List of company mergers and acquisitions which took place in the UK in 2012.
To buy contact data for key directors and senior managers involved current M&A deals, see M&A News.
The law firms Dickinson Dees and Bond Pearce have agreed to merge. The new firm, which will be called Bond Dickinson from 1 May 2013, will have an income of approximately £95m and employ 1,200 staff across eight UK locations.
Interserve has further developed its capabilities in the provision of front line services with the acquisition of Advantage Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest providers of healthcare at home services, for £26.5m.
The private equity firm WestBridge Capital has backed the management buyout of the software and IT consultancy group Anglia Business Solutions.
McCambridge Group, one of the largest producers of private label cakes for the UK food industry, has agreed to be purchased by the private equity firm NBGI. The company will be renamed when the deal, worth £23.5m, is completed.
Prescription Eyewear, the parent company of MyOptique.com, SunglassesShop.com and GlassesDirect.com, has purchased the Nordic online contact lens retailer LensOn.
Delta Airlines has acquired a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic from Singapore Airlines. Virgin Group will continue to own the other 51% of the company.
The private equity firm Palamon Capital Partners has purchased the online beauty retailer Feelunique.com for £26m.
Schroders, the UK’s largest listed asset management company, has increases its assets under management in US fixed income by 50 per cent with the acquisition of STW Fixed Income Management.
Ainscough Crane Hire, the UK’s largest lifting services company, has been acquired by the private equity firm TPG.
The TV production company Firecracker Films, best known for producing My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding for Channel 4, has been acquired by Tinopolis. Firecracker also specialises in documentaries about “extreme” subject matter, such as Our Daughter the Mermaid, The Man Whose Arms Exploded and My New Face.
The equestrian clothing and equipment retailer Ride-Away has been acquired by Pets at Home.
The private equity firm Investindustrial has agreed to purchase a £37.5% stake in the luxury car brand Aston Martin. The deal, worth £150m, is part of Aston Martin’s strategy to invest £500m in its new product and technology programme over the next five years.
The private equity firm Endless has backed the management buyout of VION Food UK, one of the largest pork suppliers in the UK. The deal is the latest stage of Dutch company VION’s exit from the UK market.
Noble, the international rare coin, banknote, medal and stamp dealer and auctioneer, has agreed to buy The Fine Art Auction Group.
Primary Health Properties, a provider of purpose built primary healthcare facilities, has purchased Apollo Medical Partners, in a deal which values the primary care property investor at £10.2m.
Advanced Computer Software Group has acquired Serco Learning from the Serco Group for £7.25m. Serco Learning, which will be integrated into Advanced’s business solutions division, is a supplier of management information systems to the UK education market.
Goodhead Group has been bought out of administration by Polestar, in a deal which saves all 518 jobs at the printing company.
Nevron Eurotherm Insulation, which specialises in insulation and metal cladding services, has been bought by the Indian manufacturer Indsur Group.
The German savoury snack manufacturer Intersnack has acquired KP Snacks from United Biscuits. KP Snacks is the UK’s second largest snack manufacturer, with brands including McCoy’s, Space Raiders, Phileas Fogg and Brannigans. The deal includes these brands, KP’s UK manufacturing facilities and its head office. United Biscuits retains its baked bagged snack brands, including Twiglets and Mini Cheddars. Intersnack already sells snack brands such as Pom-Bear and Percy Dalton’s in the UK.
The private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice has purchased a significant stake in B&M Retail, one of the UK’s biggest discount retailers. B&M, which has more than 300 stores across the UK, will use the investment to develop its brand and increase its market presence outside of the UK.
The engineering group Invensys has agreed to sell its rail division to the German technology company Siemens. The deal, worth £1.7bn, sees Invensys exit what it considers a low margin market and allow it to focus on its industrial software, systems and control equipment business.
The independent cinema company Picturehouse has been acquired by Cineworld for £47.3m, in a deal which Picturehouse hopes will enable it to open more cinemas around the UK.
The private equity firm Intermediate Capital Group has backed the management buyout of the business travel management company ATP International.
The confectionery, soft drinks, alcohol and tobacco wholesaler Kitwave has bought the biscuits, cakes, confectionery and soft drinks wholesaler Teatime Tasties.
The private equity firm LDC has acquired MAMA Group, HMV’s live music division, for £7.3m.
The Dutch private equity firm H2 Equity Partners has backed the management buyout of Hancocks Group, the confectionery wholesaler which was established in 1962.
The packaging products manufacturer RPC Group has developed its UK manufacturing and personal care sales base with the acquisition of Manuplastics for £7m.
Places for People, one of the largest property management, development and regeneration companies in the UK, has purchased the property management company Touchstone.
The software developer WANdisco has acquired the US-based software company AltoStor.
AutoRestore has created the UK’s second largest vehicle body repair group with the purchase of ADR Group.
The property services company Dunlop Heywood has acquired The Focus Rating Agency.
CCL, one of the world’s largest packaging companies, has purchased John Watson & Co, Scotland’s oldest printing company.
The IT software and services supplier Tikit has been acquired by BT. The deal, worth £64.2m, enables BT to increase the range of IT services it offers to UK businesses.
The travel and leisure company Minoan has added to its travel portfolio with the purchase of Classic Travel, the specialist travel agent which trades as Classic4Travel. In a separate deal, Minoan has acquired the Golf Concierge brand.
The digital marketing agency Quaturo has been acquired by BlueGlass Interactive, in a move which gives BlueGlass a local presence in the UK market.
Menzies Distribution, the newspaper and magazine wholesaling company, has purchased Orbital Marketing Services Group. The deal enables Menzies to increase its printed media distribution footprint.
Healthpoint Biotherapeutics, which specialises in wound care treatments and is headquartered in the US, has been purchased by Smith & Nephew for £490m. The deal strengthens Smith & Nephew’s advanced wound management division.
The law firms Fulbright & Jaworski and Norton Rose have agreed to merge. The new firm, which will operate under the name Norton Rose Fulbright, will consist of 3,800 lawyers in 55 offices around the world.
The digital healthcare agency DJM Digital Solutions has been purchased by Creston in a deal worth up to £2.4m.
The managed technology services provider Star has been acquired by Claranet for £55m.
The wealth management company Brooks Macdonald has purchased Spearpoint for £23m. Purchasing Spearpoint, which is a provider of discretionary fund management services, gives Brooks Macdonald access to the international pensions market.
Reckitt Benckiser has announced that it has agreed to merge with Schiff Nutrition International, one of the leading providers of branded vitamins, nutrition supplements and nutrition bars in the United States. The deal values Schiff at £880m.
Northcliffe Media, the regional local newspaper business, has been sold by DMGT to Local World for £52.5m. Local World is a newly formed media group which is jointly owned by DMGT, which holds 38.7% and will contribute more than 80 titles, and Iliffe News & Media, which hold 21.3% and contributes 36 titles.
The soft drinks companies AG Barr and Britvic have agreed to merge in a deal which will create a £1.5bn turnover business. The new company, which will be known as Barr Britvic Soft Drinks, will continue to bottle and distribute Pepsi brands in the UK.
Imagination Technologies, which develops graphics, video and display technologies for use in multimedia products, has acquired the operating business of MIPS Technologies, the US-based manufacturer of CPU architectures and cores. Imagination hopes the deal will enable it to compete more effectively against rival company ARM.
