle dealer that went into administration in November 2008.
The web hosting organisation UK2 Group has acquired Virtual Internet, which it plans to operate as a separate brand.
Bloomsbury Publishing has acquired Arden Shakespeare from Cengage Learning. Arden will become part of Methuen Drama, a division of Bloomsbury's A&C Black. Bloomsbury has also purchased John Wisden & Co, publisher of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.
The property investment firm Telereal is to purchase Land Securities' property management arm Trillium for £750m.
Mergers and acquisitions 2008
Aspect, a US communications and contact centre software and services provider, has acquired the assets of Applied Information Management (AIM Technology), the provider of performance management software.
The British Computer Society has acquired the Bedford-based international publisher of automated testing software and e-learning material, Activ Training. BCS says that the move will significantly enhance the development of BCS end user and vocational qualifications and their delivery across the world.
Thomas Cook Group has acquired a majority share of the independent travel company Gold Medal International for £24.9m. The company sells its Gold Medal brand through independent travel agencies and also owns Netflights.com, which sells directly to consumers, and a luxury tour operator, Pure Luxury. Thomas Cook is incorporating its Flight Savers scheduled flights brand into the Gold Medal business, which it plans to operate as a standalone entity. Thomas Cook expects cost efficiencies and better distribution generated by the transaction to save it £4m a year.
Aviva has sold the vehicle checking business HPI to Solera Holdings Inc. HPI uses its database of UK vehicles to offer its customers services such as vehicle identity and keeper checks, mileage verification, finance status and valuation. HPI's assets stood at £112m in October 2008.
Royal Bank of Canada is to acquire Mourant Private Wealth, the Jersey-based private client trust business of Mourant. The acquisition of Mourant Private Wealth adds more than £3.5bn to the £63bn assets RBC Wealth Management has under administration in the British Isles.
The asset manager GLG Partners is to acquire Societe Generale Asset Management UK. SGAMUK manages assets of approximately $8.2bn.
Timpson, the shoe repair and key cutting chain, is buying 187 Max Spielmann and Klick Photopoint photo-processing shops out of administration, saving 545 jobs. The businesses were formerly part of Bowie Castlebank Group, which also owned the Munro Cleaners brand. Max Spielmann and Klick Photopoint are to be rebranded under the fascia “Max” and trade as a division of Timpson group, which will be headed by David Edwards, a former chief executive of Max Spielmann.
Ascribe is to be taken private by its management in a £32.9m deal that will see the healthcare IT systems provider leaving AIM.
The soft drinks firm Nichols has acquired 50% of Dayla Liquid Packing with the option of buying the remaining 50% in 2011 or 2012. The deal gives Nichols the opportunity to use Dayla's new product development and juice manufacturing capabilities to allow it direct access to the growing premium juice market in the UK and overseas. Nichols markets the Vimto brand worldwide and the brands Panda and Sunkist in the UK, as well operating the Cabana, Beacon and Cariel draught cold drinks dispense businesses.
In a deal worth £1.8m, Carpetright has bought Sleepright UK, the bed retailer that currently operates from 93 outlets within Carpetright stores.
Compass Group has acquired the North American staffing firm KIMCO Corporation for $75m.
Esterline Corporation, a US defence industry supplier, is to acquire Racal Acoustics, the provider of military communications equipment, for £115m.
The oil explorer Imperial Energy is to be bought by India's Oil & Natural Gas Corp for £1.4bn.
Aberdeen Asset Management is to acquire the fund management arm of Credit Suisse Group in a £250m all-share transaction. Aberdeen Asset Management says that the deal will enable it to make substantial cost efficiencies and enhance financial performance.
Brulines Group, the provider of real time monitoring systems and data management services for the UK leisure sector, has bought Vianet out of administration for an undisclosed fee. Based in Dunfermline, Vianet provides telemetry and data capture services to the vending industry. Brulines believes that combining the businesses should provide considerable cost savings, the opportunity to exploit pan-European market opportunities, and synergies with regard to devices, applications and connectivity.
Ultra Electronics is to acquire Siemens Radmon, the Poole-based provider of neutron and radioactive detection sensors and systems, for about £5m.
Whittard of Chelsea has been sold out of administration to EPIC Private Equity Partners. The specialist tea and coffee retailer has 130 outlets in the UK.
Wyndeham Press has been acquired from its Icelandic shareholders by Walstead Investments, a company backed by Bank Leumi. The deal provides Wyndeham with new working capital and significantly reduces its debt. The company plans to make 163 redundancies, change employee terms and conditions and reduce its capacity in response to the downturn in the magazine market.
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has acquired the UK biotechnology company Thiakis for an initial $30m, which could rise to $120m if certain targets are reached. Thiakis was founded in 2004 to focus on developing medicines for the treatment of obesity based on original research conducted by Professor Steve Bloom and his colleagues at Imperial College London.
The packaging group Benson has acquired the order book and various trading assets of Cameron Linn, a food packaging company based in Glasgow.
Communisis has acquired the data services firm Absolute Intuistic (Ai Data Intelligence) for up to £12.6m.
The German firm Aurelius is taking over Britain's biggest mail order bookseller, Book Club Associates (BCA). The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Blacks Leisure, the retailer and wholesaler of outdoor wear, has agreed to transfer the operation of the O'Neill wholesale business in the UK to O'Neill Europe. The UK wholesale operation will become a full subsidiary of O'Neill Europe with the complete current sales force for the O'Neill brand in the UK transferring with the business. Blacks will then concentrate on its core retail activities.
Card Factory has bought 76 of the 280 stores of the collapsed greetings card retail group Celebrations, saving 500 jobs. Celebrations owned the Card Warehouse and Card Fair brands and went into administration in November 2008.
The supplier of land and property search information Landmark Information has acquired the London-based three dimensional floor planning service Metropix for an undisclosed sum. Metropix generates its 3D floor-plans and building walkthroughs from 2D drawings and is the UK and Ireland market leader.
Home Retail Group, the owner of Argos, is to acquire the exclusive rights to the Alba and Bush electronics brands from Alba plc for £15.25m. As a result of the deal, Alba plc, which also owns the brands Harvard Maritime, Goodmans and Grundig, will change its name to Harvard International plc.
RDF Media has agreed to be bought by a consortium made up of its senior management and the founder of Endemol, John De Mol. The deal values the maker of Wife Swap, Location, Location, Location, Scrapheap Challenge and Anthea Turner: Perfect Housewife at £52m.
Extreme Group, the extreme sports specialist that owns Extremepie.com, has bought the supplier of snowboarding and surfing equipment, Urban Surfer.
Sunquest Information Systems is to acquire Anglia Healthcare Systems, a provider of software development and support for primary and secondary care trusts.
Bibby Line Group has acquired Garic, a specialist manufacturer and hirer of equipment for the construction industry.
SSL International is to buy the Crest condom brand from its Swiss owners for £3.8m. Garry Watts, SSL's chief executive, said: “Crest is a strong brand in Switzerland and allows SSL to assume market leadership in another European market”. SSL is the owner of the Durex brand.
Internacionale Retail has bought the bulk of the business of the discount fashion retailer Mark One. Internacionale, which has 60 women's fashion shops across the UK, takes on 85 Mark One stores, saving 800 jobs. In November Mark One was placed in administration for the second time this year. In May the company, which was known as MK One at the time, was bought out of administration by Jet Star Retail and relaunched but it struggled to compete with much bigger rivals such as Primark and the supermarkets.
Associated British Foods, the owner of British Sugar, has agreed in principle to buy Azucarera Ebro, the sugar business of the Spanish firm Ebro Puleva. Azucarera Ebro supplies 50% of the sugar consumed in Iberia. British Sugar is the second-largest sugar producer in the world, producing four million tonnes of sugar each year.
The Japanese company Mitsubishi Rayon is to acquire Lucite International Group for $1.6bn. Lucite was formed in 1993 by the amalgamation of the acrylics businesses of ICI and DuPont. It owns the Perspex and Lucite brands and is the world's leading manufacturer of methyl methacrylate, which is used in the manufacture of acrylic plastics.
Coca-Cola GB is to acquire Waters & Robson Holdings, the owner of Abbey Well natural mineral water. Abbey Well water is sourced in Morpeth, Northumberland, and will be bottled and distributed by Coca-Cola Enterprises. The Abbey Well site and its employees will be transferred to Coca-Cola Enterprises on completion of the deal. Coca-Cola GB also owns the Malvern water brand.
Private equity firm Carlyle has acquired the manufacturer of equipment and parts for the aerospace industry, Gardner Group. The company, whose customers include Airbus, Rolls-Royce, GKN and BAe Systems, was acquired from Dunedin and Rolls-Royce for an undisclosed sum.
The speciality cheese producer Ilchester Cheese has been bought by Tine, the largest Norwegian milk co-operative and best known in the UK as the maker of Jarlsberg cheese. With the brands Applewood, Mexicana and Five Counties, Ilchester is the leading producer of blended cheese in the UK. It also exports its cheese to 25 countries.
MPG Books has acquired the assets of Biddles, to form MPG Biddles, which it says is the largest independent book manufacturer in the UK.
Jeffersons, which offers private jet holidays, has bought the luxury holiday brand Aspire Holidays. Aspire was formerly part of XL Leisure Group, which collapsed earlier this year.
Laing O'Rourke heads a consortium that has bought most of Bison Concrete Products out of administration. The operating facilities in Burton, Falkirk, Swadlincote and Uddingston have transferred to the new company, Bison Manufacturing.
In a deal worth £1.1m, Hire Station, a subsidiary of the equipment rental specialist VP plc, has acquired the Brighton-based tool hire and sales company, Power Tool Supplies.
The 40-year-old civil engineering and construction firm Toft Johnson has been bought by Wrekin Group.
Mortgage Broking Services has been acquired from Manchester Building Society by a rival mortgage network Network Data for £2.2m.
GIL Investments has bought the specialist flexible plastic film supplier Camvac from Amcor Flexibles.
QinetiQ has acquired the Oxford-based provider of tender assessment and management software, Commerce Decisions, for £9.85m. Commerce Decisions can count most government departments, the NHS and local authorities among its clients. QinetiQ's chief operating officer, Clive Richardson, said that the acquisition “strengthens QinetiQ's consulting offering and complements our portfolio in capability definition and acquisition support”.
Wincanton, the logistics firm, is to merge its UK chilled business activities with Culina Logistics. The combined business, which turned over around £205m in the year 2007/8, will be majority-owned, managed and operated by Culina, with Wincanton owning 20%.
NCC Group, the provider of IT assurance, security and consultancy services, has acquired Next Generation Security Software for up to £10m.
