Mergers & Acquisitions 2003 - Company News Summary

Northern Venture Managers, the Newcastle-based venture capital fund manager, has undergone a £3m management buy-out from Aberdeen Asset Management.
31-Dec-2003

Archant has acquired a further 15 weekly newspapers in London and Kent from Independent News & Media for up to £10m.
31-Dec-2003

Freshbake Foods is to acquire a factory on the Oakesway Trading Estate in Hartlepool from the receivers of Hibernia Foods, securing the future of 380 jobs.
31-Dec-2003

Invest NI has assisted negotiations for a £4m management buy-out at Carpets International, which will involve the creation of 116 jobs in County Down and the purchase of its Donaghadee and Killinchy factories by a property consortium.
30-Dec-2003

Elektron has acquired Arcolectric, the Surrey-based manufacturer of electromechanical components with 170 staff, out of receivership.
30-Dec-2003

Wilmington Group has acquired Agence de Presse Medicale International, the French provider of a health information service, from Reuters for £5.3m.
30-Dec-2003

Celsius First, the cold storage company with sites in Coleshill and Stratford, has undergone a management buy-out backed by Oregon Capital Partners.
30-Dec-2003

HS Atec, the supplier of commercial vehicle parts with annual turnover of £8m, has undergone a management buy-out from Clugston for undisclosed terms, and is planning to open four new depots in the Midlands.
30-Dec-2003

BemroseBooth, the ticket printer with 850 staff at sites in Derby, Hull and Teesside, has been acquired by Appleton of the US for £34m.
30-Dec-2003

Chrysalis and Eckoh Technologies have sold their Rivals Digital Media internet business to UKbetting for £2m.
30-Dec-2003

Murray Financial has acquired The Front Room, the chain of seven bars in London and the south, out of receivership for £1.5m.
30-Dec-2003

Emap has acquired Print D'Or, the French jewellery trade fair, for £1m.
29-Dec-2003

Whitbread is to acquire Cannons Health & Fitness BV, the operator of five fitness clubs in the Netherlands, for £22m, in order to expand its David Lloyd Leisure business.
24-Dec-2003

William Ransom is to acquire the natural healthcare brands portfolio of J Pickles of Harrogate for £0.6m, but Pickles will continue to manufacture the products under a long-term supply agreement.
24-Dec-2003

Milk Link, the farmer-owned dairy co-operative, has acquired Newlands Farm, the Liskeard-based producer of the Cornish Dairy brand, for undisclosed terms.
24-Dec-2003

Lubrizol is to acquire Avecia Additives, the Manchester-based manufacturer of colour additives with 110 staff, for undisclosed terms.
24-Dec-2003

Northern Foods is to sell its Batchelors and Beck Smith canned food operations in Ireland to Barry's Tea for £67m.
24-Dec-2003

Sage is to acquire ACCPAC, the US supplier of accounting and customer relationship management software, for £62m.
24-Dec-2003

LGC, the forensic sciences group with about 700 staff, is to be sold by 3i to Legal & General Ventures for £70m.
24-Dec-2003

AWG is to sell its Powermarque vehicle leasing business to Venson Holdings for £34m.
24-Dec-2003

Milestone Group is to sell its Time FM and Fusion 107.3 FM radio stations in London to Sunrise Radio for £1.2m.
23-Dec-2003

Tarsus Group is to sell its French magazines division to Action Commerciale for a nominal sum.
23-Dec-2003

Anite Group is to sell Anite Benelux, its Dutch IT consultancy business, to a local software company for £1m.
23-Dec-2003

Cyberes is to acquire Corporate Travel Holdings, the business travel agency, for £2m.
23-Dec-2003

Bombardier has bought Chapman Transport Seating, which employs about 150 people in Derby, Surrey and South Wales, out of administration.
23-Dec-2003

API Group has sold Learoyd Packaging, the Burnley-based food packaging manufacturer, to a management buy-out, as part of a strategy to focus on coatings.
23-Dec-2003

Brammer is to sell its calibration and equipment management services business in continental Europe to Air Liquide for £22m.
23-Dec-2003

Kewill Systems is to acquire TradePoint Systems, the supplier of trade facilitation software with 83 staff in the US and 15 in the UK, for an initial £7m.
23-Dec-2003

BT is to acquire the UK operations of NSB Retail Systems for £17m, which will involve the transfer of 148 staff to a new division called BT Expedite.
22-Dec-2003

Giardino, the cafe and restaurants group, is to undergo a £16m management buy-out.
22-Dec-2003

Seymour Pierce is to withdraw from fund management with the termination of a contract between its Pavillion division and MGM Assurance.
22-Dec-2003

Abbey National has sold Royal Saint Georges, its French mortgage business with 66 staff, to General Electric for £39m.
22-Dec-2003

Blick, the Swindon-based supplier of security systems, has accepted a £95m takeover offer from The Stanley Works.
22-Dec-2003

Xansa is to sell its IT services business in Belgium and the Netherlands to Ewycksgroep for a nominal sum.
22-Dec-2003

Clapham House has acquired The Real Greek Food Company, the operator of three London restaurants, for up to £9m, and the business is expected to be expanded to 16 sites over the next three years.
22-Dec-2003

Wilkin & Sons of Tiptree has acquired Passionately Cakes, the Essex-based cake manufacturer.
22-Dec-2003

Associated British Foods has acquired G Costa, the speciality food company and owner of the Blue Dragon brand, for undisclosed terms.
22-Dec-2003

United Business Media has acquired Eurisko, the Italian market research company, for £23m.
19-Dec-2003

British Gypsum has sold its industrial paper sack manufacturing operations in Aberdeen and Bangor to Frantschach Industrial Packaging and Clondalkin respectively for undisclosed terms.
19-Dec-2003

Filtronic is to sell parts of its US-based electronic warfare business to Teledyne for £7m.
18-Dec-2003

ComputerLand UK is to acquire the hardware maintenance business of Information Technology Solutions for £1.7m.
18-Dec-2003

Johnson Service has acquired Jongor North, the catering equipment hire company, for £2.4m.
18-Dec-2003

Intertek has acquired Amtac Certification Services, the Manchester-based provider of quality and management systems audits and certification services to medical device manufacturers, for £1.4m.
18-Dec-2003

Davis Service is to sell its HSS tool hire business to a management buy-in backed by 3i for £145m.
17-Dec-2003

Rathbones has acquired three investment management companies - Astonlake, Dalenorth and Trendon - for a total £0.8m.
17-Dec-2003

Berkeley Burke has acquired Macartney & Dowie, the Romford-based insurance broker with eight staff, for undisclosed terms.
17-Dec-2003

Morrisons has announced a £3bn agreed takeover offer for Safeway, which will create a nationwide chain of 552 supermarkets and lead to the closure of Safeway's head office in Hayes with the loss of about 1,200 jobs.
16-Dec-2003

Chime Communications has acquired TTA Public Relations, the property marketing company, for an initial £0.6m.
16-Dec-2003

Dicom Group has acquired Perdata, the Spanish provider of electronic document capture services, for £0.5m.
16-Dec-2003

Cytomyx Holdings is to raise £2m in a share placing to help fund the acquisition of Clinomics Biosciences of the US.
16-Dec-2003

Netstore has acquired the UK-based IT solutions business of EMS Global Holdings of New Zealand, for an initial £0.25m.
16-Dec-2003

KPMG has sold the Loks Plasma stainless steel profiling division of Vernon Stainless out of administration to Metals UK Group of Bolton, securing 35 jobs.
16-Dec-2003

Isoclad, the North Shields-based manufacturer of panels for the refrigeration and other industries, has been bought out of receivership by a management team backed by One NorthEast, securing 23 jobs.
16-Dec-2003

Peter Black Healthcare, the Swadlincote-based manufacturer of vitamin supplements and herbal remedies with 240 staff, has been acquired by Perrigo of the US for undisclosed terms.
16-Dec-2003

Anglian Water is to sell its PURAC process engineering business in Sweden to Lackeby Water for a nominal sum.
15-Dec-2003

Soccer City, the operator of a five-a-side football centre in Fareham, has been acquired by Taskcatch for £0.7m.
15-Dec-2003

Offshore Telecom has acquired Intrinsic Networks, the provider of network and application security solutions, for up to £2m.
15-Dec-2003

Systems Integrated Research has acquired Packpress, the holding company of Surrey-based Linetex Computers, for £5.3m.
15-Dec-2003

Sondex has acquired Computer Sonics Systems, the Canadian manufacturer of wireline logging equipment for the oil industry, for £1.6m.
15-Dec-2003

MacLellan Group has acquired Attlaw Security & Protection for an initial £5m.
15-Dec-2003

Hill Dickinson and Bullivant Jones are to merge, creating a combined Merseyside-based law firm with 112 partners and 675 staff.
15-Dec-2003

Lehman Brothers of the US is to acquire Preferred Mortgages, the provider of home loans to borrowers with poor credit ratings, from Barclays Private Equity and Rotch Group.
15-Dec-2003

Julian Graves, the chain of 200 snack stores, has been acquired by Baugur of Iceland for £14m, and there are plans to expand the chain by about 50%.
15-Dec-2003

YooMedia is to acquire GoPlay TV, the interactive games channel, from Sony Pictures Entertainment for £6.4m.
15-Dec-2003

Yorkshire Cottage Bakeries has acquired Bakebest, the Manchester-based bakery with 100 staff, for undisclosed terms.
15-Dec-2003

Cobham has sold Westwind Air Bearings Group, the Poole-based supplier of air bearing spindles with 350 staff, to GSI Lumonics for £21m.
12-Dec-2003

Independent News & Media is to sell its London regional newspaper operations, including 12 titles, to Archant for £62m.
12-Dec-2003

Travelex is to acquire Camrail, the Belgian foreign exchange and money transfer company, for £2.5m.
12-Dec-2003

Smiles Brewery has undergone a £1.1m management buy-in backed by Close Venture Management, which is expected to lead to the development of a new brewery at an undisclosed location in Bristol.
12-Dec-2003

United Central Bakeries has acquired Fords the Bakers, the Scottish retail baker with 150 staff at Prestonpans, from Lyndale Foods for £2m.
12-Dec-2003

Devon County Council has sold Devon Waste Management, the Exeter-based waste disposal operation with 64 staff, to a team of managers and Viridor for £7.5m.
12-Dec-2003

Elequip, the Leicestershire-based manufacturer of electrical control products, has been bought out of receivership by Allenwest Integrated Solutions of Brighton, securing the future of 100 jobs.
12-Dec-2003

Perivan White Dove, the Essex-based catalogue printer, has been bought out of administration by former staff for undisclosed terms, securing the future of 30 jobs.
12-Dec-2003

Northgate Information Solutions is to acquire Rebus, the payroll software company, for £150m.
11-Dec-2003

Londis, the convenience store chain owned by 1,956 individual store owners, has received a £40m takeover approach from Musgrave of Ireland.
11-Dec-2003

Johnson Service has acquired Alex Reid, the distributor of packaging and consumables to the clothes care market, for £4.3m.
11-Dec-2003

Gilbertson & Page has sold Wear Valley Aerosols, the Bishop Auckland-based manufacturer of environmentally-friendly spray cans, to a management buy-out.
11-Dec-2003

Hareclive Vehicle Rental, the Bristol-based car hire company with 20 staff and 320 vehicles, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms.
11-Dec-2003

Dixons Group has sold its Codic International European property development business to a group of Belgian investors for £23m.
10-Dec-2003

Tellings Golden Miller has acquired the remaining 63% of Burtons Coaches, the East Anglia-based bus and coach operator with 42 vehicles.
10-Dec-2003

RPS Group has acquired Woods Warren, the Milton Keynes-based provider of infrastructure advice with 49 staff, for up to £2.9m.
10-Dec-2003

Systems Union Group has acquired Foundation Systems, the business software supplier with 50 staff, for £2.5m.
09-Dec-2003

Vitec is to sell ALU, the manufacturer of retail fixture systems, to Manfrotto of Italy for £12m.
09-Dec-2003

Winstanley & Co, the Pershore-based engineering company with 64 staff, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms.
09-Dec-2003

Staffing Ventures is to acquire Parys Snowdon Payroll Services, which has 165 staff at offices in Bangor, Glasgow, Leicester, Norwich and Oxford, in a £5m reverse takeover.
08-Dec-2003