The real estate investment trust London & Stamford has agreed to merge with Metric Property Investments. The combined company will operate under a single management team.
Care UK has purchased the healthcare provider Harmoni, which specialises in unscheduled treatments.
Pizza Hut has been purchased by the turnaround and restructuring investor Rutland Partners. The deal, which sees Rutland operate Pizza Hut’s 330 UK restaurants under a long term franchise agreement from Yum Restaurants, will bring about a £60 million refurbishment and restructuring programme.
Gulf Oil, one of the world’s largest oil and lubricants companies, has purchased Houghton International. Houghton, a supplier of metal working fluids, will operate as a standalone sister company to Gulf Oil within the Hinduja Group.
The debt collection agency Robinson Way has been bought by the Swedish financial services firm Hoist Kredit.
Corbis, which specialises in visual media, has acquired Demotix, which operates as a source for breaking news photography.
Lomond Capital has become the largest property management group in Scotland with the purchase of Edinburgh-based Alba Residential.
The business and operating assets of AEA Technology, which went into administration in early November, have been acquired by Ricardo for £18m.
Premier Foods has sold its sweet pickles and table sauces business, which includes the Branston sweet pickle brand and the company’s Bury St Edmunds factory in Suffolk, to the Japanese company Mizkan. The deal, worth £92.5m, means Premier Foods will have reduced its net debt by 30% since March 2012. Mizkan previously bought Premier Foods’ vinegar and sour pickles business for £41m in July 2012.
Hitachi has agreed to purchase Horizon Nuclear Power from RWE and E.ON. The deal, when completed, will see Hitachi lead a programme of building new nuclear power plants in the UK.
Pope Anderson, an actuarial and pensions consultancy, has been acquired by the pensions consultancy Broadstone.
Domus, the tile, mosaic and stone product supplier which trades under the Domus and Surface brand names, has been taken over by the private equity firm Alcuin Capital Partners.
Exentra Transport Solutions, the UK-based supplier of software compliance services, has been acquired by Descartes Systems.
The international media companies Pearson and Bertelsmann have announced they are to merge their publishing divisions. The deal, which sees Random House and Penguin Group join forces under the name Penguin Random House, creates a company of which Bertelsmann owns 53% and Pearson 47%.
Nike has sold the sports equipment manufacturer Umbro to the US clothing company Iconix Brand Group. The £140m deal enables Nike to focus on its Nike, Jordan, Converse and Hurley brands.
The private equity firm Permira is to buy the family history website Ancestry.com, which operates as Ancestry.co.uk in the UK, for £1bn.
Idox, which specialises in supplying software to the public sector, has purchased FMx for £5.6m. FMx provides facilities management software services to corporate, public and commercial real estate customers.
The recruitment company Staffline has strengthened its position in the UK with the acquisition of Select Appointments, which trades under the Select and Parkhouse brands.
Senior Hargreaves, a provider of air movement and ventilation ductwork services, has been purchased by the German engineering company M+W Group.
Mission Marketing Group has acquired the multi-channel agency balloon dog. The deal means that Mission now employs over 800 staff in 17 offices across the UK.
Energy Assets, one of the UK’s leading providers of gas metering services to the UK Industrial and Commercial market, has agreed to buy Gazprom Global Energy Solutions for £13.5m. The deal means Energy Assets adds 27,000 data points to its existing portfolio of 21,000 data loggers.
Bodycote, which specialises in thermal processing services, has strengthened its business in the USA with the acquisition of Carolina Commercial Heat Treating from Bluewater Thermal Solutions. The deal, worth £48m, includes six facilities in south east USA, as well as an additional facility in southern Indiana.
The private equity firm CVC Capital Partners has sold Hozelock Group to Exel Industries. Buying Hozelock, which manufactures gardening products, is part of Exel’s plans to expand into the consumer market.
A £367m deal has seen the private equity firm Cinven take control of the niche pharmaceuticals business Amdipharm Group. Cinven will merge Amdipharm with its existing pharmaceutical company, Mercury Pharma, which it acquired in September 2012.
The private equity firm YFM Equity Partners has backed the £3m management buyout of the specialist software company Insider Technologies.
The online marketplace provider Valueworks has been taken over by the private equity firm HGcapital. Valueworks’ founding shareholders have confirmed they will reinvest the majority of their stake back into the company as part of the deal.
Informa, one of the largest business information and events providers in the world, has purchased the US business intelligence company Zephyr Associates for £39m.
MITIE, a provider of outsourced facilities, property and asset management services, has acquired Enara Group from the private equity firm August Equity for £110.8m. MITIE hopes that purchasing the UK’s fourth largest home care services provider will enable it to be a strong competitor in the outsourced health and social care sector.
The Scottish law firms Burness LLP and Paull & Williamsons LLP are to merge to create one of the largest law firms in Scotland, with a turnover of £37.6m and a total of 400 staff including 60 partners and 158 lawyers. From December 2012 the firm will be known as Burness Paull & Williamsons.
ITV has moved to strengthen its international content business with the acquisition of Finnish producer Tarinatalo, which specialises in factual entertainment, reality and lifestyle programming. Tarinatalo will be integrated into ITV Studios Nordic.
The Dutch banking group ING has exited the UK retail banking market following its decision to sell the deposits, mortgages and business assets of ING Direct UK to Barclays Bank. The deal will see ING Direct UK, which includes a deposit book with balances of £10.9bn and a mortgage book with outstanding balances of £5.6bn, integrated into the retail and business bank division at Barclays. In addition, 750 ING Direct UK employees and 1.5 million customers will transfer across to Barclays.
The German food company Zertus has agreed to buy the confectionery and natural snacks maker Zetar for £42.7m. Zertus hopes the acquisition will enable it to expand into the UK market.
Air Energi, an oil and gas industry services provider, has been acquired by the private equity firm LGV Capital. Air Energi’s existing management team remains in place, and will aim to increase turnover to $500m by the end of 2013.
The house builder Hillreed Homes, which operates in the south east of England, has been bought by Persimmon for £35.7m.
The insurance company Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT) has purchased Alexander Forbes Consultants & Actuaries (AFCA) for £17m. AFCA will become part of JLT’s employee benefits business, strengthening its position in the health and wellness, risk, annuity and investment areas.
NES Global Talent, the recruitment firm which specialises in the engineering sector, has been sold by the private equity firm Graphite Capital to funds advised by AEA Investors LP for £234m.
The refrigerant gases, environmental services, speciality gases and chemicals provider A-Gas has further expanded its international business with the acquisition of Coolgas, a USA-based refrigeration supplier and distributor.
Philip Davies and Sons, a plant, machinery and business asset valuer, has been purchased by Eddisons, in a deal which will see all staff from the London, Manchester and Nottingham offices join Eddisons.
The financial services provider Canaccord Financial has further strengthened its UK wealth management platform, Collins Stewart Wealth Management, with the acquisition of Eden Financial’s wealth management business for £12.8m. The deal increases the service offering and investment opportunities available to Collins Stewart Wealth Management.
Sports Direct, one of the UK's leading sports retailers, has acquired certain assets and product brands from the administrators of JJB Sports. The deal, worth £24m, includes 20 stores, all of the stock in the business and the Slazenger Golf brand licences, as well as JJB's freehold property in Wigan.