Aviva has sold Auto Windscreens, the UK's second-largest vehicle glazing company, to the German restructuring firm, Arques Industries.
Coexis, a developer of technology and applications for the global securities industry, is to be acquired by GBST, an Australian provider of software for the financial services sector.
Dolphin Computer Access has acquired Software Express Distribution. Both companies supply tools for vision-impaired computer users.
Britain's sixth-largest building society, the Skipton, is to merge with the 17th-largest, the Scarborough. The merged society will have around 860,000 members and over £16bn of assets and be known as Skipton Building Society. The Scarborough, which was formed in 1846, has seen its profits dwindle in the current difficult economic climate and approached the Skipton with a view to the merger.
npower renewables, the UK subsidiary of RWE Innogy, has acquired 50% of Greater Gabbard Offshore Winds from Scottish and Southern Energy. The Greater Gabbard site is located 25 kilometres off the coast of Suffolk and will comprise 140 wind turbines when it is completed in 2011.
The stockbroker Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander Capital Markets has been bought by its management from the administrators of Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander and renamed Singer Capital Markets. Kaupthing was one of the Icelandic banks that collapsed in September.
In a deal that is thought to be worth approaching £1.5bn, a consortium made up of Antin Infrastructure Partners, Deutsche Bank and Lloyds TSB is to acquire Porterbrook Leasing Company. Porterbrook owns a fleet of more than 5,500 trains and freight wagons that it leases to 17 of the 24 UK passenger train operating companies as well as the major UK freight operators. The company bought about a third of the UK rolling stock when British Rail was privatised.
BG Group is to buy Australia's leading coal seam gas producer, the Queensland Gas Company, for £2.2bn. The acquisition will strengthen the British gas producer's position in the important Asia-Pacific liquefied natural gas market.
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation and LCH.Clearnet, respectively the biggest clearing houses in the US and Europe, are to merge to create the world's leading clearing house. The firms anticipate that synergies will save the merged group approximately 7- 8% of their current combined operating costs. A clearing house is the intermediary between two parties who are trading shares or derivatives and acts as a guarantor to the trade.
The travel industry software specialist Comtec Group has acquired the CRM software developer Pro EQ.
The Leeds-based IHR Group has acquired the parts of the recruitment firm Ellis Fairbank that deal with the energy, transportation, FMCG, oil & gas, construction, print & packaging, business services, HR, legal and medical business sectors.
The US risk management and corporate governance firm RiskMetrics Group has acquired Applied4 Technology, a specialist provider of investment performance measurement technology.
NWF Group has sold its garden centres division to Notcutts for £14.5m.
Synergy Financial Systems has been acquired for £2.5m by BBP, a Swiss-based subsidiary of the US payment systems firm Fundtech.
The US firm Kohler Global Power Group has acquired the Hungerford-based uninterruptible power supply specialist, UPS Systems.
Yorkshire Building Society is to take over the Barnsley Building Society. The Barnsley had deposited around £10m in two failed Icelandic banks, and while its reserves could cover the losses, its board feared that the news would lead to customers withdrawing their funds, so it approached its bigger rival for help. The combined society will be called Yorkshire Building Society, but the Barnsley's identity and name will be retained in the Barnsley area.
Red Bee Media has bought the Spanish subtitling and audio description company Mundovisió. Red Bee Media, which was sold off by the BBC in 2005, is the market leader in subtitling, signing and audio description in the UK, France, Germany and Australia. It produces over 70,000 hours of subtitling each year, of which 20,000 hours are subtitled live.
William Hill has acquired an affiliate marketing business, customer services operation and gaming brands and websites from the gaming software firm Playtech. The bookmaker says that the acquisition will make the newly created William Hill Online the “leading European online gaming and sports betting operation and the clear leader in online gaming and sports betting amongst UK land based gaming and betting operators”. Playtech will own 29% of William Hill Online, with William Hill owning 71%. William Hill anticipates the capital expenditure, transaction costs and integration costs of the deal to amount to £24m and expects the integration to take six to nine months.
The vehicle rental broker Nexus Vehicle Rental has acquired the vehicle rental management arm of FMG Support. Nexus says that the acquisition, which is backed by ISIS Equity Partners, provides it with a significant growth in its customer base and complements its services.
In a multi-million pound deal, Stuart Garner, the owner of Norton Racing, has bought the trademarks and development work relating to the Norton motorcycle brand. Norton Racing is already developing a race bike and now plans to introduce a new road bike in 2009. Norton has also invested in a new 15,000 sq foot factory and office complex at Donington Park and intends to launch a licensing programme that will cover a variety of products including spare parts and clothing. Norton, seen as the quintessential British motorbike brand, was sold to a US firm in the 1990s.
AMEC has sold its UK wind development business, AMEC Wind Energy, to the Swedish energy firm Vattenfall for £126.6m.
Alliance Boots is to acquire the French pharmaceutical products distributor Depolabo. The Marseilles-based company operates four warehouses across France and has about 600 employees. The acquisition will accelerate the expansion of Alliance Boots' pre-wholesale and contract logistics services in Europe and add to its range of added-value services for pharmaceutical manufacturers. Separately Alliance Boots has acquired a 90% stake in megapharm GmbH, a German distributor of oncology products that had a revenue of £235m last year.
Symantec, the world leader in security software, has bought MessageLabs, the Gloucester-based provider of online messaging security services, for $695m. MessageLabs is the number one provider of online messaging security worldwide with more than eight million users.
Next has acquired Lipsy for an initial £17.4m. Lipsy distributes its young women's fashion products through various high street retailers, in catalogues and online.
After months of resistance, the research group TNS has reluctantly given in to a £1.1bn takeover by WPP. Earlier in 2008 TNS agreed a merger with its German counterpart GfK, but the deal was gatecrashed by WPP, which launched a hostile takeover bid for TNS.
The plastic and fibre products supplier Filtrona is to buy the Michigan-based foam products firm Lendell Manufacturing for $35m. Following the acquisition, Filtrona's Bonded Fibre Components division is being renamed the Porous Technologies division and will include Lendell and Filtrona's existing Fibertec business.
Springer Science+Business Media is to acquire the science, technology, and medicine publishing house BioMed Central Group.
Zenith Hygiene Group has agreed to be bought for £2.58m by a vehicle led by Zenith's founder and former chief executive, Ringo Francis, who set up the supplier of detergents, hygiene papers and ancillary products in 1996. The company operates out of five distribution centres in Droitwich, Elland, Leicester, Swanley, and Welham Green and floated on the stockmarket in 2005.
The women's fashion brand Ghost has been bought out of administration by Touker Suleyman, the managing director of the shirt maker Hawes & Curtis. There are more than 30 Ghost outlets and the brand will be relaunched in 2009.
The foodservice wholesaler and distributor Brakes has taken a majority stake in the Lisburn-based O'Kane Foodservice. Chief executive of Brakes, Frank McKay, says, ”We are committed to on-going investment in O'Kane Foodservice to ensure many more new Irish business opportunities are secured."
The advertising agency Doner Cardwell Hawkins has merged with the direct digital firm Squeeze Digital. The new company will be known as DCH and has clients that include Shell, The Economist and Nikon.
British Gas New Energy has acquired the low carbon solutions company Semplice Energy for £1.5m. Semplice Energy offers consulting, design and systems integration to help businesses reduce their energy usage and invest in the generation of clean energy. Gearoid Lane, managing director of British Gas New Energy, said: “This is another step forward in our development of a broad range of energy efficiency and low-carbon capabilities we can offer business and domestic customers”.
HSBC is buying almost 90% of the Indonesian bank Bank Ekonomi Raharja Tbk for $607.5m. HSBC says that it sees “enormous growth opportunities ahead for Indonesia”, with its “rich natural resources, thriving commodities trade and foreign direct investment inflows, favourable demographics and the world's fourth largest population of 235 million people”.
Tri-Star Packaging has acquired Rhinopac, a specialist in vacuum packaging systems and food safety that counts Conran Restaurants, Le Gavroche and the Hilton Hotels Corporation as clients.
Digital Marketing Group has acquired the London-based IT systems consultancy and e-commerce specialist Cybercom Group UK from Cybercom Group Europe for a £6m. In a separate deal, DMG has also bought the direct voice marketing firm Gasbox for £1m.
ITV has acquired a majority stake in the German TV production firm Imago TV Film-und Fernsehproduktion for an initial €2m plus a possible further payment of €3.7m, depending on profits. ITV will have the exclusive international rights to distribute and exploit Imago's content, format, and series rights, and has the option to buy the rest of the company in due course.
Ink specialist Flint Group is to acquire the Hertford-based powder manufacturer Russell-Webb. The business will be integrated into Flint Group's press room consumables division, Day International. The coatings division of Russell-Webb continues as an independent company, RW Coatings.
The US electronic components distributor Avnet is to buy its British counterpart Abacus for £42.2m.
Bradford & Bingley has become the latest victim of the global financial crisis. The bank's branches and its savings customers have been sold to Abbey for £600m and the rest of the business has been taken into temporary public ownership. Bradford & Bingley was one of the lenders most exposed to the UK buy-to-let market, which has all but collapsed. It was the last remaining independent bank among the former building societies that demutualised as a result of the Thatcher government's Building Societies Act of 1986.
The publisher of the Harry Potter books, Bloomsbury Publishing, is to strengthen its position in the academic publishing market with the acquisition of Oxford International Publishers for £2m. Oxford International trades as Berg Publishers and produces books for students on the subjects of fashion, design and culture studies. Bloomsbury recently launched Bloomsbury Academic, which will focus on the humanities and social sciences.
Domiciliary Care Glasgow has been bought by the Baird Private Equity backed company Choices Holdings for an undisclosed sum. Choices provides supported living and residential care for people with learning disabilities. Clydebank-based DCG employs about 350 staff and provides services in five Local Authority areas in Scotland. Choices describes the acquisition as a “complementary strategic fit” that will extend both its services and its geographical footprint.
The Invensys subsidiary Invensys Rail Group has acquired the Florida-based Quantum Engineering, a signalling and train controls company, for $38m. As well as increasing the profile of IRG in the US, the acquisition will allow the British company to market Quantum's technology globally.
The low-carbon energy company Eclipse Energy UK is to be bought by Vattenfall AB of Sweden for £51.5m.
Centrica is to buy Caythorpe Gas Storage from Warwick Energy for £70m. CGS owns the largely depleted Caythorpe gas producing field near Bridlington, which it has planning permission to convert to a gas storage facility with a capacity of up to 7.5bn cubic feet. Sam Laidlaw, chief executive of Centrica, said: "With the UK rapidly becoming more dependent on imported gas, increasing the country's gas storage capacity is an essential element in giving our customers security of supply".