Satterthwaite Brooks & Pomfret has merged with Bridgegate Corporate Finance, creating a combined accountancy firm with nine partners and 40 staff at offices in Bootle and Liverpool.
08-Dec-2003

M&S Motorcycles has expanded its Newcastle-based motorcycle dealership with the £1.7m acquisition of Ken's Motorcycles, creating a chain of three sites with 65 staff.
08-Dec-2003

Hogg Robinson is to acquire the business travel business of Kuoni of Switzerland for undisclosed terms.
08-Dec-2003

Comeleon is to acquire Tanfield Holdings, the Durham-based provider of manufacturing solutions with 178 staff, for £4.7m.
05-Dec-2003

Hawtin is to sell Spaform, the Portsmouth-based manufacturer of spa baths with 142 staff, to GW 745 for £4m.
05-Dec-2003

TT Electronics has acquired Optek Technology, the US-based sensor manufacturer, from The Dyson-Kissner-Moran Corporation for £30m.
05-Dec-2003

Center Parcs, the holiday village operator with 4,000 staff, has been sold by private equity firm MidOcean to a newly-created company called Arbor for £285m, and the business will be floated on Aim.
05-Dec-2003

Ciro Citterio's administrators have agreed a rescue deal with the company's directors, securing the future of more than 60 of its 100 menswear shops.
04-Dec-2003

Lastminute.com has acquired Med Hotels, the Woking-based hotel consolidator and package holiday reseller with 117 staff, for £16m.
04-Dec-2003

Angel Springs Holdings has been formed from the merger of the watercooler operations of Chiltern Hills, Angel Springs and SPA, and the new group will have 150 staff and receive a £10m investment from 3i.
04-Dec-2003

Bibby Financial Services has acquired Abbey National's factoring business, which will involve the transfer of £32m worth of assets controlled from sites in Leeds and Poole.
04-Dec-2003

AEA Technology has sold its Nuclear Science operation, which employs 153 people at Windscale and 15 at Harwell, to British Nuclear Fuels for £9.7m.
03-Dec-2003

Galen Holdings has sold its Pharmaceutical Development and Manufacturing Services business to the company's founder and former Chairman for £20m.
03-Dec-2003

Compel Group has acquired Syscap Computer Rentals, the London-based provider of mid-range computer and enterprise IT systems with 34 staff, from Syscap for £2.6m.
03-Dec-2003

Informa is to acquire PJB Publications, the Surrey-based news publisher with 240 staff, for £120m.
03-Dec-2003

Nobia of Sweden has acquired Gower Group, the Yorkshire-based supplier of self-assembly kitchens with 475 staff, for about £68m.
03-Dec-2003

Compass has acquired Millies Cookies, the Bury-based operator of 100 cookie outlets, for £24m.
03-Dec-2003

Jardine Lloyd Thompson has acquired the aviation insurance business of Heath Lambert for £9.4m, which will involve the transfer of 60 staff.
02-Dec-2003

Fads, the chain of 53 DIY stores with 345 staff, is to be bought out of insolvency by an investment shell company created by its administrator.
02-Dec-2003

ICM Computer Group has acquired ITM Support Services, the IBM support division of ITM Group with 48 staff, for an initial £3.5m.
02-Dec-2003

Trinity Mirror is to sell its regional newspaper operations in Ireland to venture capital group 3i for £46m.
02-Dec-2003

European Motor Holdings has sold its Normand Heathrow Vauxhall dealership to Lance Owen (Kingston) for £0.7m.
02-Dec-2003

Wolseley has acquired Tobler Management Holding, the Swiss supplier of heating and ventilation products with 600 staff and 21 branches, for £52m.
02-Dec-2003

Highams Systems Services has sold its HBS financial software business to Surecomp of Canada for £0.9m.
01-Dec-2003

Touchstone Group has bought the Sage CRM business of Hertfordshire-based Brown & Co out of liquidation for undisclosed terms.
01-Dec-2003

Electric Word has acquired Primary File Publishing, the educational publisher, for £1.1m.
01-Dec-2003

Virtue Broadcasting is to acquire Kamera Holdings, the Swedish provider of webcasting and content distribution services, for about £2.5m.
28-Nov-2003

Mercury Recycling is to acquire Simister Engineering Services, the recycler of fluorescent tubes and street lighting, for £0.9m.
28-Nov-2003

Hays has sold most of its logistics business to Platinum Equity of the US for £102m, and is now looking to sell its mail division and the remaining logistics operations in the US and Germany.
27-Nov-2003

Madisons has sold its chain of 27 coffee bars to Out of Town Group for an initial £2.2m, in order to focus on its Richoux restaurant format.
27-Nov-2003

Lloyds Beal has acquired Enviroquip, the Cardiff-based supplier of waste compactors and handling equipment, and is also planning to move its own Cardiff-based operation to a 55,000 sq ft site in Bedwas.
27-Nov-2003

Systems Team has acquired Minerva Computer Systems, the Cheltenham-based supplier of membership administration systems with 13 staff, for undisclosed terms.
27-Nov-2003

Goldenhill, the Preston-based supplier of human resources and payroll software with 15 staff, has been acquired by Cedar Software for undisclosed terms.
27-Nov-2003

Flamgard Engineering of Pontypool has undergone a management buy-out, securing the future of 21 jobs.
26-Nov-2003

Pipeway, the Sussex-based utility contractor with 450 staff, has undergone a management buy-out from Bouygues.
26-Nov-2003

Misys has sold its UK-based back office software products business to a management buy-out backed by Primary Capital, and the new company will have 150 staff at offices in London, Birmingham and Nantwich.
25-Nov-2003

CeNes Pharmaceuticals has acquired TheraSci, the developer of drugs for the central nervous system, for up to £3.7m.
25-Nov-2003

Brady Corporation of the US has acquired BIG, the Ipswich-based online business card provider with annual sales of £5m, for undisclosed terms.
25-Nov-2003

Securistyle, the Cheltenham-based manufacturer of window hinges and other hardware with 334 staff, has undergone a £35m management buy-out backed by Kleinwort Capital.
25-Nov-2003

Norwich & Peterborough Insurance Brokers has acquired TS Reeder & Sons, the Cromer-based general insurance firm.
24-Nov-2003

Duke Street Capital has acquired Accantia, the Birmingham-based toiletries manufacturer, from ABN Amro Capital for £225m.
24-Nov-2003

East Surrey Holdings is to acquire full ownership of Phoenix Natural Gas, the Belfast-based gas distributor, for £178m.
24-Nov-2003

Avon Rubber has sold Avon Spencer Moulton, the French manufacturer of rubber tracks for construction equipment, to Nova Participations for £3.2m.
24-Nov-2003

J&J Haslett, the Northern Ireland-based wholesaler with 470 staff, is to undergo a management buy-out from BWG.
24-Nov-2003

GVA Grimley has acquired Second London Wall, the London-based project management firm with 20 staff, for undisclosed terms.
24-Nov-2003

Sovereign Capital has acquired DC leisure Management, the operator of more than 100 local authority leisure centres with 6,800 staff, for £14m.
21-Nov-2003

International Greetings has acquired Hoomark Gift-Wrap Partners, the Dutch gift wrap manufacturer, for an initial £1m.
21-Nov-2003

WH Ireland has acquired Ingram Phillips, the Cardiff-based independent financial adviser, for up to £1.3m.
21-Nov-2003

Hot Group has acquired Jobsin.co.uk, the online recruitment company, for £0.4m.
21-Nov-2003

Tesco is to sell its 121 Supercigs and Supernews retail outlets to Rippleglen, while Rippleglen is planning to relocate its own Birmingham headquarters and warehouse to the Saltley Business Park.
21-Nov-2003

Capital Radio has acquired two Choice FM radio stations in London, in a £12m deal that involves buying the remaining 81% of Tainside.
20-Nov-2003

MSB International has acquired the IT recruitment contracts of Kent-based Leading Edge Recruitment for up to £0.5m.
20-Nov-2003

Balfour Beatty is to acquire Mansell, the Croydon-based construction services company with 2,430 staff at 29 locations, for £42m.
20-Nov-2003

Invista, the DuPont lycra business with about 500 staff in Northern Ireland and 375 in Wilton, is to be acquired by Koch Industries of the US in a £2.7bn deal.
20-Nov-2003

Aggregate Industries has acquired Southern Nevada Paving Company, the US-based limestone and asphalt producer with 140 staff, for £38m.
20-Nov-2003

Weetabix, the breakfast cereal manufacturer, is to be acquired by Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst, the US private equity firm that owns Premier Foods, for £642m.
19-Nov-2003

Laird has acquired Intron, the manufacturer of composite doors, for an initial £9m, in order to expand its security systems division.
19-Nov-2003

Taylor & Francis is to acquire Dekker, the US scientific, technical and medical publisher with 170 staff, for £82m.
19-Nov-2003

UKbetting is to acquire Oddschecker, the betting odds comparison service, for up to £4.7m, and has also announced plans to raise £11m in a share placing.
19-Nov-2003

Park Group is to acquire the North East and North West operations of Mirfield Financial Services for £2.3m, in order to add about 9,000 new customers to its cash lending business.
19-Nov-2003

Eclipse Translations has acquired the former in-house translation department of ICI for undisclosed terms, and is also planning to increase its international freelance workforce from 850 to 1,000 by the end of the year.
19-Nov-2003

Sage has completed the acquisition of Softline, the South African supplier of business management software.
18-Nov-2003

Cox Insurance has acquired Bennetts UK, the Worcester-based insurance broker with 20 branches, for £4.5m.
18-Nov-2003

Sanctuary Group has acquired Creole Records, the reggae music company, for £1.3m.
18-Nov-2003

Diploma has acquired Filcon Electronic, the German supplier of specialist connectors to the defence and aerospace markets, for £4.3m.
18-Nov-2003

ITIS Holdings is to acquire Estimotion, the Israel-based developer of traffic forecasting systems based on the position of mobile phone, for up to £2.8m.
18-Nov-2003

First Choice Holidays has sold its Spanish retail and business travel operations to Barcelo of Spain for £30m.
18-Nov-2003

MyTravel is to sell Lexington Services, the provider of hotel connectivity services, to an affiliate of VIP International Corporation for £4.6m.
18-Nov-2003

Centurfax has acquired Marlowe Graphic Services, which will involve the closure of an office in Ampthill.
18-Nov-2003

Wood Group has sold Enterprise Engineering Services, which employs 100 staff in Aberdeen, to Dales 2003 of Peterhead for undisclosed terms.
17-Nov-2003

Grampian has acquired St Merryn, the meat products supplier with 2,000 staff and plants in Cornwall and South Wales.
17-Nov-2003

Wilson Bowden has acquired Ward Homes Group for £29m, in order to expand its housebuilding operations in the south-east.
17-Nov-2003

Oasis Stores, the fashion retailer, has been acquired by Baugur of Iceland for £152m.
17-Nov-2003

Pentagon Protection has acquired FilmTek, the solar and security window film supplier, for £1.5m.
17-Nov-2003

JJB Sports is planning to sell its TJ Hughes chain of 37 discount department stores to a management buy-out for £56m.
17-Nov-2003

Swan Hill, the builder of luxury homes, has received a £47m takeover approach from a bid vehicle called Raven Mount.
14-Nov-2003

Syltone, the Yorkshire-based transport engineering company, is to be acquired by Gardener Denver of the US for £47m.
14-Nov-2003

Bohlin Instruments, the Cirencester-based manufacturer of rheometers, has been acquired by Malvern Instruments, the Malvern-based subsidiary of Spectris.
14-Nov-2003

Epwin Group has sold DJ Profiles, the Telford-based manufacturer of rubber seals and tubing, to Trelleborg of Sweden for undisclosed terms.
14-Nov-2003

Porvair is planning to sell Porvair International, the manufacturer of microporous materials, and Porvair Ceramics, the supplier of ceramic moulds, to management for up to £4.8m.
14-Nov-2003

Carter Environmental Engineers has acquired JB Thorne of Leicester and Visco of Croydon, in order to expand its services in dust and fume filtration as well as water cooling tower systems.
14-Nov-2003

Brett Group has acquired Wilding Group, the Suffolk-based sand and gravel producer with 76 staff, for undisclosed terms.
13-Nov-2003

Morse has acquired Systematics Technology Solutions, the German storage solution and computer supply company with 138 staff, for a nominal sum.
13-Nov-2003

Transad International has acquired Personal Screening, the supplier of home health testing kits, from Wellbeing Screening for £0.6m.
13-Nov-2003