The private equity firm Gresham has backed the management buyout of the digital agency Investis, a company which specialises in building websites for corporate and investor communications. The company’s first move following this buyout is to buy the Morningstar’s investor relations business, which was formerly known as Hemscott Investor Relations.
The paper and packaging company Mondi Group is to buy the German consumer packaging company Nordenia International for £200m.
iPlatform, the Facebook developer based in London’s ‘Tech City’, has been acquired by Facebook marketing technology company Betapond. London mayor Boris Johnson believes the acquisition establishes that ‘London’s burgeoning tech hub is not only a world leader but can also be considered world class.’
FF&P Private Equity has supported the management buyout of David Phillips, a furniture supplier to the professional residential property market.
BPS Europe, a provider of outsourced recruitment services, has bought the recruitment firm Hinton Lea Associates.
Rentokil has become the third largest pest control company in North America following its purchase of Western Exterminator Company for £60m. Rentokil announced in 2011 that it was to adopt a policy of acquiring pest control companies in North America, Latin America and the Middle East.
Ageas has agreed to acquire Groupama in a deal worth £116m. The purchase will enable Ageas to offer new niche product areas.
Rolls-Royce has agreed to sell Tidal Generation, a designer and manufacturer of tidal stream turbines, to Alstom. The deal will allow Alstom to offer a full range of renewable power products and systems.
Ownership of Forest Holidays, which owns 315 cabins in seven Forestry Commission estates across the UK, has changed hands following the completion of a management buyout backed by the private equity firm LDC.
Jaeger Packaging, a manufacturer and supplier of polypropylene and polyester strapping, has been bought by Southgate Packaging.
The advertising and communications company Publicis Groupe has purchased LBi. The deal is part of Publicis’ plan to increase its digital revenues to 35% of total revenue.
edge IPK, a provider of computer software services to the financial services industry, has been purchased by Temenos, in a deal which Temenos hopes will enable it to offer a full range of services covering the banking and financial services sectors.
Illumina, the developer and manufacturer of tools and systems for the analysis of genetic variations and functions, has purchased BlueGnome.
Asteelflash, one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturing services firms, has strengthened its presence in Europe with the acquisition of EN ElectronicNetwork. The deal gives Asteelflash additional manufacturing sites in Germany.
Sembcorp Marine has moved to establish itself in the UK with the purchase of SLP Engineering for £2.5m. SLP will be renamed Sembmarine SLP as part of the deal.
The French toy retailer Groupe Ludendo has purchased Hamleys, one of the most famous toy shops in the world.
The IT company Redstone is to purchase Maxima in a deal which values the IT services company at £9.9m.
The private equity firm LDC has sold the outsourced insurance services provider Direct Group to Ryan Speciality Group (RSG). The acquisition strengthens RSG’s managing general agent and third party administration capabilities in the UK.
The private equity firm WHEB Partners has purchased a majority stake in Wireless Energy Management Systems (WEMS). The deal, worth £13m, will enable the provider of energy management systems to develop the business internationally.
CBRE Group has acquired Franc Warwick Chartered Surveyors, which will be integrated into CBRE’s capital markets division.
The US-based distributor of name-brand medical and surgical produces, Owens & Minor, has bought Movianto Group for £100m. Movianto is a provider of outsourced services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and healthcare industries.
The National Skills Academy for Retail and the Standards Setting Body for Retail have been sold by Skillsmart Retail to People 1st, the sector skills council for hospitality.
Kingspan, a supplier of insulated panels, insulation access floors and other building products, has strengthened its business in mainland Europe with the acquisition of ThyssenKrupp Construction Group for £55m. In a separate deal, Kingspan has also taken over Rigidal Industries, one of the largest manufacturers of composite panels and roofing systems in the Middle East, in a deal worth £25m.
The UK’s largest online retailer of dance apparel, Dance Direct, has been acquired by the US-based Revolution Dancewear.
Entertainment One, the TV and film production and distribution company, has acquired the Candian film distributor Alliance Films for £144m. The deal creates the largest independent film distributor in Canada and the UK.
Tesco has acquired the digital book platform provider Mobcast. This is the latest in a series of digital acquisitions by Tesco, with blinkbox and WE7 both purchased within the last year.
The electronic technologies company Stadium Group has purchased IGT Industries, one of the UK’s leading designers and manufacturers of intelligent displays, in a deal worth up to £4m. Stadium chief executive Stephen Phipson hopes the acquisition will help Stadium become a “higher growth, IP led, technology group focussed on higher margin subsystems.”
Specialist Distribution Group (SDG), the distribution arm of Specialist Computer Holdings, has been acquired by the US-based Tech Data Corporation. The deal gives Tech Data ownership of the SDG, IQ Sys and ISI Distribution brands in the UK.
Global Marine Systems, which specialises in the installation of submarine power cables and systems, has been taken over by the Italian-based Prysmian Group, which is one of the largest energy and telecom cables and systems providers in the world. The £42m acquisition enables Prysmian to offer a full range of services in the submarine power cable installation industry.
The US-based insurance company SRLC America has been bought by Prudential for £418m.
Initium Onboard, a provider of onboard retail technology to the airline and rail industries, has been purchased by GuestLogix for £3.3m. The deal adds increases GuestLogix’s customer base by 25%.
A financial restructuring has taken place at budget hotel operator Travelodge. The deal, which secures the future of 356 out of 405 hotels in the UK, will see GoldenTree Asset Management, Avenue Capital Group and Goldman Sachs take over ownership from Dubai International Capital and invest a total of £75m of new money.
Reliance Secure Task Management, which specialises in medical assessment and criminal justice support services, has been acquired by Capita Group. The £20m deal complements some of Capita’s previous acquisitions, such as SunGard Public Sector, Beat Systems and CedarHR.
Briggs Equipment has agreed to purchase Barloworld Handling. Briggs will take over responsibility for sales and service of both the Hyster and Yale brand of lift trucks in the UK.
Premier Foods has agreed to sell its sweets and jellies business to the US-based food company Hain Celestial. The deal, worth £200m, includes the Hartley's jam brand, a portfolio of marmalade brands in Robertson's, Frank Cooper and Keiller, and Sun-Pat peanut butter. These brands are made at the Histon factory, which is included in the transaction. Michael Clarke, chief executive of Premier Foods, said the company is using the sale to clear 22% of its net debt, and enable it to refocus on its “power brands”.
The private equity firm The Carlyle Group has increased its stake in Getty Images to 50% in a deal worth £2.1bn. Getty provides access to images, video footage and music for creative professionals.
JD Sports, one of the UK’s largest sports and casual wear retailers, has acquired the ONETrueSaxon brand from Pentland for a nominal fee. In a separate deal, Pentland is to buy the rugby jersey manufacturer Canterbury from JDSports for £22.7m. JDSports is to focus on developing its retail operations in the UK and continental Europe and does not believe the Canterbury brand, which sells mainly in New Zealand and Australia, is central to these ambitions.
The TV and film production company Left Bank Pictures, best known for shows such as Wallander and Cardinal Burns, has been taken over by Sony Pictures Television. The deal gives Sony distribution rights to future Left Bank Pictures television content, and first look distribution options on feature films produced by the company.
The cloud computing and managed hosting services provider iomart has acquired Melbourne Server Hosting. iomart hopes the £7m deal will give it a foothold in the Manchester region.