The Centrica subsidiary GB Gas Holdings has acquired Solar Technologies Group for £2.8m. The acquisition will enable British Gas to install solar photovoltaic technology, which converts sunlight into electrical energy, for its residential, business and public sector customers in the UK. Gearóid Lane, managing director of British Gas New Energy, said: “These technologies will become increasingly important as the UK implements policies to meet its stretching renewable energy and carbon emissions targets. And with British Gas's energy experts supporting millions of Britain's homes and business, we are uniquely positioned to deliver".
IG Group is to acquire an 87.5% stake in FXOnline, a Japanese online retail FX trading company, for £112.2m. IG also has the option to acquire the remaining 12.5% of the company in 2011.
IDOX Group, the supplier of software to the local government sector, has acquired its rival, Plantech.
Global performance improvement company Grass Roots has bought the venue-sourcing company HBI, formerly Hotel Brokers International.
British Energy is to be bought by EDF in a deal that values the UK's largest electricity generator at £12.5bn. The British government has put nuclear power at the heart of its energy policy and the purchase of British Energy will make EDF responsible for building four new nuclear power stations in the UK, as well extending the operational life of British Energy's eight existing nuclear power stations. EDF is majority-owned by the French government. Centrica is in negotiations with EDF to become a 25% partner in British Energy.
Nomura, the Japanese investment bank, is to acquire the European and Middle Eastern equities and investment banking operations of the collapsed Lehman Brothers. The deal will save 2,500 jobs and includes the Lehman Brothers offices in The UK, Netherlands, Qatar, Dubai, Kuwait, Spain, Italy, Germany and Sweden. The deal does not include any trading assets or trading liabilities and Nomura will pay an undisclosed sum for the businesses. Kenichi Watanabe, Nomura's CEO, said: "Our immediate priority is to get the equity and investment banking divisions back in business operating under the Nomura name."
Lloyds TSB is to take over the ailing Halifax Bank of Scotland in an all share deal that values HBOS at £12.2bn. The merger will create the UK's largest financial services group – Lloyds TSB also owns Scottish Widows and Cheltenham & Gloucester – and in other times would have been blocked by the Competition Commission, but the usual rules have been waived due to the unprecedented nature of the global financial crisis. The enlarged group will close hundreds of bank branches and tens of thousands of jobs are likely to go where there are role duplications, such as at head offices, call centres and in back office operations.
Beazley Group is to acquire Momentum Underwriting Management, a specialist personal accident and life underwriting management agency, for £20.6m. Beazley manages two Lloyd's syndicates and has an underwriting capacity of £814m.
NBTY Europe, the parent company of Holland & Barrett, has bought rival health food stores chain Julian Graves from the Icelandic investment firm Baugur. Holland & Barrett has 544 stores in the UK and Ireland and the group owns an additional 31 GNC-branded outlets. The purchase of the 345 Julian Graves stores takes the number of outlets in the group to nearly 1000.
In a move that will create one of the UK's biggest biopharmaceutical companies, BTG is to buy Protherics in a deal that values Protherics at £218.1m. The companies anticipate that the merger will give the enlarged entity annual cost synergies of around £20m by 2010/11.
Barclays Bank has agreed to acquire the collapsed Lehman Brothers' North American investment banking and capital markets operations and supporting infrastructure for £140m, and will be merging them into Barclays Capital. The deal includes approximately 10,000 employees, trading assets of £40bn and liabilities of £38bn. Barclays' president, Bob Diamond described the deal as “a once in a lifetime opportunity for Barclays”.
Standard Life is to acquire Vebnet for £24.2m. Vebnet provides technology and managed services related to employee benefit programmes, including reward consultancy, benefit scheme design, communications, brokering, technology, helpdesk and outsourced administration. Sandy Crombie, group chief executive of Standard Life, said, "The combination of Vebnet and Standard Life will provide significant opportunities in the corporate market. This is a rapidly evolving market and an increasingly important part of our business.”
GKN has agreed to acquire the UK wing component manufacturing and assemblies operation of Airbus, which is located at Filton, near Bristol. The £136m acquisition is described as having a “compelling” strategic logic by GKN's chief executive, Sir Kevin Smith, who adds, “Filton is already a centre of excellence in metallic structures for Airbus and we intend to invest in the operation so that it also becomes a centre of excellence in composite wing structures serving the global aerospace market.”
Nestor Healthcare Group is to sell its social care franchise business Carewatch to the private equity firm Lyceum Capital for £37m.
Celador Radio Broadcasting has acquired the south coast station Original106FM from the Canadian media firm Canwest.
In a $1bn deal, the Scottish engineering group Clyde Blowers is to acquire the Fluid and Power divisions of the US firm Textron. The divisions comprise four companies: The Huddersfield-based David Brown Gear Systems; David Brown Hydraulics, which is based in Poole; Maag Pumps Systems, which has its headquarters in Switzerland and operates at eight locations in seven countries; and Union Pumps which has 10 locations in six countries, including the US, Canada, France and the UK. Union Pumps will integrate with the Clyde Blowers subsidiary Clyde Pumps while the remaining three companies being acquired will operate as separate entities within the Clyde Blowers Group.
August Equity has funded a £37m buy-in management buy-out of Accura Support Services, a provider of components to the oil and gas and aerospace industries. Accura operates two separate divisions, offering supply chain services through Linvic Engineering and Concept Steels, while Accura Geometric and Accura Geneva provide manufacturing support services and precision machined components. A spokesman for the private equity firm said, “The deal presents us with an opportunity to back a proven management team in a growing sector, and we are looking forward to working with the management team in continuing its growth.”
In an £80m deal backed by private equity firm Lloyds Development Capital, the vehicle management group Leasedrive Velo has been bought by its management team.
Taylor Wimpey has sold the UK business of Taylor Woodrow Construction to Vinci plc, the parent company of Norwest Holst, for £74m. Taylor Woodrow Construction's focus is on its rail and infrastructure and facilities management activities and the disposal allows Taylor Wimpey to concentrate on its core housebuilding business.
Nationwide Building Society is taking over two of its struggling competitors, The Derbyshire Building Society and The Cheshire Building Society. The two smaller societies made separate approaches to Nationwide when they found themselves in financial difficulty as a result of the global credit crisis and the collapse of the UK housing market; The Derbyshire's exposure to the sub-prime mortgage and commercial loan market gave it a pre-tax loss of £17m for the first half of 2008 while The Cheshire is to report a £10.5m loss for the same period, largely due to a single commercial loan. The merger creates an organisation with almost 15 million members, around 1,000 retail outlets, £191bn of assets and £122bn of retail deposits. Nationwide plans to retain all three brands.
Grupo Ferrovial is to sell Belfast City Airport to ABN Amro Global Infrastructure Fund and Faros Infrastructure Partners for £132.5m. Ferrovial is the owner of BAA, the operator of Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Southampton Airports. In August the Competition Commission recommended that BAA should sell two of its three London airports.
Manchester City Football Club is to be bought by the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment, a sovereign wealth fund of the United Arab Emirates state. The deal is thought to value the club at around £200m. The new owners signalled their intentions to invest heavily in the club by immediately buying the Brazilian player Robinho for a British record fee of £32.5m.
The lottery machine firm Gamingking is to buy the fruit machine operator Orb Holdings through a reverse takeover. Orb supplies 17,000 amusement machines to pubs across the UK and is the second-largest operator in the sector. Following the takeover, the enlarged company will be known as Sceptre Leisure plc.
The security and transactional print services firm BemroseBooth has been acquired by the US private equity firm American Industrial Acquisition Corporation. The company's products include tickets, labels, tags, gift vouchers, pre-paid cards for the telecoms industry and calendars for the business market.
Impress Digital has merged with Eaton Press Print Solutions, creating Icon Print Group.
e2v technologies, the specialist developer and manufacturer of hi-tech components, is to buy the California-based semiconductor firm QP Semiconductor for $65m.
The telecoms company Thus, owner of the Demon Internet brand, has been taken over by Cable & Wireless for £329m.
Liverpool Victoria, the insurance company that is also known as LV=, is to buy the car insurer Highway Insurance Group in a £150m deal.
Serco is to acquire SI International, a provider of information services, technology and outsourcing to the US Department of Defense and government agencies, for $423m. Serco supplies services in a variety of areas, including transport, local government, home affairs, defence, science, health and education, with 90% of its business coming from the public sector.
Imperial Energy has agreed to be bought by ONGC Videsh in a deal that values the London-listed oil exploration company at £1.4bn. When Imperial Energy joined the FTSE in 2004 it had a market capitalisation of just £2m. ONGC Videsh is a wholly-owned subsidiary of India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and is the biggest oil and gas exploration and production company in Asia.
Crash barrier manufacturer Hill & Smith is to buy Creative Pultrusions Inc, a US manufacturer of glass reinforced plastic, for up to $21m.
Netstore, the IT security and outsourcing firm, has agreed to be acquired by the IT services group 2e2 for £58.1m.
Synchronica, the provider of mobile email and synchronization software, is acquiring the consumer mobile email technology firm AxisMobile.
Endless, the UK-based investment fund, is to acquire Crown Paints from Akzo Nobel through the funding of a management buyout. The company owns the paint brands Berger, Crown, Macpherson, Sadolin and Sandtex. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
First Artist Corporation, parent company of Dewynters, the marketing, design and advertising agency focused on the live entertainment industry, is to acquire the US-based entertainment advertising agency SpotCo.
NBGI Private Equity has backed the buyout by Mainpaint of 17 Henry J Beans and Jamies wine bars from the struggling Food & Drink Group. The acquisition also includes 15 international sites and saves 300 jobs. Mainpaint is headed by Nick Tamblyn, the developer of the Tiger Tiger bar brand during his time as chief executive of Chorion.
The software firm Axon has agreed to be bought by the Indian group Infosys Technologies for £407m.
Sportsman Gun Centre, the mail order and internet retailer of hunting and shooting merchandise, has acquired the name and assets of D J Litt, the firearms specialist which collapsed earlier this year.
Teledyne has acquired the defence electronics business of Filtronic for £13m.
Italy's NoemaLife Group has acquired Ferrania LifeWeb, including the Bracknell-based medical imaging business Ferrania UK.
The loss assessors Harris Claims Group and Balcombe Group have merged to form Harris Balcombe LLP.
Aggreko has bought the Canadian rental power specialist Power Plus Rental and Sales.
Philex Petroleum Corporation is to buy Forum Energy in a deal that values the UK-based oil, gas and coal exploration and production company at approximately £13.8m.