Coral Eurobet has acquired the John Joyce chain of 34 betting shops in the North-East for undisclosed terms.
13-Nov-2003

Gatekeeper Systems of the US has acquired ActiveRF, the Cambridge-based developer of wireless tracking systems.
13-Nov-2003

Cordell Group has acquired the site construction operations of Hartlepool Fabrications out of administration, saving 25 jobs.
13-Nov-2003

Boots has sold its Hearingcare operation to David Ormerod Hearing Centres of Llandudno, with Ormerod taking responsibility for the provision of hearing care in 64 of its stores.
13-Nov-2003

Pendragon is to sell its Ford dealerships in Amersham, Aylesbury and High Wycombe to Perrys Motor Sales.
12-Nov-2003

Wilson Bowden has acquired Frenchay Developments, the owner of a 26-acre development site at Siston Common near Bristol, for £24m.
12-Nov-2003

Tesco has announced the acquisition of Kipa, the Turkish chain of five hypermarkets, in a £75m deal.
12-Nov-2003

Pro-Bel, the Reading-based supplier of broadcasting automation equipment, has undergone a £11m management buy-out backed by the private equity arm of Lloyds TSB.
12-Nov-2003

JC Payne, the Aldridge-based manufacturer of lorry bodies with 170 staff, has undergone a management buy-in backed by Baring English Growth Fund for undisclosed terms.
12-Nov-2003

Midland Mechanical Developments, the Tipton-based manufacturer of cabling assemblies with 28 staff, has undergone a management buy-out backed by Cattles Invoice Finance.
12-Nov-2003

CSE-Servelec has acquired TTC, the Slovakian developer of oil and gas pipeline control systems with 70 staff.
12-Nov-2003

RHM has sold the Three Cooks chain of 250 bakery outlets to Cooks for undisclosed terms.
12-Nov-2003

Caledonian Building Systems, the Nottinghamshire-based manufacturer of steel-frame building modules with 230 staff, has undergone a £37m management buy-out backed by Dunedin Capital Partners.
12-Nov-2003

Chemring has sold Kembrey Wiring Systems, the manufacturer of wiring harnesses for the aerospace industry, to Time 24 for £1.9m.
11-Nov-2003

Hot Group is to acquire International Teachers Network, the London-based supplier of staff to the education sector, for an initial £4.4m.
11-Nov-2003

Exel is to acquire Cappelletti, the Italian logistics company with annual turnover of about £30m.
11-Nov-2003

Polestar has acquired the Milton Keynes-based e-commerce division of Httprint, while Httprint's print management service has been sold to management.
11-Nov-2003

RHM has sold Pasta Foods, the Yarmouth-based pasta manufacturer with 130 staff, to management for undisclosed terms.
11-Nov-2003

Dawlish Coaches, the Devon-based coach company with 50 staff, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms.
11-Nov-2003

AFA Systems has acquired Strategic Asset Management Solutions, the provider of business solutions systems and services to asset management companies, for £1.2m.
10-Nov-2003

BAe Systems is to sell BAe Systems Flight Training, the Spanish civil flying training school with 95 staff, to a management team.
10-Nov-2003

Gyrus has acquired Explorent, the German supplier of surgical instruments, for up to £3.8m.
10-Nov-2003

Babcock International has sold BMH Marine, the Swedish supplier of ship unloading equipment, to Catella Private Equity for £1.7m.
10-Nov-2003

MyTravel is to sell its US-based Auto Europe holiday car rental business to Soros Private Equity for £51m.
07-Nov-2003

Punch Taverns has agreed to acquire the Pubmaster chain of pubs for £1.2bn, creating an enlarged group with 7,400 pubs.
07-Nov-2003

IMI has sold its Brighouse-based air conditioning division, which has 84 staff, to management for undisclosed terms, and the business will be renamed Marstair.
07-Nov-2003

Sherston Software, the Wiltshire-based educational software company with 60 staff in the UK and 120 in India, has undergone a management buy-out backed by Lloyds TSB Corporate.
07-Nov-2003

Lapmaster International, the Devon-based manufacturer of precision finishing machines, has undergone a management buy-out from Smiths Group for undisclosed terms.
07-Nov-2003

King & Shaxson is to acquire Swiss Life Asset Management for undisclosed terms, which will involve the transfer of 12 staff.
06-Nov-2003

AWG is to sell its water and wastewater holdings in the Czech Republic to local investment firm Penta for £51m.
06-Nov-2003

Meggitt is to acquire the US-based Howden Airdynamics and Western Design Howden defence subsidiaries of Charter for £27m.
06-Nov-2003

Mitie has acquired Executive Holdings, the security and cleaning company, for £10m, in order to expand its client base across the south-east.
06-Nov-2003

Dataform has acquired CCS, the Cardiff-based print services company, from Thomas Potts.
06-Nov-2003

JK Foods' Nottingham-based ethnic foods supply business has undergone a management buy-out from Hyperama for undisclosed terms, and the business is being renamed Asiana.
06-Nov-2003

SP Holdings has acquired Retail Source, the retail brand marketing consultancy, in order to expand its SP Active subsidiary.
05-Nov-2003

Taylor & Francis has acquired Swets & Zeitlinger, the Dutch publisher of scientific and medical books with 37 staff, for £12m.
05-Nov-2003

Northgate Information Solutions has acquired PWA Group, the HR software company with 65 staff at sites in Reading, Holborn and Knutsford, from Great Plains Software for £2.5m.
05-Nov-2003

Sawley Packaging, the Derby-based manufacturer of transit containers, is being sold by Rolls Royce to Daher of France.
05-Nov-2003

Pandrol, the manufacturer of rail track fastening systems with 663 staff in 11 countries, has been sold by Candover to Delachaux of France for £165m.
05-Nov-2003

PricewaterhouseCoopers has sold the South Wales factory of Carpets International out of receivership to a management buy-out for undisclosed terms, securing 300 jobs.
05-Nov-2003

Scott Tod Developments, the supplier of cash machines, is to reverse into Aim-listed investment company Darwen Capital.
04-Nov-2003

NWF Fuels has acquired Fuel Oil Supply, the fuel distribution company based in Nottingham and Birmingham, for £0.9m.
04-Nov-2003

Headlam Group has acquired Manx Carpets, the supplier of wool-rich carpets, for £0.5m.
04-Nov-2003

United Business Media has acquired The Oncology Group and Cliggott Publishing from SCP Communications for £22m, in order to expand its CMP Healthcare Media division in the US.
04-Nov-2003

SSL International has sold its Marigold industrial gloves business to Comasec SAS of France for up to £22m, but retains the consumer gloves business.
04-Nov-2003

Unilever is to sell Ambrosia, the Devon-based desserts manufacturer with 200 staff, and cornflour supplier Brown & Polson to Premier Foods for undisclosed terms.
04-Nov-2003

Newmark Security is to sell Drion Security, its Belgium-based asset protection business, to a former executive for £0.3m.
03-Nov-2003

Armour Group has acquired four companies for £12.5m - QED Audio Products of Woking, Goldring Products of Bury St Edmunds, Veda Products of Bishops Stortford and Integrated Medi Installations of Aldershot.
03-Nov-2003

Future Network has acquired the Guitar One magazine in the US from Cherry Lane Magazines for £1.5m.
03-Nov-2003

Bunzl has acquired MultiLine, the Danish distributor of consumables to the hotel and catering industries, for undisclosed terms.
03-Nov-2003

Stirling Stone, the Stirling-based quarry and masonry company with 100 staff, has been sold out of receivership by KPMG Corporate Recovery to Wallace Group.
03-Nov-2003

Granelli's of Cheshire has acquired Harvest House Foods, the Tattenhall-based ice cream manufacturer.
03-Nov-2003

Electra Partners has supported a management buy-out at Bellevue, the Scottish cash and carry chain with £40m turnover, from BWG for undisclosed terms.
03-Nov-2003

Tepnel Life Sciences is to acquire Orchid Diagnostics, the US biotechnology company, for £2.5m.
03-Nov-2003

Rexam is to acquire Latasa, the Brazilian producer of aluminium beverage cans for £272m, and is now seeking acquisitions in China.
03-Nov-2003

Rank has sold its games and slot machine businesses, which trade under the names of Leisure Machine Services and Seasonal Amusements and employ 800 staff, to Gamestec Leisure for £30m.
31-Oct-2003

James Fisher is to acquire Air Supply of Norway for £4.8m and WM Defence of the UK for £3.1m, in order to expand its marine support services business.
31-Oct-2003

Astex Technology has acquired MetaGen Pharmaceuticals, a spin-out from Schering, and about eight of MetaGen's 40 staff will transfer from Berlin to Cambridge.
31-Oct-2003

Rok Property Solutions is to acquire the Manchester, Glasgow, Teesside, Cardiff and Ellesmere Port assets from the administrators of Ballast for up to £2m, expanding its network of regional offices to 20.
31-Oct-2003

Jarvis Hotels, the chain of 67 hotels, is planning to undergo a £153m management buy-out backed by Lioncourt Capital.
30-Oct-2003

HSBC has acquired Bank of Bermuda for £770m, as part of a strategy to expand its private banking and fund administration operations.
30-Oct-2003

Intercare, the pharmaceuticals manufacturer, is to be acquired by Cardinal Health of the US for £306m.
30-Oct-2003

East Surrey Holdings has acquired two local gas network operations from United Utilities for £3.1m, including United Utilities Gas Networks and United Utilities Gas Pipelines.
30-Oct-2003

PricewaterhouseCoopers has sold the United Milk Creamery at Westbury in Wiltshire out of receivership to a consortium of three milk co-operatives operating under the name of Westbury Dairies.
30-Oct-2003

Grant Thornton has sold Unit Press, the Preston-based office chair components company, out of receivership to one of its founders, securing the future of 130 jobs.
30-Oct-2003

Avonside Roofing, the Sandbach-based roofing contractor with 15 regional offices and 210 staff, has undergone a management buy-out backed by AIB Commercial Finance.
29-Oct-2003

George Leslie, the Scottish civil engineering company, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms.
29-Oct-2003

Express & Star is to acquire Guiton, the Channel Islands-based newspaper publisher and chain of 41 shops, for about £76m.
29-Oct-2003

Alucast, the Wednesbury-based aluminium foundry, has undergone a £3m management buy-in.
29-Oct-2003

Edward Pryor & Son has acquired Absolute Vision, the Warwickshire-based supplier of code-reading machines, for undisclosed terms.
29-Oct-2003

Collis Engineering, the Alfreton-based manufacturer of railway signals, and sister company Signal House of Leighton Buzzard have undergone a £3m management buy-out backed by Yorkshire Bank.
29-Oct-2003

Defabs Engineering Systems, the Derby-based supplier of stainless steel equipment with 40 staff, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms.
29-Oct-2003

Premier Print, the Bilborough-based printing company with 36 staff, has undergone a management buy-out backed by Sterling Corporate Finance.
28-Oct-2003

Flex Connectors, the London-based commercial lighting company, has undergone a £0.8m management buy-out backed by Balfour Corporate Finance.
28-Oct-2003

TripleArc is to acquire Access Plus, the print management company, for £40m.
27-Oct-2003

Lloyds TSB is to sell its NBNZ Holdings banking and insurance subsidiary in New Zealand to Australia & New Zealand Banking Group for £2.3bn.
27-Oct-2003

Macfarlane is to sell its corrugated packaging operations in Dundee, Govan and North Shields to DS Smith for £0.9m, which will involve the transfer of 108 staff.
27-Oct-2003

Spring Group is to sell its Spring IT Training division to Vidyah for £1m.
27-Oct-2003

Media Square has acquired PrePrint Imaging, the Leeds-based retail marketing services company with 76 staff, out of receivership for up to £0.5m.
27-Oct-2003

SP Holdings has acquired Provisor Global Search, the human resources consultancy, as part of a strategy to create a nationwide financial services operation.
27-Oct-2003

Barclays Bank has acquired Gerrard Management Services, the private client wealth manager, from Old Mutual for £210m.
27-Oct-2003

Sage Group has acquired Grupo SP, the Spanish supplier of accounting software, for £49m.
27-Oct-2003

Scottish Radio Holdings is to acquire Capital Radio Productions, the Irish operator of the FM104 radio station, for £18m.
27-Oct-2003

Tullett Liberty has completed the acquisition of Starsupply Energy Limited, the London-based independent broker of crude and petroleum products, in a £4.9m deal.
27-Oct-2003