The cloud-based customer engagement services provider Adeptra has been taken over by FICO in a £73m deal.
The US-based power conversion company RFI has been purchased by Ultra Electronics for £8m.
Porta Communications has acquired WFCA in a deal which values the marketing agency at £1.5m.
NoteMachine, which operates 7,000 ATMs in the UK, has been sold by Rutland Partners in a management buyout backed by the private equity firm Corsair Capital.
Chillwind, a manufacturer of meteorological masts, has been acquired by Dulas, in a deal which enables Dulas to manufacture, distribute and install meteorological masts across the UK and in Europe.
The US-based testing services provider Intrepidus Group has been purchased by NCC Group for £7.1m.
The recycling and waste management company Environmental Scientifics Group (ESG) has purchased Waterwise Technologies. The deal enables ESG to offer a greater range of water services to clients.
The private equity firm Graphite Capital has backed the management buyout of after-school tuition provider Explore Learning.
MedicAnimal, one of the UK’s largest online retailers of pet food and healthcare supplies, has acquired Petmeds.co.uk. The deal is part of MedicAnimal’s long term plan to become a market leader across Europe.
The pharmaceutical company Mercury Pharma has been taken over by the private equity firm Cinven.
BrightTag, a provider of website data management services, has expanded into the UK and European markets with the acquisition SiteTagger.
A-Gas International has bought the US-based RemTec International. Remtec specialises in preventing unwanted gases from escaping from fire safety equipment into the environment.
The independent integrator MDNX has created a new group with a turnover of £85m following its purchase of the network services provider Griffin. The combined MDNX Group will have more scale, breadth of support and capability following this deal.
The private equity firm Endless has sold Phoenix Foods to Speciality Powders. The deal enables Speciality to provide new services to its clients, such as packing.
The computer software company Kirona Group has purchased Xmbrace, which specialises in providing software products to the social housing sector in the UK. This is Kirona’s first acquisition since it was taken over by the private equity firm LDC in 2011.
CitySprint, the UK’s largest same day courier company, has acquired Scarlet Couriers.
The TV production company Boomerang has been acquired by the private equity firm LDC. The £7.1m will see Boomerang apply for cancellation of its admission on AIM.
A consortium led by Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings (CKI) has acquired Wales & West Utilities for £645m.
One of the world’s largest pension funds, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, is to take over Goals Soccer Centres (GSC) in a deal which values GSC at £73.1m. GSC operates 43 outdoor five-a-side football centres in the UK and hopes to use the deal to expand and add thousands of new players.
The Co-operative Group has increased the size of its bank network to nearly 1,000 branches with the purchase of 632 branches from Lloyds Banking Group.
Cloud Computing Centre, which specialises in cloud hosting, has been acquired by Six Degrees Group.
Kittiwake Developments has agreed to be taken over by Parker Hannifin. Kittiwake will be integrated into Parker Hannifin’s filtration division.
Volkswagen, one of the world’s largest car manufacturers and owner of the Audi brand, has taken over rival car maker Porsche.
BSkyB is to create a content distribution division following its purchased of the rights management company Parthenon Media Group.
GlaxoSmithKline is to purchase Human Genome Sciences (HGS) in a deal which values the drug developer at £1.9bn. HGS has developed the first new approved drug for lupus in more than 50 years.
The New York-based energy retailers Energetix and NYSEG Solutions have been acquired by Centrica for £71m. The newly purchased businesses will be integrated into Centrica’s north American subsidiary, Direct Energy.
Mind Candy, the game development company best known for Moshi Monsters, has bought the gaming studio Origami Blue. The deal will see a new innovation centre open in Brighton.
Robert Dyas has been sold by its owners, Allied Irish Bank and Lloyds Banking Group, to Theo Paphitis, star of BBC TV show Dragons' Den.
Thomson Reuters, the world's largest source of intelligence information for business and professionals, is to purchase FXall for £400m. FXall specialises in providing electronic foreign exchange trading solutions.
The advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty has been taken over by existing shareholder Publicis Groupe, which has purchased the remaining 51% stake it did not already own.
Volvo Aero, which designs, engineers and manufactures components and sub-assemblies for aircraft engine turbines, has been acquired by GKN. The deal gives GKN a market leading position in the aero engine components industry.
The UK healthcare communications firm Virgo Health has been purchased by Golin Harris. Angie Wiles and Sarah Matthew, who established Virgo in 2003, have been tasked with establishing the Virgo brand in North America.
Aegis has been purchased by the Japanese media buying agency Dentsu for £3.16bn.
Andrew Page has reinforced its position as one of the largest independent parts distribution businesses in the UK with the purchase of Camberley Auto Factor.
The mobile technology company CSR has sold its handset development division to Samsung for £200m. In addition, Samsung has acquired a 4.5% stake in CSR plc.
Guardian Media Group has sold its radio business, which includes the Real Radio and Smooth Radio brands, to Global Radio.
The business magazine publisher Centaur has strengthened its position in the digital marketing sector with the purchase of Econsultancy, in a deal worth up to £50m. Econsultancy will be integrated into Centaur’s business information division.
The workplace assessment products provider SHL has been taken over by the American advisory company Corporate Executive Board (CEB). The deal, worth £421m, enables CEB to offer a full range of talent management services.
Cranswick has further developed its cooked meat production division with the acquisition of the premium cooked and roasted meat products producer Kingston.
The digital arts publisher Applied Visual Arts Publishing has been purchased by Bloomsbury. The £1.7m acquisition further develops Bloomsbury’s visual arts programme.
Veolia Environment has agreed to sell its UK regulated water businesses to Rift Acquisitions, an acquisition vehicle formed by Infracapital Partners and Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners, for £1.2bn. The deal includes Veolia Water Central, East and Southeast.
The transfer embaro imposed on League Two football side Wycombe Wanderers has been lifted following a takeover led by a supporters trust. Ownership of Adams Park and its training ground is included in the deal.
The law firms Herbert Smith and Freehills have agreed to merge. The new firm, which will be known as Herbert Smith Freehills and will be the eighth-largest law firm in the world, will launch in October 2012.
Spectrum Interactive, a provider of Wi-Fi services to airports, hotels and retail real estate sites, has been bought by Arqiva for £25.4m. Arqiva intends to use the acquisition to gain access to a rapidly growing industry, with the number of global Wi-Fi hotspots expected to quadruple by 2015.
The private equity firm Bowman Capital has acquired CARE Fertility, the UK’s largest fertility clinic.
Serco has sold its nuclear technical services business to AMEC for £137m. The acquisition is part of AMEC’s long term strategy for expansion into the clean energy market.
WB The Creative Jewellery Group, the parent company of the Domino, Weston Beamor and Advalorem brands, has purchased Gecko Jewellery. The resulting company, with 160 staff and a combined turnover of £32m, will be one of the largest jewellery companies in the UK.
The motion and control technology specialist Parker Hannifin has bought the Olaer Group. The purchase adds cooling technologies to Parker’s range of products and increases its presence in the European market.
Walgreens, one of the largest drug store chains in the USA, has purchased a 45% stake in Alliance Boots, owner of the pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer Boots in the UK. The deal, which creates world's largest pharmacy chain, is worth £4.3bn and gives Walgreens the option to purchase the remaining 55% by 2015.