Cobham is to acquire the US digital equipment manufacturer GMS Inc for $26m.
Proventec, the provider of specialist steam cleaning and coatings technologies, has bought a 60 per cent stake in the 400-year-old German engineering business Frank GmbH.
NBC Universal has bought the British television production company Carnival Film and Television, the company behind Harley Street, Hotel Babylon and Poirot. Carnival will be merged into NBC Universal's London-based international TV production division.
Aon is to acquire the reinsurance broker Benfield in a deal that values the London-based firm at £935m. Aon intends to integrate the Benfield business with its existing reinsurance operation, Aon Re Global, and operate the division globally under the newly-created brand, Aon Benfield Re.
Vitec Group is to acquire the Hollywood-based manufacturer of LED-based lights for the broadcast and film industries, Litepanels. The transaction is for an initial £7.8m which could rise to £26.7m, depending on future profits. Gareth Rhys Williams, chief executive of Vitec, says that Litepanels has developed products that are “much more comfortable for the newscasters and actors to work with, and which dramatically reduce the energy required, both to operate the lights and to subsequently air-condition the studios”.
Disney Interactive Media Group has acquired the parenting website raisingkids.co.uk.
Oddbins has been sold by its French owner Castel Freres to an investment consortium headed by Simon Baile, the son of Nick Baile, the wine merchant's former managing director.
AG Barr, the soft drinks group responsible for Irn-Bru and Tizer, is to purchase Groupe Rubicon for £59.8m. Rubicon produces a range of branded passionfruit, mango, guava, lychee, pomegranate and papaya juice drinks.
Northgate Information Solutions has agreed to acquire Anite Public Sector Holdings, Anite's local government and secure information systems businesses, for £54.3m.
QinetiQ has acquired Dominion Technology Resources Inc, a provider of products and services to the US intelligence community, for $104.5m.
Synova Capital has bought The Lunan Group, owner of the luxury handbag and accessories brands, Fiorelli and Modalu.
Phoenix Equity Partners and Sirius Equity have invested £80m in LK Bennett, the womenswear, shoes and accessories designer and retailer. The investment will allow LK Bennett to open new stores and concessions in the UK, establish a retail presence overseas, develop the product range and explore licensing opportunities.
SSP Holdings, the insurance software provider, has agreed to be taken over by the private equity firm, Hellman & Friedman, in a deal that values the company at £198m.
Baugur has sold Woodward Food Services to Brakes Group for around £20m.
Dunelm Group, the homewares retailer, is to acquire the Dorma bedlinen and soft furnishings brand for £5m. Dunelm has 89 stores, 76 of which are out-of-town superstores.
BT has acquired Ribbit Corporation, a Silicon Valley-based telephony and internet technology business, for £53m.
British Airways is to merge with its Spanish counterpart Iberia. British Airways' chief executive, Willie Walsh, said: "The aviation landscape is changing and airline consolidation is long overdue. The combined balance sheet, anticipated synergies and network fit between the airlines make a merger an attractive proposition, particularly in the current economic environment.” Following the merger, both brands will be retained.
Tesco is to buy Royal Bank of Scotland's 50% shareholding in Tesco Personal Finance for £950m. The acquisition is part Tesco's strategy to increase its share in fast growing services markets including financial services, telecoms and internet/home shopping. Britain's biggest retailer plans to expand Tesco Personal Finance's offering to that of a full service retail bank and anticipates profits of £1bn per annum – more than double current levels of just under £400m.
Communisis is to sell its subsidiaries Bath Business Forms and Economailer to the business' management team for £12.8m. Economailer manufactures and sells specialised payroll products while Bath Business Forms produces business stationery.
The US firm WiFiMed Holdings is to purchase iTelecare, the UK provider of telecare and telehealth monitoring devices.
Audio Visual Machines, an audio visual and video conferencing systems specialist that counts BP, BT, eBay, Sainsbury's and Virgin among its clients, is to acquire Matrix Display Systems, a provider of audio visual services to the UK education sector. The combined entity will have a turnover of £45m and 250 employees.
The magazine printer Pepper Communications is to acquire the Bristol-based commercial printer TL Visuals.
Pindar has acquired a 15% stake in Wren Press and is to merge it with Barnard & Westwood. Wren Press supplies stationery to the royal family and other high profile celebrities and has showrooms in Chelsea, New York, Hong Kong and Dublin, while Barnard and Westwood is an 80-year-old fine art printer and bookbinder. The combined company will keep both brands and, with Pindar's contacts, hopes to grow its business in the Far East and the US.
LG Harris, the manufacturer of paint brushes and other decorating products, has acquired the Norfolk-based John Palmer Brush Company.
Advent International, the private equity firm, has acquired Craegmoor Healthcare Group, the UK's largest independent provider of specialist care for adults and younger people. Advent has allocated an immediate £13m to improve Craegmoor's existing care facilities and plans both organic and acquisitive growth.
Spice has acquired British Power International, the Colchester-based provider of specialist engineering and consultancy services to network operators, generators, regulators, governments and funding agencies.
The US firm Gardner Denver is to acquire the compressor manufacturer CompAir for £197.5m.
Fidelity Equity Partners has funded a £33m management buyout of Picsolve International, the outsourced photographic systems and services provider for leisure attraction operators. The investment will fund Picsolve's ambitious expansion plans in Europe, the US, Asia and the Middle East.
RM Group, the provider of educational products and services, has acquired the specialist education software provider, Orchard Partners for up to £2.8m. Orchard Partners trades as EasyTrace.
XSN has taken over the marine telematics company MarineTrack and changed its own name to MarineTrack Holdings plc.
Porvair is to acquire Seal Analytical, a manufacturer of wet chemistry analysers for use in environmental and industrial laboratories, in a deal that values Seal at £3.8m.
Gooch & Housego is to acquire the US-based optical equipment manufacturer General Optics from GSI Group for $21m.
Cayman islands-based insurer Ironshore is to buy the Lloyds syndicate manager, Pembroke Managing Agency, for £17m.
Barclays Private Equity has taken a majority stake in the travel management company ATP International Group in a £73m deal.
Biocompatibles has acquired the Connecticut-based medical devices business BrachySciences.
BAE Systems is to acquire Detica Group, the national security intelligence specialist, in a transaction that values Detica at £538m. BAE Systems is the world's third-largest defence company and was formed in 1999 following the merger of British Aerospace and Marconi Electronic Systems.
Clapham House has sold its chain of Bombay Bicycle Club restaurants and delivery kitchens to Gourmet Restaurants Group for £4.4m. Gourmet Restaurants owns the Tiffinbites brand and has recently purchased the Indian food and restaurant group Vama and claims to be the largest Indian restaurant firm in the UK.
Alterian, the marketing software firm, is to acquire the web content software company Mediasurface.
The London property developer Minerva is to be taken over by Limitless, part of the Dubai World group of companies, in a £260m deal.
Private equity firm Lion Capital is to acquire FoodVest Group, the owner of the food companies Young's Seafoods, Findus and The Seafood Company.
Sanofi-Aventis is to buy Acambis in a deal that values the British vaccine firm at £276m.
Co-operative Group is to acquire Somerfield for £1.56bn. The combined business will be the fifth-largest food retailer in the UK with a market share of about 8% and will operate more than 3,000 grocery stores.
Britain's seventh-biggest bank, Alliance & Leicester, has agreed to be taken over by Santander, the Spanish owner of Abbey, in a £1.26bn deal.
Anheuser-Busch and Inbev, two of the world's biggest brewers, are to merge. The combined company will be named Anheuser-Busch InBev and will own many of the leading global beer brands including Budweiser, Stella Artois, Beck's, Leffe and Hoegaarden.
Thales UK is to buy the data security specialist nCipher in a transaction that values the Cambridge-based company at £50.7m.
Search agency Neutralize and digital agency Guava are to merge to form Guava UK.
Financial Objects is to be bought by Temenos UK, a subsidiary of the Swiss banking software company, Temenos, in a deal that values Financial Objects at £27.2m. Financial Objects supplies software to banking, wealth management and energy companies.
Aldgate Capital is to acquire HJM Caterers and E&J Hall Investments for £25m. The acquisition gives the company 31 gaming centres in the UK and forms part of the firm's ambition to become a diversified gaming group that will include bingo, gaming machines and sports betting operations. Aldgate is to rename itself Praesepe plc.
Comtec, the travel technology supplier, has made two acquisitions: Atolis, a content management and CRM specialist, and a web design agency, Jamber.
BT Directories has acquired the online business directory Ufindus from Iomart for £20m. Ufindus employs 300 people in Lancaster, Chorley, Blackpool, Barrow and Huddersfield and turned over £14m in 2006/7. The acquisition is part of BT Directories' aim to become a leading provider of consumer enquiries to businesses, and David Benjamin, CEO of BT Directories said, “Through Ufindus' considerable expertise and experience in online classified advertising, we access further local classified product offerings, significant search traffic and new customers for this fast-growing part of our business”.
Rolls-Royce is to acquire Scandinavian Electric Holding, a Norwegian supplier of parts for diesel-electric marine propulsion systems, for £43m. The purchase will add new electrical, automation and control capabilities for Rolls-Royce and continue the British engine maker's growth strategy in the marine market.
Stobart Group has bought the chilled and ambient goods operations of Innovate Logistics out of administration. Around 1,300 Innovate employees will transfer to Stobart, bringing the number of people employed by the group to 5,300, while the enlarged company will now have more than 1,800 trucks and 3,200 trailers.
LDG is to be bought by the investment firm Laxey Partners in a deal that values the logistics group at £203m. Employing 7,000 people, TDG counts Sainsbury's, Argos and French Connection among its clients.
Torex Retail Holdings, the provider of software and services to the retail sector, is to acquire the hospitality division of Alphameric. The division specialises in providing services to the hospitality market, such as front-of-house sales, back-office administration, supply-chain management and head-office control. Its clients include some of the UK's leading food and drink companies. Alphameric will now concentrate on its interests in the bookmaking industry.
British Airways is to buy French airline L'Avion for £54m. L'Avion will be integrated into OpenSkies, BA's new Paris to New York subsidiary airline.
The prepared and packaged salads firm Vitacress is to be bought by the Portuguese firm, RAR Group. Vitacress is best known for its watercress, baby leaf spinach and rocket salads. RAR employs around 3,700 people in Portugal, Germany, Spain, Poland and the UK and its activities include food, packaging, real estate, services and tourism.
Reed Business Information has bought the online lead generation service Approved Index.
Oakley Capital Investments has acquired the international derivatives, equities and fixed income broker, Monument Securities.