Dutton Forshaw has sold the Dovercourt Audi and VW franchises in Bristol to Heritage Automotive of Weston for undisclosed terms.
27-Oct-2003

WA Turner, the Kent-based sausage and pie manufacturer, has undergone a management buy-out from Prize Foods Group.
27-Oct-2003

Montpellier is to sell three construction subsidiaries - Cornhill Interiors, Lodge & Sons and YJL Facilities - to a former executive for a nominal sum.
24-Oct-2003

Scottish & Newcastle has sold the T&R Theakston brewing business in Yorkshire to its founding family.
24-Oct-2003

National Height Specialists has bought Pendrich, the steeplejack company with 30 staff, from the receivers of Bierrum.
23-Oct-2003

Royal & Sun Alliance has sold its Sequence UK estate agency business to the Connells subsidiary of the Skipton Building Society.
23-Oct-2003

MyTravel is to sell World Choice Travel, the online hotel room sales company, to Travelocity of the US for £30m.
23-Oct-2003

Invensys is to sell its utility metering business, which includes 13 manufacturing facilities in the US and elsewhere, to IMS Meters Holdings for £388m.
23-Oct-2003

Future Network is to acquire Computec Media UK from its German parent company for £3.2m, which will involve the transfer of staff and computer magazine production to Future's office in London.
23-Oct-2003

Alcan is planning to sell its Fibrenyle plastic packaging division, which includes sites in Norwich, Beccles, Thetford and the Midlands, to Polimoon.
23-Oct-2003

Coral Eurobet has acquired the George Atkins chain of 47 betting shops in Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire for an estimated £14m.
23-Oct-2003

Speedy Survey has acquired the Watts Optronics branch network from survey equipment supplier Leica Geosystems for £1.3m.
22-Oct-2003

PowerGen has agreed terms to acquire Midlands Electricity from Aquila & First Energy for £1.2bn, and expects to make annual cost savings of £50m as the business is combined with its East Midlands Electricity subsidiary.
22-Oct-2003

Derby County Football Club has been bought out of receivership by a consortium, and the new board has raised £15m in a refinancing deal.
22-Oct-2003

SecureMove Property Services has acquired Douglas Duff, the surveying practice with offices in Milton Keynes and Bedford, taking its nationwide network to 44 sites.
22-Oct-2003

British United Shoe Machinery has acquired Shoemat of Northamptonshire, creating a combined footwear components group with 89 staff in the UK and more than 100 in Taiwan.
22-Oct-2003

OMS Safety & Quality has merged with Paramode Consultants to create a combined health and safety consultancy with offices in Derby, Leicester and London.
22-Oct-2003

Safa Group, the supplier of healthcare and first aid products, is to be acquired by Healthcare Enterprise Group in a £12m deal.
21-Oct-2003

MyTravel is to sell its US cruise operations to National Leisure Group for £66m, and its SunTrips and Vacation Express tour operating businesses to FS Tours for £10m.
21-Oct-2003

Aegis has acquired PSI, the airport advertising company, for an initial £5.2m, in order to expand its Posterscope business.
21-Oct-2003

CD Bramall has acquired Land Rover and Rover dealerships in Aylesbury from Dutton Forshaw for £4.4m.
21-Oct-2003

Interfleet Technology has acquired TrainTech Engineering, the Swedish railway rolling stock consultancy with 90 staff.
21-Oct-2003

Bentley Jennison has acquired Waddingtons, the Bristol-based accountancy firm, creating a combined office with 100 staff.
21-Oct-2003

ECI Partners is to support a £25m management buy-out of The Learning Library, the provider of distance learning courses in IT and accounting.
20-Oct-2003

ISIS Equity Partners has supported a £19m management buy-out of The Art Group, the producer of prints, posters and cards.
20-Oct-2003

Harvey Nash has acquired Snowdogs, the US-based IT recruitment company, for up to £2.7m.
20-Oct-2003

The London Golf Club in Kent has been acquired by the Bendinat Group for less than £10m.
20-Oct-2003

Ernst & Young is to sell its network of nine independent financial advisers to Cavanagh Group of West Sussex for £4.2m, which will involve the transfer of 120 jobs.
20-Oct-2003

Huntsworth has acquired Haslimann Taylor, the Sutton Coldfield-based public relations company, for an initial £1.3m.
20-Oct-2003

Lookers has acquired the Lexus Hadleigh car dealership in Essex from E&H Hadleigh for £2m.
20-Oct-2003

Top Ten Holdings is to acquire eight bingo clubs and four adjacent amusement arcades from the administrators of Northumbrian Entertainments and NB Mason for £5.8m, and has also announced a £4.6m share placing.
17-Oct-2003

Eddie Stobart, the haulage company with about 1,500 staff, is to be acquired by WA Developments International of Appleby for undisclosed terms.
17-Oct-2003

Spencer Coatings has bought Eagle Industrial Paints of the West Midlands out of receivership.
16-Oct-2003

Johnson Service has acquired 38 dry cleaning branches in southern England from Brooks Service for £1.9m.
16-Oct-2003

Johnson Service is to acquire Workplace Management, the property management company, from Chesterton International for £20m.
14-Oct-2003

Proactive Sports is to acquire Kingsbridge Asset Management, the provider of financial advice to sportsmen and women, for £2m.
14-Oct-2003

Glow Communications has sold Primary Storage, the distributor of data storage devices, to management for a nominal sum.
14-Oct-2003

Kerry Group has acquired two US food ingredients suppliers for £37m - Da Vinci Gourmet of Seattle and Crystals International of Florida.
14-Oct-2003

Microgen is to acquire MMT, the IT services company, for £18m.
14-Oct-2003

Vantis has acquired the non-audit business of Wheawill & Sudworth London for up to £4.2m, which will involve the relocation of seven partners and their support staff.
14-Oct-2003

Hyder Consulting has acquired Jeff Moulsdale & Associates, the Australian property consultancy with 15 staff, for up to £1m.
14-Oct-2003

Rexam has acquired Tritello, the Swedish manufacturer of thermoformed packaging, as well as the thermoforming assets and business of Superfos Packaging of Ystad, Sweden.
14-Oct-2003

PBK Micron, the Coventry-based manufacturer of engineering components with annual turnover of £1.5m, has undergone a management buy-out.
14-Oct-2003

Poundzone, the chain of 16 discount stores with 200 staff, has been acquired by Manchester-based homeware importer RSW Group.
14-Oct-2003

Youngs Bluecrest Seafood has acquired Marr Foods, the Hull-based fish processing company with 400 staff.
14-Oct-2003

Systems Union Group is to acquire MIS, the German business management software company with 460 staff, for £24m.
13-Oct-2003

SA Brain has acquired William Stedman, the Caerleon-based beer, wine and spirits merchant with 27 staff.
13-Oct-2003

Parker Plant, the Leicester-based manufacturer of stone-crushing equipment, has been bought out of receivership by the executive chairman of Universal Conveyors.
13-Oct-2003

Yeoman has sold its Brooks & Gatehouse yacht navigation subsidiary to Kongsberg Maritime of Norway for £2.7m.
13-Oct-2003

BP is to sell its specialist oil products business to H&R WASAG of Germany, including manufacturing plants in Chorley, Tipton, Germany and the Netherlands as well as marketing operations elsewhere in Europe.
10-Oct-2003

Royal Bank of Scotland's Coutts Bank subsidiary is to acquire Bank von Ernst, the Switzerland-based private banking division of Bayerische Hypo-und Vereinsbank, for £228m.
10-Oct-2003

Bewise, the chain of clothing stores, has been acquired by QS Group of Brighton for undisclosed terms, creating a combined group with 372 stores.
10-Oct-2003

EMG Ford has acquired Ford car dealerships in King's Lynn and Wisbech from The John Grose Group for undisclosed terms.
10-Oct-2003

Reeves & Neylan has sold its Norwich-based accountancy operation to management for undisclosed terms, creating a new firm called Argents.
10-Oct-2003

Korway Foods has bought Camp Brothers, the Lanarkshire-based ice cream manufacturer with 32 staff, out of receivership.
10-Oct-2003

Lloyds TSB is to sell part of its Brazilian business to HSBC for £490m, including its consumer lending operation and Banco Multiplo.
10-Oct-2003

Brett Landscaping has acquired a Loughborough-based concrete products business from Lafarge for undisclosed terms.
09-Oct-2003

Dataflex Holdings is to sell the business of Dataflex Design Communications to a management team and place its remaining operations into liquidation.
09-Oct-2003

IMI has acquired Artform International, the Loughborough-based supplier of merchandising systems with 425 staff, for £47m.
09-Oct-2003

Air Music & Media has acquired the Original Record Company, the owner of the New Sound 2000 record label, for up to £3m.
09-Oct-2003

QC Supplies has acquired Wheatley Dyson, the Huddersfield-based office equipment supplier with 20 staff, and transferred the business to its Halifax headquarters.
09-Oct-2003

McLelland Cheese is to acquire Aeron Valley Cheese in Wales from Dairygold, with First Milk retaining a 20% stake.
09-Oct-2003

Granada and Carlton have won government approval for a £4.5bn merger, which will help the ITV companies compete with the BBC and BSkyB.
08-Oct-2003

Aegis is to acquire Isis Research, the supplier of healthcare research services, for £16m.
08-Oct-2003

Merchant Investors, the Bristol-based life assurer with 130 staff, has been sold by Allianz to Sanlam of South Africa for undisclosed terms.
08-Oct-2003

WPP is to acquire Mungenast Dialog Marketing, the German direct marketing agency with 50 staff.
08-Oct-2003

Express Site Services, the Llandarcy-based pipework company with 20 staff, has undergone a management buy-out.
08-Oct-2003

Cobham has acquired Harrison, the US manufacturer of fluid connectors for aircraft, from Sierracin for £6m.
07-Oct-2003

Royal & Sun Alliance has sold its mortgage insurance business to PMI Group of the US for a nominal sum.
07-Oct-2003

William Jacks has acquired Jaguar and Land Rover dealerships in Maidstone from Dutton Forshaw for £2.3m.
07-Oct-2003

Grafton Group has acquired Plumbline Supplies, the Scottish chain of 17 plumbing merchants, as well as the Telfords chain of three branches in Ireland.
07-Oct-2003

Glisten has acquired Sunya, the chocolate confectionery manufacturer, from Renshaw Scott for £0.8m, and production will transfer to its Blackburn factory.
07-Oct-2003

Scottish & Newcastle has sold its S&N Retail chain of 1,406 pubs, restaurants and lodges to a consortium of Spirit Group, Texas Pacific Group, Blackstone, CVC Capital Partners and Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity for £2.5bn.
07-Oct-2003

Epwin has acquired HIS, the Rhymney-based window manufacturer with 40 staff, out of receivership.
07-Oct-2003

Royal Bank of Scotland is acquiring First Active, the Dublin-based mortgage lender, for £617m, creating a combined chain of 263 branches across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
07-Oct-2003

Harlands, the Hull-based labels manufacturer with 57 staff, has undergone a £4m management buy-out.
07-Oct-2003

Trustseal, the Worksop-based highway maintenance company with 50 staff, has undergone a management buy-out.
07-Oct-2003

Britannia Biscuits, the Teesside-based food manufacturer, has been bought out of receivership by a new company called Britannia Biscuits International.
06-Oct-2003

Marlows of Bury St Edmunds, the timber company with 200 staff, has been bought out of receivership by a newly-formed company owned by the Howarth Timber Group.
06-Oct-2003

Brockington & Scott, the Pontarddulais-based bellows manufacturer with more than 70 staff, has been bought out of administration by a management team, and will move to a new factory unit in nearby Dafen Park by the end of the year.
06-Oct-2003

Bradford & Bingley is to acquire Douglas Duff, the commercial surveying firm, for undisclosed terms.
06-Oct-2003

GX Networks is to acquire Pipex, the internet service provider, for £55m, and the combined group will be renamed Pipex Communications.
06-Oct-2003

Airsprung Furniture has sold Sprung Slumber, the Okehampton-based bed manufacturer, to Reylon for £5.4m.
06-Oct-2003

Pendragon has sold Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Northampton and Bedford to United Auto Group in a £6.4m deal.
06-Oct-2003

Richmond Foods is to acquire Oldfields Ice Cream, the Sheffield-based manufacturer of ice cream products for the catering market, for £4m.
03-Oct-2003