Brit Group has agreed to sell Brit Insurance Limited to RiverStone, a subsidiary of Canadian insurance company Fairfax Financial Holdings.
Psion, the durable mobile computer manufacturer, has been purchased by Motorola Solutions for £129m. The deal enables Motorola to add rugged mobile devices to its range of products.
The Japanese company Mizkan, one of the world’s leading vinegar manufacturers, has acquired the Sarson’s, Haywards and Dufrais brands from Premier Foods. The £41m deal includes the associated private label business and the Middleton site. Premier Foods will use the proceeds of the sale to pay down debt.
The Swedish shop fitting specialist ITAB has strengthened its position in the UK market with the purchase of Maxted Holding Group and its subsidiary company, Europa.
Gateway, a specialist supplier of electronic document management services to the NHS, has been purchased by Civica.
Tesco has moved to strengthen its online operations with the £10.8m acquisition of digital music service WE7, in a deal which gives Tesco a 91% stake in the company.
The London Metal Exchange (LME), which operates the world’s leading trading market for non-ferrous metals, has been purchased by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited for £1.4bn. Martin Abbott, the chief executive of LME, believes the deal “will secure the future of the LME for its next 135 years”.
Accumuli, which specialises in providing innovative voice, data and converged infrastructure services, has purchased Edge7 in a deal which could be worth up to £3.8m. Edge7, established in 2011, sells security information event management consultancy services and hardware to both the public and private sectors.
The private equity firm LDC has backed the management buyout of Metronet, in a deal which will see it invest £11m of equity funding. Established in 2003, Metronet provides business critical data infrastructure to over 500 companies, including Laing O’Rourke and Grant Thornton.
The oil and gas exploration and production company Cairn Energy is to buy Nautical Petroleum for £414m. The acquisition strengthens Cairn’s North-West Europe portfolio.
The business application software provider Infor has purchased Easy RMS, which specialises in developing revenue management software for the hospitality industry.
The Canadian professional services firm GENIVAR is to merge with WSP Group, in a deal which values the management and consultancy services provider at £278m. The combined group will trade as WSP GENIVAR.
Sainsbury's has acquired a 64% stake in the online ebook retailer Anobii from HMV. The deal is part of Sainsbury’s move into the online digital marketplace and follows the launch of its music download service earlier this year.
Serco has bought Vertex Data Science’s public sector division for £55.5m. Vertex Public Sector will be integrated into Serco’s recently established global services division.
The digital marketing agency Lakestar Media has been purchased by McCann Worldgroup.
The law firms DWF and Biggart Baillie are to merge. Biggart Baillie’s offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow give DWF a UK-wide presence.
The thermal insulation manufacturer Celotex has agreed to be taken over by Saint-Gobain. The deal enables Saint-Gobain to offer a greater range of insulation products.
Following a failure to agree a Company Voluntary Arrangement with HMRC, Glasgow Rangers Football Club is to be liquidated. A consortium led by businessman Charles Green will buy the remaining business and assets for £5.5m and form a new company. Rangers will not be allowed to compete in European competition for the next three seasons and will require permission from the Scottish Premier League to be allowed to play in Scotland’s top division next season.
Clinton Cards, the UK's largest specialist retailer of greetings cards, has been bought out of administration by American Greetings Corporation. The deal safeguards the future of 397 stores and approximately 4,500 jobs.
Chemring’s maritime division has been purchased by Drew Marine for £32m. The business, which will be renamed Drew Marine Signal and Safety, is the world’s leading supplier of marine distress signals.
Deramores, the UK's leading online retailer of knitting supplies which was established in 2010, has been acquired by Ideal Shopping Direct. The deal is the latest part of Ideal’s strategy to improve multi-channel reach by purchasing niche hobby e-commerce businesses.
CareFusion has expanded into the UK market with the acquisition of UK Medical Limited, a supplier of products to the NHS.
Burnbank Systems, a supplier of IT systems to the UK healthcare industry, has been purchased by the American IT and medical technology company Sectra. Burnbank will be integrated into Sectra’s medical systems business division.
Synergy Health is to buy SRI/Surgical Express, a provider of management services to hospitals in the United States. Synergy is aiming to use the deal to improve its range of reusable surgical linens and instrument reprocessing services.
MoneySavingExpert.com, the personal finance website run by the journalist Martin Lewis, has been acquired by MoneySupermarket.com for £87m. MoneySupermarket.com hopes the deal will enhance its brand, user content and direct-to-site revenues.
A management buyout led by Lord Bell has seen Chime Communications sell some of its PR businesses for £19.6m. A holding company, BPP Communications Limited, has been set up and it has acquired Bell Pottinger Public Relations, Pelham Bell Pottinger, Bell Pottinger Public Affairs, Bell Pottinger Sans Frontières and Bell Pottinger Middle East.
Logica has agreed a £1.7bn deal which will see it taken over by CGI Europe. The deal will increase CGI’s global presence and improve its service delivery.
The international insurance group Hyperion has purchased Windsor, a provider of insurance and reinsurance broking services to businesses and private individuals.
Coalition Development, which specialises in providing high-end analytics to investment banks, has been acquired by CRISIL for £29m. CRISIL is a provider of high-end research and analytics services.
Bocad, the software developer which has offices in Germany and Belgium, has been purchased by AVEVA. A centre of excellence will be established across these two offices, with the aim of developing new products for the plant, marine and fabrication markets.
Man Group has formed the largest independent non-US based fund of hedge funds with the acquisition of FRM Holdings Limited.
The UK-based technical services provider Capula has been bought for £200m by the Dutch engineering company Royal Imtech. The deal increases Imtech’s presence in the energy, waste water, industrial processing and ICT markets.
The UK’s number one dairy processor, Milk Link, has agreed to merge with Arla Foods, owner of the brands Anchor, Cravendale, Lurpak and Castello. The deal creates a business which will process over three billion litres of milk annually and have a combined turnover of £2 billion.
The event management company Oxford International has been taken over by MCI. The acquisition gives MCI an established office in the UK and enables Oxford International to expand its existing client base by improving its global service reach.
Capita Group, the business process outsourcing specialist, has bought the medical screening services provider Medicals Direct. The £13.2m deal will see Capita move into the home screenings market.
United Telehealth, one of the largest telehealth companies in UK, has been purchased by the cloud services provider InTechnology.
The computer software developer Quark has acquired the cloud-based digital publishing platform Mobile IQ.
The Russian investment group Thames Sports has purchased a 51% stake in Reading Football Club, which earlier this month won promotion to the Premier League.
The German wholesaler Metro Group has agreed to sell Makro UK to Booker Group. The deal, which values Makro at £139.7m, confirms Booker’s position as the leading food wholesaler in the UK.
The sports content company Perform has acquired the real-time sports data provider RunningBall. The deal, worth £95m, will see real-time data combined with editorial and video content across Perform’s existing platforms, such as Goal.com.
Certiport, a leading provider of foundation-level certification programmes for Microsoft, Adobe and HP, has been purchased by Pearson for £88m. The acquisition supports Pearson’s expansion into markets in Asia and the Middle East.
Yell Group, the international directories company best known for the Yellow Pages, has acquired the website design company Moonfruit for £18m.