SCS Upholstery, which sells sofas from almost 100 outlets across the UK, has been sold out of administration for an undisclosed sum to an affiliate of the private equity company, Sun European Partners. Prior to the sale, the company told its shareholders that its financial position was so dire that their investment in the company was worth nothing. The prospect of a dividend to SCS's unsecured creditors is uncertain, but the company now has sufficient funds to continue trading as normal.
Alentus Corporation, the US web hosting firm, has acquired London-based Areti Internet.
GlassHouse, the IT infrastructure consulting and services firm, has acquired the IT consulting business, TPP Group. GlassHouse says the move is part of its continued drive to expand its storage management capabilities across the UK.
UTEK Corporation has agreed to acquire the London-based innovation consulting and insight firm, Innovaro, in a $3.6m transaction. UTEK is a business development company with operations in the US and the UK.
In a £95.6m deal, Phoenix Equity Partners is to acquire Ashtead Technology Rentals, a company that rents electronic equipment to the offshore oil and gas sector and the environmental monitoring and testing industry.
Spotless Group has acquired the fabric dye company, Dylon International. Dylon's brands include the de-scaler and limescale remover Oust and Lord Sheraton wipes and sprays.
BT has agreed to acquire Stemmer and SND. The Munich-based companies provide a range of IT and network services to corporate customers in Germany.
Point-of-purchase packaging firm Pop Displays has acquired the printer Rapide.
The printers Alden Group and HenDi Systems have merged to form Alden HenDi.
Balfour Beatty has made two acquisitions: the San Diego building firm Douglas E Barnhart for $116m and the German rail engineering group Schreck-Mieves for €36 million.
The plastics engineering group, Thompson Plastics, has been acquired in a management buyout. The company is a supplier of exterior panels, washrooms and shower cubicles to the motor home and caravan industry.
In a £20m deal, the logistics firm Imperial Multipart has been bought by its management team.
ZigZag fitness solutions has acquired rival children's activity company ActivKids. ZigZag is part of PTE plc.
Irish packaging group, Zeus, has acquired All Purpose Packaging in a deal that brings Zeus' annual turnover to over €80m.
The magazine publisher IPC Media has acquired Mousebreaker.com, the UK-based free-to-play games site. IPC Ignite managing director, Eric Fuller, says that Mousebreaker's content is “complementary to our existing young men's brands, Nuts and Loaded.”
The Brazilian group, Marfrig, has bought the European and Brazilian chicken processing businesses of OSI Group, including Moy Park in the UK, France and Netherlands. The acquisition makes Marfrig the ninth-largest chicken supplier in the world, processing more than 8.5 million birds per week.
Goodform, the specialist sports sales and marketing company, has acquired sports market research company, SportsWise. SportsWise counts the Premier League, The Football League and the Rugby Football League among its clients.
ISIS Equity Partners has backed the management buyout of Traveljigsaw, the car hire firm.
NBGI Private Equity has backed the £16m management buyout of the specialist roofing and structural waterproofing firm, Rock Asphalte.
SCA is to sell its UK and Ireland conventional corrugated packaging business to the Spanish paper and packaging firm SAICA for £100m. However, SCA will retain ownership of its specialised value-added packaging operations in the two countries.
The engineering and manufacturing group, Tomkins, has acquired Trion Inc, a manufacturer of air quality products. The North Carolina-headquartered $25m acquisition will become part of Tomkins' Air Systems Components division.
Henley Management College is merging with the University of Reading with effect from 1 August 2008.
De La Rue is to sell its De La Rue Cash Systems business, which authenticates, counts and sorts banknotes, to the US private equity firm The Carlyle Group for £360m. Following the disposal, De La Rue will focus on its banknote printing and banknote paper manufacturing business and return £460m to its shareholders.
Ultra Electronics has acquired ProLogic for $50m. ProLogic provides specialised IT and communications products and consulting services to US government departments.
Capita, is to buy IBS, a provider of software systems and related services for the management of social housing to local government and housing associations, for £77.7m. Capita says that its strength in the UK outsourcing market will “add further credibility and scale to IBS, allowing it to service a wider range of potential customers and projects.”
Renold is to acquire a 75% interest in the industrial chain business of LG Balakrishnan & Bros, the leading producer and distributor of industrial chains in India. Renold says that the deal will enable it to promote its product range in India's rapidly growing market as well as exploit new product, market and export opportunities.
Private equity firm, Cinven, is to acquire Partnership Assurance, one of the UK's leading specialist providers of annuities, long-term care plans and life cover, for around £100m. Cinven says that it “expects to make significant investment in the staff, brand, infrastructure and distribution channels in order to drive long term value from this high growth segment of the financial services market.”
An investment consortium led by Babcock & Brown, AMP Capital Investors and Deutsche Bank is to purchase Angel Trains for £3.6bn. Angel Trains is one of three rolling stock companies in the UK and provides around 4,100 passenger trains and 280 freight locomotives to train operating companies including South West Trains and Virgin West Coast.
The US supplier of equipment for the corrugated and folded carton industries, MarquipWardUnited, is to acquire Bedford-based Apollo Sheeters.
Staples, the US office supplies firm, is to buy its Dutch counterpart, Corporate Express, for €3.1bn.
Ark-H Handling has acquired the St Albans-based response and fulfilment firm, Handling Matters.
The marketing services and advertising agency, Adventis Group, has acquired Second2, a seven-year-old technology marketing agency, for up to £10.5m.
Wal-Mart is to sell Gazeley, the property development subsidiary of ASDA, to Economic Zones World, a subsidiary of Dubai World. Gazeley specialises in the development of distribution warehousing in the UK, mainland Europe and China, with its customers including retailers, logistics firms and manufacturers.
The accountancy firms Hillier Hopkins and Badger Hakim are to merge.
Global property consultancy Knight Frank has acquired Markham Vaughan Gillingham, a leading retail and leisure leasing practice with offices in London, Bristol, and Manchester.
In the largest deal of its kind in the last decade, Willis, the insurance broker, is to buy its smaller US rival, Hilb Rogal & Hobbs, for $2.1bn. The purchase significantly increases the scale of Willis' operations in North America and the company expects to make annual savings through synergies of $140 million by 2012. Hilb Rogal & Hobbs is the eighth-largest insurance and risk management intermediary in the US.
Chelsea Building Society, the country's fifth-largest building society, is to merge with the Catholic Building Society.
MobiVentures, the provider of mobile applications, content and services, is to acquire the email marketing company Purepromoter for around £3.8m.
The Jordans breakfast cereal and cereal bar business is to merge with Associated British Foods' Ryvita crispbread and healthy snacks business. ABF says that the combination of Jordans and Ryvita will give it a leading position in the growing natural ingredients and healthy eating market and will generate cost savings and provide new product opportunities. Jordans was started by Bill and David Jordan in 1972 and now exports its products to 17 countries around the world. Formed in 1925, The Ryvita Company leads the UK crispbread market and has extended its brand into crackers, savoury bagged snacks and cereal bars.
In a £53.2m deal, SMG has sold Virgin Radio to TIML Golden Square, part of the Times of India Group, one of India's largest media companies. However, the Virgin brand name is not part of the deal and TIML will invest more than £15m developing and rolling out a new brand. Following the sale, SMG is now fully-focused on its Scottish-based broadcasting businesses. Richard Branson says that the Virgin Group is considering options to re-launch a Virgin Radio station on FM in the UK, as well as globally on the internet.
Deloitte, the administrator of the failed fashion retailer MK One, has sold approximately 100 of the 172 stores to Jet Star Retail, a company connected to Mark Brafman, the original founder of MK One. The administrator is continuing to trade the remaining stores under the MK One banner “whilst exploring the available options”.
Logistics specialist, Wincanton, has acquired Product Support, a provider of supply chain logistics and support services primarily to the aerospace and energy industries.
Irish bookmaking firm Paddy Power has entered the Northern Ireland market with the £19m purchase of Belfast chain of bookmakers, McGranaghan Racing.
In a £20.2m deal, the British defence firm Chemring has agreed to acquire Scot, a US firm that manufactures devices used in aircraft emergency systems.
Stiller Group has acquired the Barnsley-based James Durrans Transport, the bulk powder transport division of James Durrans & Sons.
Communications specialist Vanco has been bought out of administration by Reliance Globalcom, a subsidiary of the Indian telecommunications service provider, Reliance Communications.
Berkmann Wine Cellars has bought Vinoceros Wines.
Chicago-based InnerWorkings has acquired UK print management and marketing services company etrinsic for an undisclosed sum.
JJB Sports has acquired the fashion footwear firm, Qube Footwear. The purchase of the 22 store business complements the company's recent acquisition of the Original Shoe Company.
Heidelberg is to acquire the 25-year-old UK- and Netherlands-based high-performance coating manufacturer, Hi-Tech Coatings.
Cityspace has acquired Kizoom, a provider of real-time transport information to the internet and mobile devices that counts Transport for London and National Rail Enquiries among its clients. Since 1996 Cityspace has been delivering information to the public through screens and touch screen terminals.
Robert Horne Group has acquired Vink Plastics UK, a national distributor that focuses on the sign, graphics and construction sector.
Birmingham-based RSM Bentley Jennison has acquired the audit, accounting and tax compliance arm of the accountancy firm Wenham Major out of administration.
The high street optician chain, Vision Express, has acquired the
G C Bateman Group for an undisclosed sum. Batemans Opticians is a 100-year-old family-owned business with over 70 stores in the South of England and the purchase takes the number of Vision Express outlets to over 300 across the UK.
Cheshire-based Promotion Space Group has bought rival shopping centre commercialisation specialist Brandspace. Both companies organise promotions and marketing campaigns in shopping centres.
Zenith Vehicle Contracts has acquired Provecta, the Reading-based employee car ownership specialist, for an undisclosed sum.
The bidding war for British catering equipment manufacturer Enodis continues with the latest £1.08bn approach from the US engineering group Manitowoc trumping a previously agreed offer from Illinois Tool Works.
Elaine McPherson, the former chief executive of MK One, has bought the clothing retailer Ethel Austin out of administration. McPherson says, “I shall be undertaking a thorough review of the business to produce a strategy to transform the business's trading performance and safeguard jobs. I want to return it to its former glory and that may well involve a revamp of the stores and the product range.”
Alterian, the provider of enterprise management software is to buy web content management software provider, Mediasurface. The transaction values Mediasurface at approximately £18.1m.
Hewlett-Packard is to purchase the IT services firm EDS for $13.9bn. Following the acquisition, HP intends to establish a new business group, to be branded EDS - an HP company. The combined entity will have an annual turnover of more than $38bn, 210,000 employees and provide IT outsourcing, business process outsourcing, applications, consulting and technology services in over 80 countries.