Alphameric has sold its IT logistics business to LIS Online for £0.3m.
03-Oct-2003

Macfarlane has sold its plastics business to Tyco for £48m, as part of a strategy to focus on packaging and distribution, and has also announced plans to dispose of at least half of its 40 branches.
03-Oct-2003

Amec has acquired certain assets of Lauren Kamtech, the US provider of construction and maintenance services for pulp, paper and power plants, for £4m.
03-Oct-2003

Reg Vardy has sold an Audi dealership in Leicester to John Fox for £1m and a Vauxhall dealership site in Nottingham to CIS for £10m.
03-Oct-2003

South East Water has been sold by Bouygues of France to Macquarie Bank of Australia for £386m, and Macquarie is now seeking additional investments in infrastructure assets across Europe.
02-Oct-2003

RW Gregory has sold its Maxim facilities management business to the Macro division of Mace.
02-Oct-2003

MyTravel has sold its Frosch Touristik division in Germany to RM3366 for a nominal sum, while its Ving and Itaka tour operating companies in Poland have been sold to management.
01-Oct-2003

Booth Industries has sold its Oakland Elevators subsidiary to Otis for £7.7m.
01-Oct-2003

Brandon Hire has acquired tool hire depots in Mansfield and Alfreton from Cox Plant for £0.5m.
01-Oct-2003

Travis Perkins has acquired B&G, the operator of 12 plumbing and heating branches in London and Surrey, for £23m.
01-Oct-2003

Intertek has acquired Fastech International, the Manchester-based textile testing company, for £5.1m.
01-Oct-2003

RM has acquired Peakschoolhaus, the Nottinghamshire-based education inspection and training provider, for up to £2.9m.
01-Oct-2003

Hot Group has acquired The Buzz Recruitment Consultancy and Buzz Tempz for an initial £0.4m.
01-Oct-2003

European Motor Holdings has acquired Land Rover and Jaguar dealerships in Preston from Dutton Forshaw for £4.9m.
01-Oct-2003

Walters Hexagon, the fastener supply company with nine UK branches and 270 staff, has been sold by Bridgepoint to Anixter International of the US for £25m.
01-Oct-2003

Sanctuary Group has acquired Music World Entertainment, the US music artist management company, for £6.1m.
01-Oct-2003

Smart & Cook has acquired the insurance broking business of Adams Financial Services of Lincolnshire.
30-Sep-2003

Kingsbridge Holdings has sold Benson McGarvey and its Shakeit subsidiary to management for an initial £0.2m.
29-Sep-2003

Forever Broadcasting has sold the Juice Liverpool radio station to Absolute Radio for £3.1m.
29-Sep-2003

Dairy Crest has sold its Kidlington-based chilled juice business to Princes for about £11m.
29-Sep-2003

SCi Entertainment has bought the Pivotal Games computer games subsidiary of Kaboom Studios out of receivership for £2.4m.
29-Sep-2003

Care UK has acquired a 75% stake in Corvedale Holdings, the Shropshire-based provider of residential and educational children's care services, for up to £6m.
29-Sep-2003

Roxspur is to acquire telecoms services company Cellular Holdings in a reverse takeover, and the new group will be called The Telecommunications Group.
29-Sep-2003

Sovereign Capital has acquired Laurel Management Services, the operator of 29 funeral homes in the Midlands, Kent, Hampshire and Hertfordshire, for £21m.
29-Sep-2003

High-Point Rendel, the construction engineering consulting group, has undergone a management buy-out.
29-Sep-2003

Epyx has acquired Oasis Global Systems, the developer of IT solutions for the automotive sector, for undisclosed terms.
29-Sep-2003

John Laing has sold its John Laing Partnership homes businesses to management for £16m, and has also announced that it has been appointed preferred bidder for the Greater Nottingham NHS LIFT project.
26-Sep-2003

Dipford is to acquire Dowling Kerr, the national business transfer agency with offices in Holmfirth and Luton, for up to £2.1m.
26-Sep-2003

Ultra Electronics is to acquire the assets of Ocean Systems, the US-based developer of radio frequency devices, from BAe Systems for £6m.
26-Sep-2003

Huveaux is to acquire Fenman, the Cambridgeshire-based publisher of training materials with 16 staff, for £6m.
26-Sep-2003

Bookham Technology is to acquire Ignis Optics, the US supplier of optical modules for communications networks, for £10m.
26-Sep-2003

RPS has acquired Hydrosearch Associates, the Woking-based provider of geological services to the energy sector with 50 staff, for up to £15m.
25-Sep-2003

Solitaire Group has acquired Freehold Managers for £6m, in order to expand its property management services business.
25-Sep-2003

Glen Dimplex has acquired Siemens Electrical Heating of Norway for undisclosed terms.
25-Sep-2003

Sygen is to acquire Cotswold Swine Genetics of the US for £1.7m, gaining seven genetic pig lines and an artificial insemination centre.
25-Sep-2003

IBNet has announced the £8.2m reverse takeover of online advertising company The Deal Group, creating a new company called Deal Group Media.
25-Sep-2003

Reg Vardy is to acquire four Land Rover and Jaguar dealerships in Newcastle, Durham and Stockton from Dutton Forshaw for £9m.
25-Sep-2003

Billington Structures has acquired Tube Engineering, the Bristol-based tubular fabricator, creating a new division called Tubecon.
24-Sep-2003

Schlumberger is planning to sell a number of SchlumbergerSema businesses to Atos Origin for about £1bn, including most of its IT operations in the UK.
23-Sep-2003

PM Group has acquired MDT Holland and MDT Germany for £0.6m, in order to expand its on board vehicle weighing systems business for the bulk haulage and waste management industries.
23-Sep-2003

Frayling Furniture of Stoke-on-Trent has been acquired by private investors for undisclosed terms, prompting speculation about the future of 100 jobs.
23-Sep-2003

Brandons, the turkey producer, has been bought out of administration by a new company called Cranberry Foods, saving 650 jobs in Abergavenny, 350 in Dalton and 200 in Scropton.
23-Sep-2003

Bookham Technology has acquired New Focus, the US photonics company, for £118m.
23-Sep-2003

Baltimore Technologies has sold its PKI security software operation to beTRUSTed for £5m, leaving Baltimore with just a small customer support business.
23-Sep-2003

Bradford & Bingley is to acquire Aitchison & Colegrave, the Scottish firm of independent financial advisers with four offices, for undisclosed terms.
23-Sep-2003

Royal Bank of Scotland is to acquire Thistle Group, the US holding company for the Roxborough Manayunk Bank, for £81m.
23-Sep-2003

Stirling Group, the lingerie supplier, is to undergo a £19m management buy-out backed by Lloyds TSB Development Capital.
23-Sep-2003

Wolseley has acquired three US plumbing, heating and building materials companies for £14m - Liberty Equipment & Supply, Nuroc and JM Lumber.
23-Sep-2003

David Fabb Holdings' administrators have sold most of its steel processing operations to Revelan Group for undisclosed terms, including Servosteel, Stourbridge Stockholders, Fairmile Fencing, Phoenix Metal Products and Hornsey Gates.
22-Sep-2003

Daily Mail & General Trust has acquired Sitescope, the provider of property and environmental risk information, for £12m.
22-Sep-2003

Stateside Foods, the Lancashire-based manufacturer of chilled pizzas with 750 staff, has been acquired by Freiberger of Germany for undisclosed terms.
22-Sep-2003

Creston is to acquire Nelson Bostock Communications, the London-based public relations company with 49 staff, for £11m.
22-Sep-2003

Stagecoach has sold its Coach USA taxi operations in Texas to Texas Taxi for £17m.
19-Sep-2003

BSS Group has acquired Pegler & Louden, the valve distributor with assets valued at £1.9m, from FCX International.
19-Sep-2003

WH Smith is to sell its chain of 180 airport stores in the US to Hudson Group for £41m, while its 280 US hotel stores are being sold to management for £8m.
19-Sep-2003

Xyratex, the Hampshire-based supplier of hard disks with 600 staff, has undergone a management buy-out backed by HgCapital.
19-Sep-2003

Pearson has acquired LessonLab, the US developer of education software, for undisclosed terms.
19-Sep-2003

Yorkshire Enterprise, the Leeds-based venture capital consultancy, has been acquired by management, following the withdrawal of five local authorities.
18-Sep-2003

Mills Group has acquired Morgam News, the West Midlands-based operator of 27 convenience stores, taking its total chain to 84 outlets.
18-Sep-2003

Abbey National is to sell its mortgage operation in Italy to Unicredito for £46m, and is also in negotiations to sell a similar business in France.
18-Sep-2003

Northern Racing has acquired Aim-listed Chepstow Racecourse in a £10m reverse takeover.
18-Sep-2003

Clarity Commerce Solutions has acquired two divisions of TFMCyntergy for £0.5m, including a 36-strong helpdesk and a training business.
17-Sep-2003

Cobham has acquired Sea Tel, the US manufacturer of shipboard stabilised antenna platforms, for £16m, as well as ERA Technology, the technology design and testing company, for £20m.
17-Sep-2003

Cumbrian Seafoods has bought the Border Lairds business of The Ken Bell Seafood Company out of administration, saving 32 jobs.
17-Sep-2003

Pennine Telecom, the Bury-based supplier of business telephone systems with 85 staff, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms.
17-Sep-2003

Sygen International is to acquire Aquatec, the Brazilian shrimp breeding company, for £8.1m.
16-Sep-2003

Kingfisher has sold Nomi, the Polish DIY retailer with 39 stores, to Enterprise Investors for £7m.
16-Sep-2003

SBS Group is to sell its UK-based IT staffing business to InterQuest Group for £1.2m.
16-Sep-2003

Aberdeen Asset Management is to sell its Asset Value Investors subsidiary, which manages a number of funds for institutional clients, to management.
16-Sep-2003

Aegis is to acquire Censydiam Group, the Belgian market research company, for £4.6m.
16-Sep-2003

Macalloy, the Sheffield-based manufacturer of steel products for the construction industry, has undergone a management buy-out backed by UK Steel Enterprise.
16-Sep-2003

Laird Technologies has acquired Magnes Corporation of Seoul for £1.4m, in order to establish a direct sales, engineering and customer support operation in South Korea.
15-Sep-2003

Bunzl has agreed to acquire Baumgartner Fibertec, the Swiss manufacturer of cigarette filters and capillary reservoirs.
15-Sep-2003

Weatherall Green & Smith is to merge with Sanderson Townend & Gilbert to create a combined building consultancy called Sanderson Weatheralls with 250 staff.
15-Sep-2003

Silentnight, the bed manufacturer, is to return to private ownership following a £72m takeover offer from its founding family.
15-Sep-2003

JS Millington, the Leicester-based builders' merchant with 107 staff, has been acquired by Jewson for undisclosed terms.
12-Sep-2003

MORI, the polling research company with 350 staff, is in negotiations to sell the business to Isis Equity Partners for about £50m.
12-Sep-2003

Intec Telecom Systems has acquired Digiquant, the Danish software company, for £6.7m.
12-Sep-2003

Seaham Harbour Dock Company has been acquired by Victoria Group, the owner of ports in Plymouth and Liverpool that is looking to expand its trade routes to the Baltic Sea.
11-Sep-2003

SEV Group has acquired Jumbo Tugs, the Aylesbury-based manufacturer of electric and gas-powered vehicles, for undisclosed terms.
11-Sep-2003

MSS Clean Technology, the supplier of controlled environments for scientific laboratories and pharmaceutical production, has undergone a management buy-out from Shepherd Building Group for undisclosed terms.
11-Sep-2003

WS Atkins has sold its US architecture and engineering consultancy business to management for £11m.
11-Sep-2003

Unilever is to sell its dental care business in the US and Canada to Church & Dwight for £65m.
11-Sep-2003

Emess is to sell its Poole Lighting and Creswell Lighting operations to National Lighting Company for £11m.
11-Sep-2003

Torex has acquired HAS Solutions, the Australian supplier of clinical trauma systems, for £12m.
10-Sep-2003

Gyrus has acquired Entermed, the distributor of medical products in Belgium and the Netherlands, for £1.5m.
10-Sep-2003

Meade Corporation has acquired the UK construction business of Thyssen Schachtbau, which has annual turnover of £60m and offices in Pontefract, Swansea and Stoke.
10-Sep-2003