Pharmore, which specialises in supplying housewares to large retailers, has bought Mirrortech, which supplies retailers with bespoke mirrors containing LED lighting.
The private equity firm Endless has purchased the specialist bathroom retailer Bathstore from Wolseley. As part of the deal Endless has agreed to invest £11m of capital into the retailer, which will be used to develop the store estate and e-commerce section.
The cloud backup IT company Databarracks has acquired SecuriData. Databarracks is now the largest largest provider of managed online backup services in the UK.
A double acquisition has created the UK’s largest automation controls company. Igranic Control Systems and PSJ Fabrications have both been acquired by Autotech. The group of companies is called Automated Technology Group and has a combined turnover of around £30m.
CAE, the Canadian provider of modelling, simulation and training services for the civil aviation and defence industries, has acquired Oxford Aviation Academy for £200m. The deal increases the number of civil aviation training centres CAE runs by seven to 42.
Gala Coral Group has agreed a £205m deal to sell Gala Casinos to Rank. The acquisition includes 23 casinos in the UK, but excludes Gala Coral Group’s casinos in Dundee and Gibraltar.
bmi Regional, which operates a fleet of 18 Embraer regional jets on scheduled services throughout the UK and Northern Europe, has been sold by International Airlines Group to a consortium led by businessman Ian Woodley.
The Indian digital marketing company Ybrand Digital has agreed to buy PriceGrabber from Experian. PriceGrabber is a price comparison service used by leading websites such as Yahoo! and MSN shopping.
Aquascutum, the 160-year-old UK-based luxury clothing manufacturer and retailer, has been bought of administration by Hong Kong-based company YGM Trading. Aquascutum operates three high street stores at Westfield (White City), Canary Wharf and in Windsor, with further concessions in Austin Reed, Selfridges, Harrods, House of Fraser, John Lewis and at Hoopers in Tunbridge Wells, as well as seven outlet stores, and eleven international concessions.
Cinesite, one of the world’s leading digital visual effects houses, has been acquired by the private equity firm Endless. Cinesite plans to use the resulting resources and stability to expand into new territories around the world.
The property website Zoopla.co.uk has purchased UpMyStreet.com. The deal increases Zoopla’s audience and reach.
The energy procurement and sustainability services company M&C Energy Group has been acquired by the French energy company Schneider Electric. The deal gives Schneider access to new clients in Asia and Australia.
The computer software developer Kewill has been acquired by the private equity firm Bidco for £89.5m. The deal will see Kewill delist from the stock market, a move it hopes will give it greater financial and operational flexibility.
Petermann Partners, the fifth-largest provider of student transportation services in the USA, has been purchased by National Express for £126m, a deal which increases its US fleet size by 20%.
The private equity firm Terra Firma has bought the UK’s largest independent elderly and specialist care provider Four Seasons Health Care for £825m.
Top Right Group, the media group previously known as Emap International, has sold CAP to the private equity firm Montagu Private Equity. CAP is a provider of vehicle data to the automotive industry.
The breakfast cereal company Weetabix, owner of a portfolio of household name brands including Weetabix, Alpen, Weetos and Ready Brek, has been purchased by the State-owned Chinese food company Bright Food. The deal, which values Weetabix at £1.2bn, will see the private equity firm Lion Capital retain a 40% share in the company.
The international risk management company DNV has purchased Two Tomorrows Group, one of the biggest sustainability agencies in the UK.
The remuneration advisory firm Patterson Associates has been acquired by Pearl Meyer & Partners. The deal means Pearl Meyer is the only American compensation consultancy to have a UK practice.
The private equity firm Montagu has acquired the College of Law. The deal sees the college’s legal education and training business separated from its on-going charitable activities, which will be renamed as The Legal Education Foundation.
Turpins Packaging, which specialises in the design and manufacture of shrink sleeve packaging, has been purchased by the US-based packaging company Accraply, which will use the deal to increase its presence in the European market.
Vodafone has agreed a £1bn deal to take over Cable & Wireless Worldwide. The deal strengthens Vodafone’s business offering in the UK and internationally.
The accounting software provider Access UK, which is owned by the private equity firm Lyceum Capital, has increased its annual support contracts base by £1m with the acquisition of DHC Finance.
The IT infrastructure outsourcing specialist eLINIA, established in 2004, has been purchased by the IT company Adapt. The acquisition gives Adapt access to data centre facilities in Cardiff, Newport and Slough.
The private equity firm LDC has sold Cranswick Pet Products to Westland Horticulture for £18m. Westland is one of the UK's leading suppliers of horticulture products.
Global Infrastructure Partners, owner of Gatwick Airport and London City Airport, has agreed to buy Edinburgh Airport from BAA for £807.2m. BAA was ordered by the Competition Authorities in 2009 to sell three airports, in order to create greater competition.
AstraZeneca is to acquire Ardea Biosciences for £781m. Ardea is currently developing next-generation gout treatments.
Fillmybelly.com, the UK’s third biggest provider of online takeaway, has been taken over by Just-Eat, the world’s largest online takeaway ordering service. The deal means Just-Eat is now partnered with over 11,000 restaurants in the UK.
Dechra Pharmaceuticals has acquired the veterinary pharmaceuticals company Eurovet Animal Health, which has offices in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Denmark and the UK. The deal, worth £112m, increases Dechra’s European presence, expands its product portfolio and strengthens its management team.
The global specialty chemicals and materials company Cytec has agreed to take over Umeco for £274m. Umeco specialises in providing distribution and supply chain outsourcing services to customers in the aerospace and defence markets.
The private equity firm NVM has backed the £8.3m management buyout of Volumatic from Halma.
The rigid plastic packaging Cope Allman Jaycare (CAJ) has been purchased by the Swedish company Nolato. CAJ will become part of Nolato’s medical business area.
The private equity firm Better Capital has acquired the high-end fashion brand and retailer Jaeger.
The Chinese luxury menswear company Trinity has acquired the world famous Savile Row tailor Gieves & Hawkes in a deal which eventually will be worth £60m. The Chinese market is the one of the world’s fastest growing for luxury goods.
Marine Technology Systems, which develops non-combustible composite for the marine industry, has been purchased by the American engineering systems company PaR Systems, in a deal which enables PaR to develop its business in the European market.
The UK’s biggest steel service centre for the automotive industry, Steel & Alloy, has been taken over by the Spanish steel company Gonvarri Steel Services. The deal establishes Gonvarri as a leading multinational company in the steel industry.
The French construction firm Bouygues Bâtiment International has agreed to acquire the Midlands-based construction company Thomas Vale Group. Bouygues already has subsidiaries in London, the South East, South West and Wales.
Yorktel, one of North America’s largest video conferencing service providers, has purchased First Connections.
Worldwide Group Holdings, which specialises in audio-conferencing, has been taken over by Daisy Group, which views Worldwide’s audio-conferencing service as a new source of revenue.
The private investment firm OpCapita, owner of the electrical retailer Comet, has bought videogames retailer Game out of administration. The deal means all remaining 333 UK stores will stay open and the future of up to 3,200 Game employees has been safeguarded.
The thermal processing services provider Bodycote has increased the size of its US operation with the purchase of the heat treatment business Curtiss-Wright Corporation for £32m. The deal will increase the number of sites Bodycote has in the US from 35 up to 44.