Cobham has agreed to purchase the radio frequency components and subsystems business of M/A-COM from Tyco Electronics for $380m.
British catering equipment manufacturer, Enodis, has agreed to be bought by the US industrial and engineering firm, Illinois Tool Works, for £1.03bn. The agreement trumps an earlier £948m offer for Enodis from another US engineering group, Manitowoc. The deal will create a global industry leader in the manufacture and marketing of food service equipment.
Saint-Gobain Building Distribution is to acquire the builders' merchant, Gibbs and Dandy, for £43m. Gibbs & Dandy can trace its roots back to the nineteenth century and now has 11 branches across Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
In a deal worth £1.1bn, Best Buy, the leading US consumer electronics retailer, is to acquire 50% of Carphone Warehouse's retail business. The deal includes 2,400 stores operating in nine European countries under the Carphone Warehouse and Phone House brands, as well as Carphone Warehouse's share of its existing relationships with Best Buy, the firm's web and direct businesses, insurance operations, and airtime reselling business. Carphone Warehouse will retain 100% of its TalkTalk, AOL Broadband and Opal fixed-line telecoms businesses in the UK and will use the proceeds of the transaction to repay debt and invest in broadband customer growth and infrastructure.
Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company is to buy London International Exhibition Centre Holdings, the owner of ExCel London, for £178m. Situated alongside Canary Wharf and London City Airport, ExCel London is the host of the London Boat Show, the British International Motor Show, London Book Fair and the London International Wine & Spirits Fair.
Directorbank, the headhunting company that focuses on private equity firms, has acquired Hanson Green, the non-executive search & selection firm, for an undisclosed sum.
Hornby, the maker of model railways, is to buy Corgi International, best known for its model cars, for £8.3m. The purchase complements Hornby's existing product range, which includes Scalextric racing cars, Airfix models and Humbrol paints.
PepsiCo has acquired the British vitamin water brand, V Water, for around £10m and has put in place an exclusive bottling agreement with Britvic who will manufacture, sell and distribute V Water products across the country.
Taylor Nelson Sofres plans to merge with its German counterpart GfK to form what would be the world's second-largest market research group by revenue. The merged group would be renamed GfK-TNS with its global head office based in London and a German one in Nürnberg.
United Drug has acquired Universal Conference and Incentive Travel and Business Edge Solutions & Training for up to £14.15m.
Barclays Private Equity has funded a management buyout of A-Plan Insurance, the broker that operates from a network of high street branches.
Balfour Beatty's specialist airport investment and development arm, Regional and City Airports, is to acquire 95% of Blackpool International Airport for £14m. Blackpool Council owns the remaining 5% of the airport, which is forecast to handle about half a million passengers in 2008.
Private equity firm RJD Partners has led a management buyout of Comtec, the supplier of software to the travel industry.
The television production company Tinopolis is to be taken private by the private equity consortium Vitruvian in a deal that values the company at approximately £44.7m. Tinopolis' brands include Mentorn, Sunset + Vine and Video Arts and its productions include BBC TV's Question Time and coverage of the Grand National meeting from Aintree.
Biotechnology firm Antisoma is to acquire Boston-based Xanthus Pharmaceuticals for £26.8m.
Private equity firm, Gresham, has backed the £82.5m management buy-out of the East Midlands-based corporatewear provider, Johnson Clothing. The company is to be renamed Dimensions Clothing.
The private equity group, ECI, has acquired a £45m 60% stake in iLG Digital, the holding company for i-level, Generator Consulting and Premier Affiliate Network.
Healthspan has acquired rival vitamin supplements supplier, Healthy Direct, for an undisclosed “eight figure” sum.
Hillfoot Steel has been acquired by Edinburgh-based Murray Steels.
Travis Perkins, the builders' merchant, has acquired 30% of Toolstation, a direct retailer of tools and building materials. The £5m deal includes an option for Travis Perkins to buy the remainder of the company's shares in due course. Toolstation was set up by Mark Goddard-Watts, a founder of Screwfix, and had a £21.4m turnover last year.
In a £362m deal, GlaxoSmithKline is to acquire Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, the US-based biopharmaceutical company which focuses on discovering and developing drugs with the potential to treat diseases associated with ageing.
Elementis has agreed to purchase Deuchem Co, a 30-year-old Taiwan-based supplier of additives and resins, for £40.4m.
ITE Group, the exhibitions specialist, has acquired Siberian Fair, an exhibitions business based in Siberia, for around £6m.
Henry Schein, an American provider of healthcare products, has acquired Minerva Dental, the Cardiff-based supplier of dental consumables and equipment.
Sarian Systems has been acquired by the US company, Digi International.
Dutch baking products giant, CSM, has acquired Harden Fine Foods, a supplier of mini-bite flapjacks, brownies, and cakes to in-store bakeries in supermarkets, for £6.4m.
Avesco, the media services group, has acquired Telecast Communications, including its Charter Broadcast Group subsidiaries, for an initial £2.1m. Charter Broadcast provides television broadcast equipment systems and digital radio camera systems to production companies and broadcasters and will be combined with Avesco's existing Presteigne business. The enlarged division will be renamed Presteigne Charter.
Beswick Paper has acquired Premier Paper for £19.1m.
Fenwick has bought the Colchester department store, Williams & Griffin.
Munro Group has sold its retail pharmacy division to Admenta Holdings, the owner of Lloyds Pharmacy.
Phoenix Healthcare Distribution has bought Munro Wholesale Medical Supplies.
CareTech, the provider of learning disability care services, is to acquire Beacon Care for up to £22.5m. Beacon Care provides specialist services for adults with learning difficulties at 16 homes in South East England.
The privately-owned confectionery and pet food manufacturer, Mars, is to buy the Wrigley chewing gum company in a $23bn deal. Under the terms of the agreement, Wrigley will become a separate, stand-alone subsidiary of Mars and will take over the production of Mars' global non-chocolate confectionery sugar brands, including Starburst and Skittles. Founded in 1911 and still owned by the Mars family, Mars manufactures and markets some of the world's most famous brands, including Milky Way, Snickers, Uncle Ben's, Pedigree, Seeds of Change and Whiskas.
Essentially Group, the sports marketing agency, has acquired the stadium perimeter advertising company, Sportseen, for £9m. Sportseen sells advertising space on fixed, scrolling and LED perimeter boards for Rugby matches at Twickenham, Murrayfield and the Millennium Stadium, as well as at seven Premier League football grounds. Essentially already owns Frontiers, the leading perimeter advertising company in cricket.
Melrose, the specialist manufacturing investor, is to acquire FKI in a deal that values the engineering group at approximately £478m.
The brewer Marston's has acquired Ryland Thompson and its subsidiaries, including Refresh UK. Refresh brews 50,000 barrels of beer a year, among them the brands Hobgoblin, Brakspear and Duchy Originals Organic Ale.
WNS Assistance has acquired Call 24/7, the Stockport-based vehicle insurance claims processing services provider, for £8m.
Cardif Pinnacle has acquired a majority shareholding in Warranty Direct, a provider of extended warranties for vehicles and electrical appliances.
The oil exploration company, Expro, has agreed to be bought for around £1.6bn by a private equity consortium led by Candover. Expro provides products to measure, improve, control and process flow from oil and gas wells and operates in over 50 countries.
o2o, the business supplies company, is to buy print management firm, TripleArc, for £12.4m. o2o is also known as office2office and Banner Business Supplies.
Icera, the Bristol-based wireless microchip firm, is to merge with Sirific Wireless, a Texas-based semiconductor firm that designs integrated circuits for mobile devices.
German biotechnology firm, Paion, is to acquire its Cambridge-based counterpart, CeNeS, for £10.9m.
Fox International Channels, a division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, has acquired a majority stake in the Windsor-based online advertising network, utarget.
Thomas Cook Group has acquired the luxury travel company Elegant Resorts from its founders. In 2007, Elegant Resorts carried more than 20,000 passengers and Thomas Cook intends to operate it as a standalone business.
Cake maker, Finsbury Food Group, has acquired Yorkshire Farm Bakery and A & P Foods for up to £8.9m. Both newly-acquired businesses are based in Hull and have been purchased from the Arnett family.
Colliers CRE has acquired the London-based property firm, Godfrey Vaughan, for £7m.
Indian financial services firm, Religare Capital Markets, has agreed to purchase the 205-year-old London stockbroker Hichens, Harrison & Co for £55.5m.
Zetex, the Oldham-based provider of semiconductor products, has agreed to be bought by its US rival, Diodes, for £91.6m. Zetex was formerly known as Telemetrix.
ICAP, the interdealer broker, has agreed to acquire Link Asset and Securities, the specialist global equity derivatives broker, for an initial £135m.
JA Magson, the distributor of toys, stationery and seasonal products, has acquired the buying group Youngsters and the retailer Toyzone out of administration, saving 200 jobs.
Rok has acquired the Yorkshire-based building and regeneration specialist, Richardson Projects.
AAC Capital Partners has bought Lancashire-based textile manufacturer, James Dewhurst. AAC predicts ‘significant future growth' for the 75-year-old business, which had a £42m turnover last year.
Exponent Private Equity and the company's management have acquired Lowell Holdings, the specialist debt purchasing company.
Private equity firm, Bowmark Capital, has backed the management buyout of Datix, the provider of risk management and patient software to the NHS.
Xafinity, the employee benefits and pensions software firm, has acquired the specialist business process outsourcer, Hazell Carr. The combined group will turn over in excess of £125m and employ around 1,500 people throughout the UK.
Intertek, the quality and safety services specialist, has acquired 4-Front Research, a provider of analytical support services for consumer healthcare products.
Tyco International is to sell its Sheffield-based Ancon Building Products business to CRH for approximately £88m. CRH is an Irish building materials group.
In a £151m deal, Centrica is to acquire Strategic Energy, one of America's largest suppliers of electricity to the commercial market.
AMEC, the engineering and project management group, is to acquire the Godalming-based project services company, Rider Hunt International, for £25m.
GCap Media, the owner of Capital Radio, Classic FM and Xfm, has agreed to be taken over by Global Radio for £375m. In June 2007, Global Radio acquired Chrysalis Radio for approximately £170m and owns the radio stations Heart, Galaxy and LBC. As a result of the takeover, GCap Media will be de-listed from the London Stock Exchange.
Satellite Information Services, the company best known for providing live coverage of horseracing events to betting shops, has acquired the BBC's Outside Broadcast division as part of the privatisation of BBC Resources. The purchase includes a fleet of television production units, as well as sound, support and communications vehicles and cameras. The move means that SIS will be covering major sporting events for BBC television, including the Beijing Olympics.