Scottish & Newcastle is in advanced negotiations to sell the Theakston brewery in North Yorkshire back to its founding family for undisclosed terms.
10-Sep-2003

Boosey & Hawkes, the music publisher, has agreed terms for a £40m management buy-out backed by Stirling Square.
10-Sep-2003

British Vita has acquired Polytex SAS, the French thermoplastic elastomer compounding company with 10 staff, for £0.4m.
09-Sep-2003

Aegis has acquired the remaining 75% of Blackstone Market Facts, the Indian market research company, for an initial £0.6m.
09-Sep-2003

UWG Group has acquired MENCK, the German offshore engineering company with 70 staff, for undisclosed terms.
09-Sep-2003

Informa is to acquire MMS International, the publisher of foreign exchange information, for £22m, and significant job cuts are expected to follow.
09-Sep-2003

The Claims People has acquired CCS Global, the loss-adjusting division of Axis Global UK, for £0.4m.
09-Sep-2003

Bridgepoint Capital has acquired a majority stake in Robina Care Group, the Bath-based operator of 51 nursing homes, for £35m, and Bank of Scotland is to provide a further £15m to fund acquisitions.
09-Sep-2003

Aga Foodservice has acquired Northland-Marvel, the US manufacturer of refrigerators, for £13m.
08-Sep-2003

Northern Foods is to sell its Fox's Confectionery factory in Leicester to a newly-formed company called Big Bear for £9.4m, and is now looking to sell Smiths Flour Mills and Northern Foods Transport.
08-Sep-2003

Nestle has sold its Eismann frozen food home delivery service in the UK to a management buy-out, and additional franchisees will now be sought to expand the business into Scotland, Lancashire and Yorkshire.
08-Sep-2003

Nord Anglia Education is to acquire Petits Enfants, the operator of nine nurseries in the London area, for £3.2m, and a £10m share placing will fund further acquisitions.
08-Sep-2003

Aberdeen Asset Management is to acquire Edinburgh Fund Managers for £36m, and will sell on contracts to manage retail fund assets to New Star Asset Management for £33m.
08-Sep-2003

McIntyre & King, the Liverpool-based provider of direct marketing support services with 450 staff, has been bought out of administration by a management team for undisclosed terms.
08-Sep-2003

Morgan Crucible has sold its Compressor Technology division to Hoerbiger Compression of the US for £6.6m.
05-Sep-2003

JW Bonser, the Walsall-based zinc alloy castings company with 55 staff, has been acquired by Dalby Holdings of Leicester.
05-Sep-2003

Future Network is to acquire Guitar World and other magazine titles from Harris Publications for £10m.
05-Sep-2003

Biotrace International has acquired International BioProducts, the US germ detection company, for £6.4m.
05-Sep-2003

Powerhouse, the electrical retailer, has been bought out of administration by Pacific Retail Group of New Zealand, and PRG expects to secure 2,000 jobs and open about 50 new outlets.
04-Sep-2003

I-documentsystems has raised £1.2m in a share placing to fund the acquisition of Mandoforms, the Manchester-based e-commerce software company with ten staff.
03-Sep-2003

Yo Sushi is to undergo a £6.5m management buy-out backed by Primary Capital, and its chain of 15 UK restaurants will be doubled.
03-Sep-2003

BBA Group has acquired Tecnofibra, the Italian manufacturer of non-woven materials, for £22m.
03-Sep-2003

Taylor Woodrow is planning to acquire Wilson Connolly, the Northampton-based housebuilder, for £480m, which is expected to lead to the closure of ten offices and the loss of 300 jobs.
02-Sep-2003

Walker Greenbank has bought the assets of wallpaper supplier Sanderson & Sons out of receivership for £5.5m, saving 236 jobs.
02-Sep-2003

Birthdays, the greetings card retailer with 500 stores and 3,500 staff, has been acquired by West Coast Capital from its venture capital owners for undisclosed terms.
02-Sep-2003

Thames Water has sold Subterra, the provider of utility maintenance services, to Enterprise for an initial £19m.
02-Sep-2003

Avingtrans has acquired Boneham & Turner Spindles, the industrial spindles division of Mansfield-based Boneham & Turner.
02-Sep-2003

GX Networks has acquired Firstnet Services, the Leeds-based telecoms services company, for £4.3m.
29-Aug-2003

Henry Boot has sold its Dronfield-based construction industry training division, which includes 81 staff, to management.
29-Aug-2003

Cogne UK has acquired George H Cook, the steel supplier with sites in Sheffield and Coventry, for undisclosed terms.
29-Aug-2003

Berkeley Group is to sell its Crosby Homes division to management for about £450m, as part of a strategy to focus on large urban regeneration projects.
29-Aug-2003

International Academy, the Cardiff-based provider of soccer training camps and skiing holidays, has been sold by Leisure Ventures to Thomson for up to £2m.
28-Aug-2003

GB Communications has acquired Motek Portable Products of South Yorkshire, and is now looking to expand its radio equipment business into the offshore and petrochemical sectors and open offices in the south of England and Scotland over the next five years.
28-Aug-2003

Cherry Valley, the Lincolnshire-based duck producer with about 650 staff, is expected to be acquired by Thailand-based venture capital firm Navis.
28-Aug-2003

E2V Technologies has acquired the microwave sensors business of Dynex Semiconductor, which will involve a number of staff relocating from one Lincoln factory to another.
28-Aug-2003

Meica, the Ashford-based building maintenance company with 220 staff, has been acquired by Imtech of the Netherlands.
28-Aug-2003

Fosbel, the Tamworth-based ceramic welding and furnace repair company with 350 staff, has undergone a £24m management buy-out backed by Barclays Private Equity.
27-Aug-2003

Heywood Williams has sold Coldseal, its Nottingham-based double glazing subsidiary with 500 staff, to newly-formed Coldseal Group in exchange for a 19.9% stake in Coldseal Group.
27-Aug-2003

Mears has acquired Scion Group, the Newbury-based building maintenance company, for up to £6m.
27-Aug-2003

McDonald Yang is to be acquired by shell company Readybuy and floated on Aim, in order to fund the expansion of its range of Yang Sing ready meals.
27-Aug-2003

Leyland Auto Electrical & Diesel, the supplier of spare parts for commercial vehicles, has undergone a £1.4m management buy-in, saving more than 100 jobs.
27-Aug-2003

Science Workshops, the Carmarthenshire-based electrical company, has undergone a management buy-out backed by the Wales Co-operative Centre.
25-Aug-2003

Mussett Engineering, the Norfolk-based manufacturer of metal and plastic components with 80 staff, is being bought out of a Company Voluntary Arrangement by a group of investors.
25-Aug-2003

Powrmatic is to buy Selkirks Manufacturing, the Barnstaple-based manufacturer of chimneys and exhausts, out of receivership for £2.7m, and some of the 180 jobs are expected to be saved.
25-Aug-2003

Rexam is to sell its medical flexible packaging division to Amcor of Australia for £135m, which will involve the transfer of more than 1,000 staff worldwide.
22-Aug-2003

Mouchel has acquired Parkman Group, the Sutton Coldfield-based support services and consulting engineering company, for £78m, and the combined group will focus on road maintenance contracts.
22-Aug-2003

Safestore, the operator of 23 self-storage sites, has undergone a £40m management buy-out backed by Bridgepoint Capital.
22-Aug-2003

Simbec Research, the Merthyr-based pharmaceuticals research company with 80 staff, has undergone a management buy-out from Merck Sante SAS of France for undisclosed terms.
21-Aug-2003

Po Na Na's administrators are to sell 28 of its 45 bars to Avanti Capital for about £7m.
21-Aug-2003

Vocalis, the speech recognition software company with 60 staff, has gone into administration and the main trading division has been sold to Netdecisions for a nominal sum.
21-Aug-2003

Premier Oilfield Services, the Aberdeen-based supplier of oilfield equipment with 41 staff, has been acquired by Superior Energy Services of the US for £20m.
20-Aug-2003

H&A Wines of Chorley has been bought out of administration by the owner of Halewood International for about £2.5m, saving up to 150 jobs.
20-Aug-2003

Nidd Vale Group has sold its General Motors division in Harrogate and Wetherby, which includes 150 staff, to a management buy-out for undisclosed terms.
20-Aug-2003

Royal Bank of Scotland has sold its NCB stockbroking division in Ireland to management for undisclosed terms.
20-Aug-2003

Tellings Golden Miller is to acquire the Dartford operations of Crystals Coaches, as part of a strategy to expand its bus and coach network in the south-east.
19-Aug-2003

WT Foods has acquired Marston Valley Foods, the manufacturer of chilled ready meals, for undisclosed terms.
19-Aug-2003

United Carlton, the Gateshead-based digital copying and printing company, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms, and is now planning to expand across the country.
18-Aug-2003

Watershed Plastics of Durham has acquired HydroFlow Solutions, in order to expand its drainage equipment business into Ireland.
18-Aug-2003

David Fabb Holdings' administrators have sold the Brockway Conveyors division in Stourbridge to an undisclosed buyer, securing 20 jobs.
18-Aug-2003

Close Brothers Growth Capital is backing a £11m management buy-out at Walker Group, the operator of 13 bingo clubs in the Midlands and north.
18-Aug-2003

Swiss Life is to sell its UK-based group income protection and critical illness division to UnumProvident of the US, with the loss of a significant number of the 250 jobs at its Liverpool office.
18-Aug-2003

John Howitt Group is to sell its Channel Print offshore printing business to a management buy-out.
15-Aug-2003

Eden Industries, the Aberdare-based shelving manufacturer with 200 staff, has undergone a £5m management buy-out backed by NMB-Heller.
15-Aug-2003

Sovereign, the Manchester-based manufacturer of shower screens, has undergone a £5m management buy-out along with sister company Woodmet Anodising, and the new group will be called SW.
15-Aug-2003

Dykes Naylor, the Nottingham-based architect, has undergone a management buy-out and the new company will be named DNA.
15-Aug-2003

Hickson & Welch, the Castleford-based chemicals manufacturer with 300 staff, has undergone a £21m management buy-out backed by Dunedin Capital Partners.
15-Aug-2003

Xenova has announced a £8.5m takeover bid for KS Biomedix, and expects to raise at least £9m in a share issue to fund the development of KSB's leading drug.
15-Aug-2003

Triplex Components has sold its iron castings business, which employs more than 200 staff at each of its sites in Tipton and Cardiff, to a management buy-out for undisclosed terms.
14-Aug-2003

Playit.com, the Wirral-based online gaming company with 13 staff, has been acquired by BETandWIN.com Interactive Entertainment of Austria, and the business will relocate to Gibraltar.
14-Aug-2003

ISIS Equity Partners has supported a £20m management buy-out at Americana, the Manchester-based fashion company with about 250 staff.
14-Aug-2003

Taylor Nelson Sofres has sold MRM Promotional Services to a management buy-out for undisclosed terms, securing the future of 120 jobs, and MRM is seeking new premises in Leicestershire.
14-Aug-2003

Tribal Group has acquired Geronimo Public Relations for £14m, in order to expand its public sector professional services business.
14-Aug-2003

PHS has acquired the washroom services division of Johnson Service for £14m.
14-Aug-2003

Ryland, the car dealership, is planning a £46m management buy-out with financial backing from Barclays.
14-Aug-2003

Barkbury Interiors, the Leamington Spa-based fit-out and joinery company, has undergone a management buy-out.
14-Aug-2003

Martindales has sold its building services and Alphingdale Controls divisions to Integral for undisclosed terms, securing the future of 170 jobs.
13-Aug-2003

Lloydspharmacy has acquired Graeme Pharmacy, the chain of eight Scottish pharmacies with 44 staff, for undisclosed terms.
13-Aug-2003

Standard Motor Products Europe has sold Webcon UK, the Sunbury-based supplier of automotive carburettors to the automotive aftermarket, to a management buy-out for undisclosed terms.
13-Aug-2003

Rolls-Royce has acquired the electrical controls business of VT Group for £11m, in order to offer integrated power solutions.
13-Aug-2003

Euromoney Institutional Investor has acquired HedgeFund Intelligence, the hedge fund publisher and event organiser, for up to £16m.
13-Aug-2003

Johnson Service has sold Connacht Court Group, the operator of Johnson's textile rental business in Ireland, to National Linen for £15m.
12-Aug-2003

Charles Stanley is to acquire the Nothing Ventured online share dealing service and part of a private client brokerage from Durlacher for up to £4.5m.
12-Aug-2003