Eveden Group, a leading supplier of fuller bust and full figure lingerie and swimwear brands, has been sold by the private equity firm LDC to the Japanese lingerie manufacturer Wacoal. The deal, worth £148m, will see the Eveden brand be marketed on a global scale.
The law firms DWF and Buller Jeffries have merged.
The specialist savings and lending bank Shawbrook has extended its secured lending offer to small and medium size enterprises with the acquisition of Singers Asset Finance.
The private equity firm LDC has supported the management buyout of the maintenance, repair and overhaul services company Airline Services.
Equistone Partners Europe, the investment firm formerly known as Barclays Private Equity, has backed a management buyout at the luxury travel firm Audley Travel.
Energist Group, which specialises in hair removal technology, has been taken over by the private equity firm WestBridge Capital. Established in 1999, Energist is headquartered in Swansea with additional offices in Denmark, the USA and Germany.
Misys has agreed to be acquired by the private equity firm Vista Equity Partners. The deal, worth £1.3bn, enables Vista to further establish its interests in the financial services software industry. Misys will work closely with the risk management software company Turaz, which is also owned by Vista.
Europe’s largest animal feed company has been formed with the takeover of BOCM PAULS by the Dutch company ForFarmers Group for £71m. The combined feed sales of the two companies total 8.8m tonnes.
The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is to acquire a 60% stake in the clearing house LCH.Clearnet. The deal, worth £386m, enables LSE to drive growth through a range of enhanced brands, products and services.
The US investment firm Riverstone Holdings has sold Seajacks International to Marubeni Corporation and Innovation Network Corporation of Japan. Seajacks specialises in providing services to the wind turbine industry.
UTV Media has purchased the social media agency Simply Zesty for £5m. Simply Zesty will be integrated into UTV’s new media division.
The Australian food testing company Campbell Brothers has moved into the UK market with the acquisition of Eclipse Scientific Group and Advanced Micro Services, which will both be integrated into ALS Group.
The investment company Investcorp has purchased GL Education Group, a provider of school assessment services for primary and secondary schools.
The marine survey and environmental consultancy EMU has been bought by the American industry service provider Fugro.
The American oil company American Energy Development has acquired Reservoir Resources, owner of the Windsor Prospect License located in the United Kingdom's Weald Basin, for £8m. The Windsor Prospect holds an estimated 615 million barrels of oil.
A management buyout has seen a team of investors, led by chief executive Malcolm Walker, acquire the retailer Iceland from the liquidators of the Icelandic investors Landsbanki and Glitnir. The deal, worth £1.45bn, will see the existing management team own 43% with three new equity co-investors owning the other 57%.
The property services company Peverel has been bought out of administration by the private equity firms Chamonix and Electra Partners. The deal includes the business and assets of Peverel and all its operating subsidiaries.
Lupus Capital has sold Gall Thomson Environmental to Copper Bidco, a company set up by private equity firm Phoenix Equity Partners. The deal, worth £75m, allows Lupus to focus on its door and window components manufacturing operations.
The luxury vinyl flooring products manufacturer Amtico International has been purchased by Mannington Mills. The purchase expands Mannington’s reach into the European market.
A management buyout led by experienced businessman Shirin Gandhi has seen Stagecoach Theatre Arts taken over in a deal worth £6.5m.
The global marketing performance measurement company Ebiquity has bought the media consulting specialist Fairbrother Lenz Eley.
The tea and coffee company Clipper Teas has been acquired by Wessanen. Clipper, which specialises in organic and fair trade tea, will be integrated by Wessanen into Kallo Foods.
Aerospace Metal Composites (AMC) has been purchased by the American company Materion. AMC will be run by Materion’s beryllium and composites division.
The TV production company World Productions has been acquired by Marcus Evans Group. Other companies in the group include Ipswich Town football club and Ken McReddie Associates, a talent management business.
The accountancy firms Richards Sandy Partnership and Howard Painter are to merge.
The specialist provider of products and services to the homeland security market, Digital Barriers, has acquired ThruVision Systems, a company which specialises in technology that can detect weapons, explosives or smuggled contraband under a person’s clothes.
The software development company Linksfield Technologies has been purchased by Northdoor. The acquisition is the first one made since Northdoor appointed David Ballard chief executive and gives the IT consultancy a greater presence in the financial services and professional services industries.
The investment firm Apposite Capital has sold the home care services company SureCalm to Amcare. SureCalm specialises in providing home care to patients who are managing long term conditions.
The private equity firm NBGI has backed the management buyout of the oil & gas rental services company ATR Group.
The home care provider Enara has acquired three domiciliary care businesses: Freedom Social Care Recruitment, Rise and Shine Care and Croft Community Services.
The document management company Filing Plus has been purchased by EDM Group. The deal gives Wolverhampton-based EDM a sales and consultancy presence in London.
Cisco, one of the world’s largest IT companies, has announced it is to acquire NDS Group in a £3.2bn deal, which is expected to be completed in the second half of 2012. The purchase is part of Cisco’s increased focus on video, with NDS being integrated into the Cisco service provider video technology group.
The biopharmaceutical company Shire has further developed its hematology business with the acquisition of FerroKin BioSciences for £200m.
The American IT company SafeNet has increased the range of authentication and cloud-based services it offers with the purchase of Cryptocard.
The mail, courier and logistics network operator DX Group has bought the logistics company Nightfreight. The combined revenue of the two companies will be approximately £300m.
The Economist Group, owner of The Economist magazine and a range of business information publications, has acquired the marketing agency TVC Group.
A £10.75m deal will see the engineering and technology company Corac Group buy Wellman Defence, a supplier of submarine air purification equipment, and Wellman Hunt Graham, a manufacturer and supplier of shell and tube heat exchangers.
CPA Global, which specialises in intellectual property products and services, has been taken over by the private equity firm Cinven.
The investment management company Liontrust Asset Management has purchased Walker Crips Asset Managers. The deal, worth £12.3m, increases the assets under Liontrust’s management by £604m.
The American drug discovery and development software provider Certara has acquired Simcyp, a developer of a modeling and simulation platform for predicting the effectiveness of drugs.
Hogg Robinson, a provider of corporate travel services, has announced it is to acquire the remaining shares in subsidiary Spendvision, taking its stake to 100%. Spendvision specialises in developing transaction management services.
The law firms Pinsent Masons and McGrigors are to merge. The combined firm will employ over 2500 people and have four offices in the Asia Pacific region, with a further two offices in France and Germany to open in the second half of 2012.
Peacocks has been bought out of administration by high street chain Edinburgh Woollen Mill. The deal includes the Peacocks brand and 388 stores and concessions, securing the future of approximately 6,000 jobs. However, 224 stores are not included in the deal and have closed down, resulting in 3,100 redundancies.
Siemens has increased its stake in tidal power system manufacturer Marine Current Turbines (MCT) from 45% to 90%. The deal will enable the further commercialisation of the energy harvesting technology MCT specialises in.
The cloud voice services provider Zimo Communications has been purchased by the American company j2 Global.
The Japanese money handling machines manufacturer GLORY has acquired Talaris.
The managed hosting and managed cloud provider Ultraspeed has been purchased by Six Degrees Group. The deal will see Ultraspeed integrated into Six Degrees Group’s managed data division.
Abraaj Capital, one of the leading private equity firms in the Middle East, has acquired the UK private equity firm Aureos Capital. The deal gives Abraaj greater scale and total assets of £4.8bn.