Conchango, the AIM-listed consultancy and systems integrator that specialises in innovative technologies, has agreed to be bought by the UK division of EMC for £42m.
Carpetright has acquired Melford Commercial Properties, the parent company of Carpetworld Manchester, for £7.2m in cash plus £7.8m of net debt. The company plans to re-brand the 13 Carpetworld stores as either Carpetright or Storeys. Separately, Carpetright is also buying Ben de Graaff Tapijt, a Dutch retailer of floor coverings, curtains and blinds, for around €8m.
Call centre operator, The Listening Company, has bought The Essentiagroup, which employs 450 people in its Glasgow, Newcastle and Brora advice line contact centres.
Marketing services group, Loewy, has acquired the branding consultancy, Branded.
Private equity firm, Langholm Capital, has funded the management buyout of Tyrrells Potato Chips.
In a £126m deal, Boosey & Hawkes, the classical music publishing group that controls the rights to more than 116,000 works by composers including Benjamin Britten, Prokofieff Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky, has been bought by Imagem Music, the music publishing fund of All Pensions Group and CP Masters, the music publisher.
France's national postal operator, La Poste Group, has bought a majority interest in the mailing house and fulfilment business, BTB Mailflight.
Felix Group has acquired the butcher shop chain, Crawshaw Group, and changed its name to Crawshaw Group plc.
EADS Astrium, Europe's leading space company, is to acquire the designer and manufacturer of small satellites, Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL). The deal is thought to be worth around £45m and will provide the financial and industrial resources required for SSTL's expansion and future development. SSTL was formed in 1985 by the University of Surrey to commercialise the results of its small satellite engineering research.
In a £2.5m transaction, Spice, the utility infrastructure support services company, has acquired Melton Power Services, a Melton Mowbray-based business that installs and maintains power networks for commercial clients.
Havas Media has acquired Cake, the independent branded entertainment agency.
Coffee Nation, the coffee vending machine company, has been bought by its management and the private equity firm, Milestone Capital Partners, for around £25m.
The search marketing agency, Ambergreen has acquired the digital agency, Lightershade.
Recruit Retail Services has acquired the shopfitter, Kennedy Clayton.
Hamworthy Heating, the commercial heating equipment firm, has been bought by French engineering conglomerate, Atlantic Sfdt.
US buyout group, The Riverside Company, has acquired the Gloucestershire-based supplier of disposable medical devices, Summit Medical, for £36m.
Tullett Prebon is to acquire Primex Energy Brokers for up to $40m. Known as Amerex Europe until last year, Primex is a broker in a wide range of oil markets.
Trinity Mirror has acquired the specialist sport web design and development agency, Rippleffect Studio, for an initial £3.2m
Man Group is to acquire a 50 per cent interest in Ore Hill, a New York-based hedge fund manager, for $195m.
John Menzies subsidiary, Menzies Aviation, is to acquire Novia Sverige, a ground handling business operating at Stockholm and Gothenburg airports. Menzies is paying €8.75m for the business.
The majority of Carter & Carter, the training group, has been bought out of administration by Newcastle College, a public sector educational college. The death of Carter & Carter's founder and chief executive in a helicopter crash in May 2007 was followed by a series of profits warnings and the suspension of the company's shares. The business was put into administration in March 2008.
G4S is to take over ArmorGroup in a deal that values the private security firm at £43.6m. Armor, whose chairman is the former British Foreign Secretary, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, provides protective security services to national governments, and is particularly active in Iraq.
Holiday camp operator, Pontin's, has been bought by Ocean Parcs for £46m.
CME Group, the US derivatives exchange, has acquired the London-based provider of credit derivatives market data, Credit Market Analysis.
Legal & General is to take over Suffolk Life in a £62m deal.
Balfour Beatty has acquired the regional civil engineering and building contractor, Dean & Dyball, for £45m.
Smiths Specialty Engineering, a division of the listed technology firm, Smiths Group, has made two acquisitions: Fiberod, a Texas-based specialist in oil and gas lifting equipment and Indufil BV, a Netherlands-based specialist in filters for the petrochemical and process industries.
AIM-listed Premier Research Group has agreed to be taken private in a transaction that values the pharmaceutical business at £60.1m. The new owners will be private equity firm, ECI, and the company's management.
SectorGuard has acquired the education, NHS, rail and shopping centre security firm, ManGuard.
Indian conglomerate Tata is to purchase the British car brands Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford for approximately £1.14bn.
WH Smith has acquired hospital retail outlet operator, UNS Hospitals, for £19m. UNS Hospitals trades as United News and has 72 retail units and 8 Caffe Nuovo coffee shops in 62 UK hospitals. Prior to the acquisition, WH Smith had a presence in 7 hospitals.
NetPlay TV, the interactive gaming company, has acquired Bingos.com, a pan-European online bingo operator with over one million registered players. As well as the bingo business, the £6.25m purchase includes a variety of online casino-style games, including slots, table poker, keno and blackjack.
Misys is to merge its Misys Healthcare business with the US firm Allscripts to form Allscripts-Misys Healthcare Solutions. Misys will pay £165m and hold a controlling stake in the clinical software and services provider.
GCap Media has acquired a majority stake in the local social networking website company, welovelocal.com, for an initial £450,000.
Wellness Foods has bought the muesli and porridge maker, Dorset Cereals, for £50m.
Misys is to merge its Misys Healthcare business with the US firm Allscripts to form Allscripts-Misys Healthcare Solutions. Misys will pay £165m and hold a controlling stake in the clinical software and services provider.
AIM-listed independent financial advisers, Lighthouse and Sumus, have agreed to merge to form a group with a turnover in excess of £80m and net assets of £22m.
Capita Group is to acquire IT services provider, ComputerLand, for £28.9m.
In a £50m deal, Hedra, the technology consultant to public services organisations, has been acquired by business process provider, Mouchel.
Formation, the provider of professional services to high net worth individuals and organisations, has acquired the talent management agency, James Grant Media Group, which counts Ant & Dec and Piers Morgan among its clients.
BSS Group, the specialist distributor of heating, ventilation and industrial supplies, has acquired Birchwood Group Holdings for an initial £18.4m. Birchwood is a distributor of construction-related products.
BAA has agreed to sell its airport duty free shop subsidiary World Duty Free Europe to the Italian caterer and retailer Autogrill for £546.6m. The sale raises some much needed cash for BAA's Spanish parent, Ferrovial, which took on £9bn of debt to buy the airport operator in 2006.
The Stobart Group, the transport and logistics provider, is to acquire the Cheshire-based road transport firm, James Irlam & Sons, for £59.9m. In a separate £10m deal, Stobart is to acquire transport infrastructure engineering specialist, WA Developments. Stobart also has an option to buy Carlisle Airport for £15m, where, subject to planning permission, it plans to build a new logistics centre.
G4S plc, the international security group formed following the 2004 merger between Securicor and Group 4 Falck, has acquired the Rock Steady Group. Rock Steady specialises in stewarding and crowd management for stadium events, with a client base that includes Glasgow Rangers Football Club and Sheffield Arena.
Fine art storage firm, Momart, has been acquired by Falkland Islands Holdings for £10.27m. Falkland Island Holdings is a transport and logistics group. Momart stores and transports art works for institutions that include The National Gallery and The British Museum and artists such as Damien Hirst and Antony Gormley.
Private equity firm, Charterhouse Capital Partners, has taken a majority stake in Tunstall Group, the provider of telecare and telehealth services that support vulnerable people in their homes.
Lavendon Group, is to acquire rival powered access equipment hire firm, The Platform Company, for £46.1m.
Barclays Bank is to buy Expobank for £373m. Expobank focuses largely on Western Russia and the acquisition is part of Barclays' strategy of increasing its exposure to emerging markets with good growth characteristics.
Flexible packaging company, InterFlex Group, has bought Sunderland-based EBR, a supplier of flexible packaging to the food industry.
Adconion Media Group, the independent online advertising network, has acquired San Diego-based direct marketing company, Frontline Direct, for £10m.
One of Britain's leading bed retailers, Dreams, has been bought by private equity firm, Exponent.
Aegis Group has acquired Peter Seagroatt & Associates, a specialist in the analysis of point of sale data from the petrol forecourt and convenience sectors for retailers and suppliers. Following the acquisition, PS&A will become part of Synovate Aztec.
Taylor Nelson Sofres has agreed to acquire the US digital intelligence company, Compete, for $75m. Compete conducts research into consumers' internet behaviour.
Bezier Group has acquired retail design agency, Coutts Retail Communications (CRC).
AOL is to acquire the social media network Bebo for £417m. Bebo has 40 million users worldwide.
Ekay, the advertising and marketing agency, is to acquire WFCA Integrated. Ekay claims that the purchase means that it is now is now the largest agency outside of London by media billing.
Spanish bank, Santander, is to acquire GE Money's card and vehicle businesses in the UK and integrate them into its Santander Consumer Finance and Santander Cards divisions. Santander owns the UK high street bank, Abbey.
Jelf Group has made three acquisitions: the Manchester-based Manson Insurance Group and two Devon-based insurance brokerages, Bartlett Davies Bicks of Paignton and Carter & Co Risk Management of Newton Abbot.
Palmer and Harvey, the UK's largest wholesale distributor, has acquired WH & HM Young, a Leeds-based distributor.
Graphite Capital has backed a £95m management buy-out of Kurt Geiger, the luxury footwear retailer, from Barclays Private Equity.
Rapid Racking, the Gloucestershire-based shelving and storage specialist, has been bought by Manutan Group, the French industrial and office equipment supplier.
The Engine Group has acquired the direct marketing agency, Partners Andrews Aldridge, and its associate data planning company, Fuel.
British American Tobacco is to acquire the cigarette business of Denmark's Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni in a £2bn deal. ST has a 60% share of the Scandinavian cigarette market, and its premium brand, Prince, sells 7 billion cigarettes in 25 markets. The transaction includes the Swedish tobacco products firm, Fiedler & Lundgren.
Clarion Events, the exhibition, event and conference organiser, has been acquired by private equity firm, Veronis Suhler Stevenson. Clarion was spun out of Earl's Court and Olympia in a management buyout in 2004 and operates 65 events and conferences across six sectors.
Reed Elsevier is to acquire US risk information firm ChoicePoint for £2.1bn and plans to combine it with its LexisNexis Risk Information and Analytics Group, creating a £750m turnover risk management business with a leading position in the fast-growing sector.
Private equity firm Bridgepoint has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Pret A Manger. The sandwich shop chain has 200 outlets and aims to expand this by about 15% a year with a view to transforming itself from a domestic to an international business, largely through increasing its US presence. The deal values Pret A Manger at £345m.