Go-Ahead has acquired Wilts & Dorset Bus Company, the Poole-based operator of 365 buses, for £32m.
12-Aug-2003

Detica has acquired Rubus, the systems integrator that focuses on content management and customer interaction solutions, for £2.6m.
12-Aug-2003

Jordison, the Redcar-based printing company with 14 staff, has been acquired by one of its former employees for undisclosed terms.
11-Aug-2003

Radstone Technology is to acquire Interactive Circuits & Systems, the Canadian developer of military radio systems, for £21m.
11-Aug-2003

Molins is to acquire Sasib, the Italian manufacturer of cigarette packing machinery, for £11m.
11-Aug-2003

Northgate Information Solutions has acquired Hays Consulting & Solutions for £5.5m, and will close the Hays office in Milton Keynes with the loss of an unspecified number of jobs.
11-Aug-2003

Vodafone is to acquire Singlepoint, the mobile phone services subsidiary of Caudwell, for £405m.
11-Aug-2003

Planned Storage Systems, the Swindon-based provider of storage solutions, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms.
08-Aug-2003

Bodycote International has acquired five laboratories in the United Arab Emirates and Oman from Carillion for £1.3m, in order to expand its materials testing division.
08-Aug-2003

Lydney, the manufacturer of steel security units with 80 staff at a factory on Merseyside and 140 in Gloucestershire, has undergone a management buy-out from Peterhouse for undisclosed terms.
08-Aug-2003

Amec has acquired Wrights Engineering, the Ellesmere Port-based provider of repair services for bulk storage tanks with 130 staff, for undisclosed terms.
07-Aug-2003

Eckoh Technologies is to acquire Intelliplus, the provider of telecoms services, for £8.9m.
07-Aug-2003

Bethell Building Services has undergone a management buy-out, creating a new group with 325 staff called White Building Services.
07-Aug-2003

WH Ireland has acquired Carr Sheppards Crosthwaite's private client investment management and stockbroking business in Cardiff.
06-Aug-2003

Clarity Commerce Solutions has acquired Pacer CATS, the supplier of software solutions to the cinema market, from Ticketmaster for about £2m.
06-Aug-2003

Vodafone is to acquire Project Telecom, the Newark-based provider of mobile phone services, for £155m.
06-Aug-2003

Standard Chartered has bought 20twenty, the South African online bank, out of liquidation.
06-Aug-2003

Mouchel has acquired GEL Group, the Leicestershire-based gas engineering consultancy with 60 staff, for £3m.
05-Aug-2003

Torex has expanded its healthcare software business with the £1.4m acquisition of the operating theatre and anaesthesia systems business of Civica.
05-Aug-2003

Numerica has acquired Forbes Dawson, the Manchester-based tax consultancy, for £0.7m.
05-Aug-2003

RAL Holdings, the operator of 135 Quicksilver amusement arcades, is to undergo a £40m management buy-out backed by PPM.
05-Aug-2003

Watermark Group has acquired Media on the Move, the distributor of newspapers and magazines to the airline industry.
05-Aug-2003

Advanced Power Components has acquired Silver Birch Marketing and GO Technology, the Cambridgeshire-based distributors of electronic components.
05-Aug-2003

Travis Perkins has acquired Jayhard, the Southampton-based chain of 53 plumbing and heating branches, for £26m.
04-Aug-2003

Centrica has agreed to sell the Goldfish credit card and personal loans business to Lloyds TSB in a £112m deal.
01-Aug-2003

Brit Insurance has sold Peoples Choice Europe, the telesales personal lines insurance broker, to Hastings Insurance Services for £7.2m.
01-Aug-2003

Ultra Electronics is to acquire Radamec Defence Systems, the Surrey-based supplier of surveillance and weapon control systems with about 70 staff, for £6m.
01-Aug-2003

Stanelco has acquired Adept Polymers, the manufacturer of biodegradable plastics, for £0.3m.
31-Jul-2003

Paragon Labels has acquired EPL Technologies of Gainsborough and Norfolk Labels of Griston, increasing its workforce by 140 to 500.
31-Jul-2003

Royal Bank of Scotland has acquired Community Bancorp, the Massachusetts-based bank with ten branches, for £69m.
31-Jul-2003

Diploma has acquired HA Wainwright, the distributor of temperature and pressure control instruments, for £7.8m.
31-Jul-2003

Braemar Seascope is to acquire Cory Brothers, the ship agency, for £1.5m.
31-Jul-2003

Berkeley Berry Birch has acquired MacRobins, the insurance broker and employee benefits company, for an initial £0.7m.
30-Jul-2003

IG Group, the spread betting company, is to undergo a £143m management buy-out backed by venture capital group CVC.
30-Jul-2003

CRH is to acquire Cementbouw, the Dutch building materials and DIY group, for £488m.
30-Jul-2003

Taylor & Francis has acquired Frank Cass & Co, the London-based journal and book publisher, for £9.5m.
28-Jul-2003

Ashtead has raised £6m from the disposal of certain non-core businesses, including the sale of the rental assets of its Big Air division to Speedy Power and its mast climbing work platforms to Mastclimbers.
28-Jul-2003

Kleeneze has sold its DMG display marketing business to Premier Direct for £4.1m.
28-Jul-2003

Insure-Shop has acquired Birstall-based K&M Lee Insurance, taking its national network to 21 branches.
25-Jul-2003

Zwemmer, the London-based arts bookseller, has been bought out of administration by Shipley.
25-Jul-2003

GKN has acquired Pilkington Aerospace, the manufacturer of military aircraft canopies, for £42m.
23-Jul-2003

Torex is planning to merge with Isoft to create a combined supplier of computer systems to the health care sector with a valuation of £700m.
23-Jul-2003

ARM Holdings has acquired Adelante Technologies, the Belgian designer of data processing systems, for undisclosed terms.
23-Jul-2003

United Business Media has acquired Aprovia UK, the construction industry publishing company, for £79m.
22-Jul-2003

Kidde is to acquire IFTE, the supplier of fire training and safety equipment, for £10m.
22-Jul-2003

Exel is to acquire Unidocks, the Brazilian provider of logistics services to the pharmaceutical sector, for about £1.5m.
22-Jul-2003

Smiths Group is to sell its polymers division to Trelleborg of Sweden for £495m, in order to reduce debt and focus on detection, aerospace and medical equipment.
22-Jul-2003

CRC Group has acquired ADP Technical Services, the Bedford-based computer repair company with 35 staff.
21-Jul-2003

Charles Stanley has acquired EBS Management, EBS Pensioneer Trustees and EBS Self, in order to expand its business setting up pension schemes for individuals and small companies.
21-Jul-2003

Alphameric is to acquire Compass Software for £9m, and has also raised £2.5m in a share issue.
21-Jul-2003

Hays has sold its business process outsourcing division to Astron for £21m, as part of a strategy to focus on recruitment.
21-Jul-2003

Lyons Seafoods, the Warminster-based prawn and seafood supplier with annual turnover of about £50m, has been acquired by SIF of Iceland.
21-Jul-2003

Groundforce has acquired Trench Shore, the Tring-based equipment rental firm, for undisclosed terms.
21-Jul-2003

Hamleys is expected to open up to 100 Bear Factory stores around the world over the next five years, following its acquisition by Baugur.
18-Jul-2003

Sage has acquired Timberline Software, the US supplier of business software, for £64m.
18-Jul-2003

William Jacks is to sell its BMW and Mini car dealerships in Cobham and Wimbledon to Inchcape Estates for £6.2m.
17-Jul-2003

British American Tobacco has acquired Ente Tabacchi Italiano, the Italian cigarette company, for £1.6bn.
17-Jul-2003

Northgate Information Solutions has acquired Blue 8 Technologies, the Nottingham-based provider of IT systems to the emergency services, for £9.3m.
17-Jul-2003

Tribal Group has acquired Kinetic Technologies, the supplier of property and asset management software to local authorities, for £7m.
16-Jul-2003

Cenargo has sold its logistics division out of administration to a management buy-in, securing the future of its Eaglescliffe depot on Teesside, which is home to 600 jobs.
16-Jul-2003

Wilson Pitts, the Leeds-based insolvency firm, has sold The Great Northern Wine Company of Ripon to a former manager.
16-Jul-2003

Edotech has acquired Lasertech of Switzerland, in order to expand its independent customer communications business.
16-Jul-2003

Equip Outdoor Technologies has acquired Rab Carrington, the supplier of outdoor equipment with 40 staff at a factory in Sheffield.
16-Jul-2003

Black & Veatch has acquired Lewin Fryer & Partners, the Hampton-based consulting engineering firm, for undisclosed terms.
16-Jul-2003

Vp has acquired Trench Shore, the supplier of shoring products to the construction industry, for £2.7m.
15-Jul-2003

Jardine Lloyd Thompson has acquired Thomas Winter, the insurance broker with 44 staff at offices in Marlow and Glasgow, for £3.5m.
15-Jul-2003

Highbury House Communications is to acquire Paragon Publishing, the publisher of 33 consumer magazines, for £32m.
15-Jul-2003

RM has acquired SIR, the data management and statistical services provider that trades as Forvus, for an initial £4.5m.
15-Jul-2003

Chemring is to sell its Alloy Surfaces chemicals business in the US to Akron Paint & Varnish for up to £2.5m.
14-Jul-2003

Simon Group is to sell Seawheel Holdings, the transportation and distribution services business, to management for a nominal sum.
14-Jul-2003

Parkman Group has acquired Atkins Odlin Consulting Engineers, the provider of traffic control and engineering design services with offices in London, Coventry, Liverpool, Leeds and Stockport, for an initial £4.1m.
14-Jul-2003

ICI has sold its waste management business to the Impetus arm of Thornaby-based Scott Bros Group, and more than £1m will be invested in new equipment at the Teesport site.
14-Jul-2003

Hays is to sell its information management services business to Iron Mountain Europe for £200m.
14-Jul-2003

Kingfisher has sold Dubois Materiaux, its French builders merchant subsidiary, to Saint-Gobain for £69m.
14-Jul-2003

Media Square has acquired BANC, the London-based brand and advertising consultancy, in order to expand its Equanim marketing communications business.
11-Jul-2003

Manganese Bronze is to sell its components division to BSA Holdings for £8m, including Deans Powered Doors of Beverley, Advanced Sintering of Ipswich, Metal Powders of Birmingham and Precision Castings of Redditch.
11-Jul-2003

Autonomy is to acquire Virage, the US supplier of video and communications software, for about £16m.
11-Jul-2003

WPP has acquired Centrum voor Marketing Analyses, the Dutch market research company with 100 staff, in order to expand its Millward Brown business.
11-Jul-2003

Caffyns has acquired the Audi car dealership in Eastbourne from Lindbrook for £1.3m.
11-Jul-2003

Ultrachem has acquired Keane Graphic Products, the Ashford-based supplier of pre-press and pressroom consumables with annual turnover of £7m, for undisclosed terms.
11-Jul-2003

WH Boddington, the Tonbridge-based injection moulder, has been sold by Helix Industries to private equity firm Rubicon Partners, along with four other engineering businesses.
11-Jul-2003

Sherwood International, the software company, has accepted a £65m takeover offer from SunGard of the US.
11-Jul-2003

Crown Sports is to sell its Crown Content publishing business in Australia to Sportsbrand Media Group for £1m.
10-Jul-2003

Timbmet has acquired the Vincent Murphy timber business in Liverpool for undisclosed terms, including its Severn Plywood subsidiary in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire.
10-Jul-2003

CP Pharmaceuticals, the Wrexham-based supplier of drugs to hospitals, has been acquired by Wockhardt of India for £11m.
10-Jul-2003

Mentmore has sold its Serviced Business Space division to Ashtenne Holdings for £182m, in order to focus on personal storage and paper archiving.
10-Jul-2003

Duke Street Capital, the private equity firm, has acquired Galaxie of France for £139m, and Duke Street plans to double the chain of budget hotels to about 200 over the next seven years.
10-Jul-2003

Medical Solutions is to acquire Farrer-Brown, the London-based histopathology laboratory with eight staff, from Sonic Healthcare.
09-Jul-2003

Planit Holdings has acquired Huckerby Royall Systems, the supplier of enterprise resource planning software with offices in Woking and Leicester, for £0.5m plus shares.
09-Jul-2003

United Drug has acquired Mantis Surgical, the Newbury-based supplier of medical equipment with 17 staff, for £5.6m.
09-Jul-2003