The direct marketing services companies Anglia Mailing Services and Precision Marketing Group have merged.
The B2B marketing services providers 360 Business Marketing and Cyance have merged. The newly combined business will be able to offer a full range of multi-channel marketing services.
The Australian law firm Slater & Gordon has made its first overseas acquisition with the purchase of Russell Jones & Walker.
Royal Bank of Scotland has agreed to sell the corporate broker Hoare Govett to the American investment banking firm Jefferies.
The acquired company will be known as Jefferies Hoare Govett.
The members of the environmental compliance scheme provider Valpak have voted for a management buyout of the business to go ahead. The deal will see the mutual transition to a limited liability company and give the management team a 70% stake.
Weir Group has purchased the US manufacturer of well service pump valves and valve seats Novatech. The deal, worth £113m, enables Weir to offer a range of products in the frac consumables and upstream oil and gas markets.
Silverbeck Rymer, one of the UK's top five legal services firms, has agreed to be taken over by the brand extension company Quindell Portfolio, in a deal which values the law firm at £19m.
The clothing retailer Bonmarche has been bought out of administration by private equity firm Sun European Partners. The acquisition involves 389 stores and the company’s headquarters.
The Centre for Integrated Photonics (CIP), one of the world’s leading research laboratories, has been acquired by the Chinese ICT services provider Huawei. The deal gives Huawei access to CIP’s research into fibre optic transmission.
The private equity firm Inflexion has sold the insurance provider Fish to Capita Group for £21m. Capita will use the purchase to increase growth in the motor, travel, independent living and carer insurance markets.
The greaseproof paper manufacturer Lovely Packaging has been purchased by the baking case manufacturer Chevler. Lovely Packaging will be renamed Chevler Cardiff as part of the deal.
Rio Tinto, one of the world’s biggest mining companies, has increased its stake in Ivanhoe Mines to 51%. The deal goes through as Ivanhoe proceeds with development of the Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia, site of the world's largest undeveloped copper-gold project.
STT Condigi has been acquired by the telehealth provider Tunstall Healthcare. STT supplies a range of technology and services to care homes across the Nordic region.
The information management services provider SDL has increased the range of campaign management and social media services it offers with the purchase of Alterian for £70m.
GHK Holdings has agreed to be bought by ICF International. GHK, established in 1973, is a multi-disciplinary consultancy, and the deal gives ICF a strong presence in Europe.
One of the world’s largest providers of industrial gearing products and support services, David Brown, has expanded further into the North American market with the acquisition of the Canadian industrial gear manufacturer Unigear Industries, which will trade under the name Unigear – a David Brown Company.
HIT Entertainment, the owner of well known brands such as Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder and Fireman Sam, has been purchased by the toy manufacturer Mattel for £430m.
The American company InnoCentive has bought OmniCompete, which runs international competitions such as the Global Security Challenge.
Royal Bank of Scotland has sold its aircraft leasing business to Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation for £4.7bn.
The engineering company Langley Holdings has acquired manroland’s sheet fed printing equipment division and its production facilities, as well as an international marketing organisation in more than 40 countries.
The optical system design software distributor Optima Research has been purchased by the American company Radiant Zemax.
One of the world’s leading providers of semiconductor services and products, Mindspeed Technologies, has acquired Picochip. The deal gives Mindspeed a greater range of products to offer as it prepares for the introduction of 4G into the mobile broadband communications market.
Two of the world’s largest mining companies, Xstrata and Glencore, are to merge. Current Xstrata chief executive Mick Davis is to lead Glencore Xstrata International plc, with current Glencore chief executive Ivan Glasenberg becoming the group’s deputy CEO.
The Irish payment processing provider Integral Computers has been acquired by Sage for £16.7m. The deal enables Sage to offer a broad range of multi-channel payment services.
The language services provider Applied Language Solutions has been acquired by Capita for £7.5m. The deal gives Capita greater access to the language services market.
The law firm Rowlands Field Cunningham has been bought out of administration by Linder Myers. The deal is expected to boost Linder Myers’ annual turnover by £5.4m to 16m.
The Indian commercial vehicle manufacturer Ashok Leyland has increased its stake in bus maker Optare to 75%.
The computer software provider Proqui has been taken over by Ideagen. The acquisition gives Ideagen access to highly regulated markets such as aerospace & defence, healthcare, energy and manufacturing.
Travis Perkins has purchased the remaining 70% of shares it did not already own in Toolstation. The deal, which values the company at £42m, will see Toolstation be integrated into Travis Perkins’ consumer division, which includes Wickes and Tile Giant.
The milk processing and distribution company Robert Wiseman has been acquired by the German dairy company Muller. The deal, worth £280m, gives Muller increased access to the UK market, where Robert Wiseman is responsible for 30% of the fresh milk consumed every day.
A £1.4bn deal has seen DS Smith purchase the corrugated containers manufacturer SCA Packaging. The acquisition will increase DS Smith’s presence across continental Europe.
The forecourt operator Motor Fuel Group (MFG) has been acquired by a consortium led by experienced businessman Alasdair Locke and backed by the investment firm Patron Capital. A new management team, led by chief executive William Bannister, has taken over at the company, which runs 58 petrol stations across the UK.
Alshaya, one of the largest retailers in the Middle East, has bought the lingerie retailer La Senza out of administration. As part of the deal 60 stores across the UK will be retained, with Alshaya aiming to invest £100m in new product collections and store redesigns over the next two years.
A £20m deal has seen the sports and casual wear retailer JD Sports purchase Blacks Leisure Group.
David Sands Ltd, which runs 28 food stores in Fife, Kinross and Perthshire, has agreed to be acquired by The Co-operative Group, which is the 4th largest food retailer in Scotland with 370 stores.
The shoe retailer Barratts Priceless has been bought out of administration by its existing management team in a deal which includes 89 stores.
The ethical fashion label and online retailer Frank & Faith has been purchased by Spark Etail.
The publishing company Dods has acquired the political intelligence and parliamentary monitoring firm DeHavilland from Emap. The deal, worth £12.8m, is part of a long term strategy to refocus on political information publishing.
Energos Holdings, which specialises in recovering energy from waste materials, has purchased BioGen Power.
A £4.5m deal has seen the employee ownership specialist Baxi Partnership purchase Camco Advisory Services, in a deal which means the number of people employed by Baxi has increased from 9 to 90 in the last twelve months.
A £75m deal has seen the computer security firm Symantec has acquire the cloud-based service provider LiveOffice. The acquisition will allow Symantec to extend its compliance services to the cloud platform.
The online accommodation websites pureholidayhomes.com and @Leisure-Group have merged. @Leisure-Group is one of Europe’s largest providers of accommodation rentals, offering more than 300,000 holiday properties in more than 30 countries across the continent.
The desktop virtualisation software provider DeskStream, headquartered in the USA, has purchased the Belfast-based WorldDesk, which specialises in cloud computing software.
The cyber security consultancy 7Safe has been bought by PA Consulting Group, allowing PA to offer a complete range of cyber security services.
Aldersgate, the investment vehicle run by billionaire businessmen David and Simon Reuben, has acquired Arena Leisure for £167m. Arena runs seven racecourses in the UK, including Lingfield Park, Doncaster and Royal Windsor.