Debts.co.uk, the personal insolvency specialist, is to acquire PB Recovery for £1m.
The Jim Pattison Group, the owner of the Ripley's Believe It Or Not attractions, has acquired Guinness World Records from HIT Entertainment. First published in 1955, and formerly known as the Guinness Book of Records, Guinness World Records is published in more than 100 countries and 37 languages. Ripley's is to open a 25,000 square foot museum in London's Trocadero in August 2008.
In a deal worth £21.8m, Thomas Cook Group has agreed to acquire Hotels4U.com. Hotels4U has access to over 30,000 hotels and apartments world-wide, providing accommodation and resort transfers to over 500,000 customers a year.
Medical Solutions, the distributor of specialist products for applications in life sciences, diagnostic pathology and clinical research, has agreed to acquire Autogen Bioclear for up to £6m. Medical Solutions says that the acquisition will benefit the company through an expanded product offering, enhanced customer base, cross-selling opportunities and access to products and reagents at distributor prices.
Yacht builder Oyster Marine has been bought by private equity firm Balmoral Capital for an undisclosed sum.
WPP Digital, the digital investment arm of WPP Group, has acquired 75% of HeathWallace, the Reading-based website design agency.
The affiliate network, buy.at, which has offices in London, Newcastle and New York, has been acquired by AOL. Buy.at will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of AOL's Advertising.com.
Avro Industries has acquired the thermoforming packaging company RR Foodbox.
Australian marketing services group, Photon, has acquired the communications strategy consultancy, Naked Communications.
Logicalis has acquired Iconium, a supplier of compliance, security and business intelligence tools.
Stylo has agreed to purchase the trading stock, brand name and some outlets of the collapsed Dolcis footwear chain from administrators, saving 300 jobs. Stylo owns the brands Barratts, Shellys and PriceLess.
James Galt & Company, the Cheshire-based toy firm, has been bought by US adhesives company, Elmer's.
Fund manager, iimia MitonOptimal, is to merge with Midas Capital Partners, based in Liverpool.
City PR firm M:Communications has been bought by Sage Holdings, a company backed by US private equity firm The Riverside Company.
Yule Catto has agreed to sell its speciality chemicals and hair dyes subsidiary, James Robinson, to Vivimed Labs of India for £10m.
Waste management company Biffa has agreed to be taken over for about £1.2bn by a private equity consortium headed by Montagu Funds and GIP.
Spire Healthcare, the private hospital group owned by private equity firm Cinven, is to acquire Classic Hospitals Group for £145m. The deal makes Spire, which was formerly known as BUPA Hospitals, the second-largest private hospital operator in the country.
Barclays Bank has agreed to acquire Discover's UK credit card business for approximately £35m. Barclays intends to integrate the business, which includes the Goldfish brand and 1.7 million credit card accounts, into Barclaycard.
Ladbrokes has acquired Eastwood Bookmakers, Northern Ireland's largest bookmaker, for £117.5m. The acquisition also includes Eastwood's telephone betting business.
Whatman, the global supplier of filtration products, is to be taken over by GE Healthcare Life Sciences in a £363m deal.
Amazon is to become the largest shareholder in online dvd rental firm, Lovefilm. Consequently Amazon will exit the dvd rental market in the UK, and transfer its customer base to Lovefilm. The deal, believed to be worth in the region of £60m, will bring Lovefilm's subscriber numbers to over 900,000, most of whom are in the UK and Germany.
Grainger, the UK's largest quoted residential property company, is to acquire a 54% shareholding in FranconoRheinMain, a residential property company listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The purchase price is approximately £33m.
BT Expedite, the retail solutions division of BT, has acquired Fresca, a High Wycombe-based provider of e-commerce services to retailers.
In a £68.5m deal, private equity firm, Duke Street Capital, has acquired The Original Factory Shop, the Burnley-based value clothing and housewares retailer that has 84 outlets across the UK.
Cope Allman has bought Jaycare out of administration. Both businesses produce rigid plastic packaging for the healthcare and pharmaceutical markets.
Tropus and Spicer Partnership have merged to form a new project management practice.
LBi UK, the digital agency, has acquired search engine optimisation firm, Netrank.
Harte-Hanks, the international direct marketing company, has acquired digital marketing agency, Mason Zimbler, for an undisclosed sum.
UK drinks firm Diageo is to acquire Rosenblum Cellars, a Californian producer of Zinfandel and Rhone wines, for £52m.
Direct marketing group, dsicmm, has acquired Manchester-based multimedia communications company, K2 Group.
Get Me In!, the reseller of tickets to arts and sporting events, has been purchased by Ticketmaster. The purchase comes in the wake of the recent All Party Select Committee's recommendation not to outlaw ticket touts but to look for a "middle way" in which the live entertainment industry works with resellers to ensure consumer protection. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Footwear retailer Stead and Simpson has been bought out of administration by a newly formed company which is backed by Shoe Zone. The sale saves 2,700 jobs and enables 309 stores to continue trading, but 37 loss-making outlets have been closed and are not included in the sale.
PZ Cussons, the personal care and household products firm whose brands include Carex and Imperial Leather, has acquired The Sanctuary Spa Holdings for £75m. Sanctuary Spa comprises a range of beauty and body care products sold under The Sanctuary brand and the women-only Sanctuary Spa in London's Covent Garden.
Derby County has become the latest Premiership football club to be taken over by foreign owners following its purchase by United States-based General Sports and Entertainment (GSE) for around £50m. GSE hopes to establish the Derby County brand worldwide through alliances with sporting teams in the USA, Far East and other territories. However, the initial aim must be to attempt to keep the team in the Premiership, where it currently languishes in bottom place with just seven points from 23 games.
Cadbury Schweppes is to sell its Monkhill Confectionery subsidiary, a manufacturer of sugar confectionery and popcorn for the UK market, to Tangerine Confectionery for £58m.
Metalrax Group, the supplier of specialist engineering products, has acquired PGL for £3m. PGL is a Kentucky-based manufacturer of isolated electrical power systems.
A management buy-in funded by Icelandic investment firm Baugur is to purchase the women's fashion chain Whistles from Mosaic Fashions.
Scottish & Newcastle, the British brewer that owns the brands John Smith's, Strongbow, Kronenbourg 1664, Foster's and Newcastle Brown Ale, has agreed to be taken over Carlsberg and Heineken for £7.8bn.
NCC Group, the Manchester-based provider of independent IT assurance, security and consultancy services, has acquired Escrow Europe Holdings of Amsterdam, for up to £7.8m.
The German rail operator Deutsche Bahn has entered the UK passenger rail market with the purchase of Laing Rail, the owner of the Chiltern Railways franchise.
Interactive mobile entertainment and information specialist, WIN, has acquired Pocket Group, a provider of entertainment content and marketing services to more than 50 mobile operators across the world.
Logistics firm Wincanton has acquired Hanbury Davies, a UK market leader in container operations with 21 locations across the country and a workforce of 780.
Tenon Group, the AIM-listed business turnaround, recovery, restructuring and insolvency specialist, has acquired Haines Watts Business Recovery.
British aerospace and defence firm Cobham continues its US expansion with the £212m purchase of Sparta, a company that offers a range of scientific, systems engineering and technical assistance services to the US military and intelligence community.
Trinity Mirror has acquired The Career Engineer, an online job board specialising in the engineering profession. It was acquired for an initial £1.9m.
Media planning and buying agency, BLM (Booth Lockett Makin), has been acquired by Havas and becomes Arena BLM.
John David Group, the sports and leisurewear retailer also known as JD Sports, has acquired branded fashion retailer Bank Stores Holdings from Phoenix Equity Partners for £18.5m. Bank owns 49 retail outlets across the UK.
Metavante Technologies, a US provider of banking and payments technology, has acquired Nomad Payments, a London-based prepaid and debit card processing and software firm. Nomad will be renamed Metavante Technologies Limited. The purchase price was £29m.
Investment company, Insite Service Management, has purchased Orbis Property Protection for £49m. Based in Uxbridge, Orbis is an empty property and neighbourhood improvement group.
Aerospace group, Meggitt, has acquired Danish ceramic sensor materials manufacturer, Ferroperm, for £10m.
Bonar Floors, a subsidiary of Low & Bonar, has purchased Westbond, a producer of carpet tiles, for up to £10.9m. Bonar Floors expects to benefit from cross-selling of products between the two businesses, as well as making cost savings through synergies.
Scottish & Southern Energy is to acquire Dublin-based renewable energy company Airtricity for £1.08bn, including debt. Airtricity develops and operates wind farms in the UK, Ireland, continental Europe and China and supplies electricity to mainly commercial customers in Ireland. The acquisition makes Scottish & Southern Energy the largest wind farm operator in the UK and Ireland.
The Financial Times has bought Money-Media, a New York-based online financial news provider and conference organiser. The FT said that the acquisition would strengthen its position with one of its core audiences, fund managers, and with advertisers seeking access to them.
QinetiQ, the defence and security technology company that was formerly part of the Ministry of Defence, is to purchase two Australian defence consulting businesses, Ball Solutions Group and Novare Services. The two acquisitions are being made for a total of £8.8m and are part of QinetiQ's strategy to grow its capabilities in Europe, Middle East and Australasia.
Online direct marketing group TMN has agreed to acquire Dutch digital direct marketing firm TAPPS for up to £7.94m.
BUPA, the private healthcare company, has bought US health information and disease management firm Health Dialog. BUPA says the £310m deal will enhance its existing capabilities in the areas of health information and chronic disease management.
News International has sold its marketing services and database specialist, Broadsystem, to Skipton Information Group, the owner of EuroDirect, Callcredit and GMAP Consulting.
The Mission Marketing Group, the AIM-listed marketing communications and advertising group, has acquired marketing communications firm RLA Group for an initial £9.5m.
Luxury handbag brand Radley has sold a majority shareholding to Exponent Private Equity, in a secondary buy-out from Phoenix Equity Partners that values the business at £130m.
Towry Law, the private and corporate wealth adviser, has acquired Hazlems Financial, a London-based employee benefits and financial planning consultancy.
MF Global, the American futures and options broker, has acquired ChoiceOdds, an independent UK-based financial binary trading firm.
Kansas-headquartered mobile media distributor Handmark has acquired smartphone games development studio Astraware.
Premier Group has acquired Interactive Technologies, a specialist UK manufacturer and worldwide exporter of whiteboards and plasma/LCD overlays for the corporate and education markets. Premier will run Interactive Technologies alongside its Sapphire brand of projection screens and accessories.