Butcher & Baker Foods has been acquired by Wiltshire-based Apetito, prompting speculation about future job losses from the 200-strong workforce at its factory in Dudley.
09-Jul-2003

EMTEC, the automotive training consultancy, has been acquired by Carter & Carter International of Peterborough in a £25m deal.
09-Jul-2003

Invensys has sold Teccor Electronics, its US semiconductor subsidiary, to Littelfuse for £27m.
09-Jul-2003

Glanbia has sold its pork butchery and abattoir operations in Tipton and West Bromwich to Flagship Foods for £8m, while its smaller abattoir in Gainsborough will be closed.
08-Jul-2003

Blacks Leisure has acquired Just Add Water, the retailer of surf and skateboard equipment with 10 stores, for £4.3m.
08-Jul-2003

CCL Industries, the North Lincolnshire-based aerosol manufacturer, has been acquired by Dewsbury-based Techfill for undisclosed terms, and 60 jobs will be lost at its Grimsby site.
08-Jul-2003

Axis-Shield has sold its autoimmune diagnostics business to the Euro-Diagnostica Group for £2.2m.
07-Jul-2003

Bookham Technology is to acquire Cierra Photonics, the US manufacturer of fibre optic components with 39 staff, for £2.2m.
07-Jul-2003

HR Owen has acquired three car dealerships - the Park West Chiswick BMW dealership in London, the Brighton Mercedes-Benz franchise from Rivervale and the Guy Salmon Jaguar outlets in London from the Sytner Group.
07-Jul-2003

Drummond Parkland is to merge its textile finishing operation with Bradford-based cloth finisher Armitage, creating a new independent company called Indygo with 50 staff.
07-Jul-2003

Thresher Group has acquired Leapingsalmon.com, the supplier of upmarket ready meals, for about £2m.
07-Jul-2003

Integrated Asset Management is to acquire the UK hedge fund operations of Appleton International, for £1.5m.
07-Jul-2003

Baltimore Technologies is to sell SelectAccess, the provider of an online access service, to Hewlett-Packard for £8.3m.
07-Jul-2003

Marconi has raised £40m from the sale of a 32% stake in broadband internet provider Easynet.
07-Jul-2003

Cordiant Communications is to sell its Financial Dynamics public relations business to a management buy-out backed by Advent International for £26m.
07-Jul-2003

Lumination has acquired Litecraft, the operator of 43 lighting shops, for undisclosed terms.
07-Jul-2003

RHM has sold Haydens Bakeries of Devizes to the Real Good Food Company for undisclosed terms.
07-Jul-2003

Redbridge Holdings has acquired the Stoke depot of Lambert Bros, in order to expand its farm produce wholesaling operation.
07-Jul-2003

T Clarke has acquired two electrical and mechanical engineering contractors in Cambridgeshire - AG Aylward Electrical & Mechanical and AG Aylward EMS - for up to £3.4m.
04-Jul-2003

Mitie has acquired Eagle Pest Control Services, the provider of pest control services to offices, shops and factories, for an initial £2.8m.
04-Jul-2003

Kelvinside Group has sold Multisets, the Swindon-based business forms printer with 64 staff, to a management team.
04-Jul-2003

Lilley Construction, the Glasgow-based builder with 266 staff, has undergone a management buy-out from troubled parent Sunley Turriff.
04-Jul-2003

Vernalis is to merge with British Biotech to create a combined biotechnology group with a market capitalisation of £90m, and the staffing levels will be cut from 204 to 130.
04-Jul-2003

CML Microsystems is to acquire Hyperstone, the German semiconductors company, for £5.2m.
04-Jul-2003

Hawtin has sold Certikin International, the Witney-based supplier of swimming pool equipment, and its MMC subsidiary in France to European Corner for £5.7m.
04-Jul-2003

Derbyshire Building Society is to merge with the Clay Cross Building Society, giving Derbyshire one extra branch and adding £22m to its assets.
04-Jul-2003

Speedy Hire has acquired Kingfisher Hire & Sales, the South Wales-based tool hire company with six depots, for £1.4m.
04-Jul-2003

Mitie has acquired Trident Safeguards, the provider of property security services, for an initial £8.2m.
03-Jul-2003

WS Atkins has sold its Lambert Smith Hampton commercial property operation in Northern Ireland to management for undisclosed terms, creating a new company called BTWShiells with 50 staff.
03-Jul-2003

Baxters has acquired CCL Foods, the Colchester-based manufacturer of condiments and pickles.
03-Jul-2003

Ultra Electronics is to acquire SML Technologies, the Southampton-based developer of electronic surveillance products with 40 staff, for £6.5m.
03-Jul-2003

Cardpoint has acquired Project Telecom Distribution, the Newark-based provider of top-up facilities for mobile phones, for £1.7m.
03-Jul-2003

Waterman Group has acquired Technical Computer Applications, the Belgium-based consulting engineer with 37 staff, for £0.7m.
03-Jul-2003

Valid Information Systems, the Barking-based provider of records management services, has been acquired by Hummingbird of Canada for an initial £10m.
03-Jul-2003

Biotrace International has acquired Maltec, the Danish supplier of microbiological and life sciences products, for a nominal sum.
03-Jul-2003

DCS Group has sold DCS eI, the provider of IT solutions to the supply chain sector, to a management team operating under the name of Computer Systems Integration for £1.2m.
02-Jul-2003

Chelsea Village, the owner of Chelsea football club, has been sold to one of the main shareholders in Russian oil company Sibneft for £140m.
02-Jul-2003

Britannic is to sell its Britannic Money lending division to Solihull-based Paragon Mortgages for £19m.
01-Jul-2003

Co-operative Group has acquired the Balfour chain of 76 convenience stores and 35 newsagents from 3i for £30m, and will spend £16m converting them to its Welcome format.
01-Jul-2003

Wigmore is to acquire DF Blanchard, the Salisbury-based building maintenance company with 43 staff, for up to £2m.
01-Jul-2003

Ricardo is to acquire IFT Group, the German automotive engineering company with 270 staff, for £24m.
01-Jul-2003

Mean Fiddler is to sell its AM radio station to Sunrise Radio for £1.5m, while its bars and restaurants are being sold to Lynnet Leisure for £2m.
01-Jul-2003

Spirent has sold Aviation Information Solutions, its aviation hardware and software business with about 100 staff in the US, Canada and the UK, to Teledyne Technologies for £4.1m.
01-Jul-2003

Northern Foods has acquired the remaining 60% of Solway Foods, the manufacturer of salad meals and sandwiches with factories in Corby and Worksop, in a £27m deal.
01-Jul-2003

Paperlinx of Australia is planning to acquire Buhrmann's paper merchanting division, gaining control of UK-based Robert Horne Group, Howard Smith Paper Group and the M6 Paper Group.
01-Jul-2003

Bonlea, the Stockton-based manufacturer of door frames with 52 staff, has been acquired by Masonite International of Canada for undisclosed terms.
01-Jul-2003

Avecia has agreed to sell its Metal Extraction Products and Intermediates & Stabilizers operations in the US to Cytec for about £60m, which will involve the transfer of 200 staff.
01-Jul-2003

Rank has acquired Disctronics, the CD replicator with factories in Blackburn, Crawley, France and Italy, for £34m, in order to expand its Deluxe film services business.
30-Jun-2003

Loch Fyne Restaurants is planning to rescue the chain of Le Petit Blanc restaurants out of administration in a £1.1m deal.
30-Jun-2003

Loseley Dairy Ice Cream has undergone a management buy-out from Thayers New England, and its factory will relocate from Cardiff to Cwmbran in September.
30-Jun-2003

Virtue Broadcasting has sold its Virtue Media Services division to Interoute Communications for £0.8m, as part of a strategy to focus on the corporate communications market.
27-Jun-2003

Tribal Group is to acquire Hacas, the social housing consultancy, for £45m.
27-Jun-2003

Ennstone has acquired T&T, the Doncaster-based limestone quarry operator, for £2m.
27-Jun-2003

London Clearing House is to merge with Clearnet, creating a combined securities clearing house valued at £830m and called LCH Clearnet.
26-Jun-2003

Huntsworth is to acquire Hatch Group, the public relations company with offices throughout the UK, for £1.6m.
25-Jun-2003

Portman Building Society is to acquire the Staffordshire Building Society for undisclosed terms, gaining 42 branches and a wider product range.
25-Jun-2003

Bridgedale has bought John Partridge, the Staffordshire-based coat manufacturer, out of administration for undisclosed terms.
24-Jun-2003

SectorGuard has acquired First Response Security Services, the provider of manned guarding services at buildings in London and the Midlands, for an initial £0.2m.
23-Jun-2003

Lakeland Dairies has acquired Pritchitt Foods, which includes a milk processing plant in Newtownards and an office in Bromley, for £13m.
23-Jun-2003

Bomfords has acquired Gerber Fresh Produce for undisclosed terms, in order to strengthen its position in legumes, vegetables, salads and fruits.
23-Jun-2003

Severn Trent has acquired Hales, the landfill company, from RMC for £141m, in order to expand its Biffa waste business.
23-Jun-2003

Hoseasons, the self-catering holiday company, has been acquired by private equity firm HgCapital for £40m.
23-Jun-2003

British Polythene is to sell Welton Bibby & Baron, the Bath-based manufacturer of paper bag packaging with 221 staff, to management for £7.8m.
23-Jun-2003

National Starch & Chemical is to sell its Plasticoat cheese coatings business to DSM for undisclosed terms.
23-Jun-2003

Hawtin has sold Gul International, its Cornwall-based wetsuit and water sports business with 48 staff, to management for £0.3m.
23-Jun-2003

GB Liners has acquired International Moving Company, adding four new sites to its nationwide network of removals and storage branches.
20-Jun-2003

WPP has agreed to acquire Cordiant Communications for £266m, which will strengthen its position in marketing services, Latin America and Asia.
20-Jun-2003

Heywood Williams has sold Creation Group, the US manufacturer of aluminium parts for recreational vehicles, to Dura Automotive Systems for £36m.
20-Jun-2003

Fairplace Consulting has acquired Eris, the Italian provider of outplacement services, for £0.7m.
19-Jun-2003

Espotting Media, the London-based online advertising company valued at £101m, is to merge with FindWhat.com.
19-Jun-2003

IQ-Ludorum has sold its Strategic Software Solutions software development subsidiary in India and its 2DB software consulting division in the UK to Affine Research & Development for a nominal sum.
18-Jun-2003

Scope Creative Marketing has merged with Paradigm to create a combined Sheffield-based marketing agency with 85 staff called Dig for Fire.
18-Jun-2003

Hamleys, the London-based toy shop, has agreed a £47m management buy-out backed by Baugur and financed by Royal Bank of Scotland.
18-Jun-2003

Winchester Entertainment is planning to acquire Cobalt Pictures, the film financing and marketing company.
18-Jun-2003

Avesco has sold Creative Technology Outside Broadcast to NMT Outside Broadcast for up to £1.3m.
17-Jun-2003

Exel is to acquire Transbeynak, the Turkish supply chain management company, for undisclosed terms.
17-Jun-2003

Emblem Group, the aircraft weapons rack manufacturer, has been acquired by US defence contractor EDO Corp for £15m.
17-Jun-2003

Holders Technology is to sell its 81% stake in its Justfone telecoms services subsidiary to a private investor for up to £0.5m.
16-Jun-2003

Zurich Financial Services is planning to sell Threadneedle Asset Management to American Express for £340m, enabling Amex to expand its London-based money management operations.
16-Jun-2003

Ferraris is to acquire Bionostics, the US supplier of liquid formulations to test the accuracy of medical diagnostic equipment, for £19m.
16-Jun-2003

Pensord Press, the South Wales-based printing company with 120 staff, has undergone a management buy-out from Allen McGuire & Partners, and will invest £2m in new equipment.
13-Jun-2003

George Waterston & Sons is to sell its general printing, direct mail and office supplies divisions to a management team, while the remaining security print business is to undergo a management buy-in.
13-Jun-2003

Tilney is to acquire SG Investment Management, the former Strauss Turnbull private client business with funds under management of £700m, from SG Hambros.
13-Jun-2003

Linpac, the packaging group, is to be acquired by Montagu Private Equity for £860m.
13-Jun-2003

Bank of Scotland is planning to acquire Compco, the London property company, for £147m.
13-Jun-2003

Westcars, the operator of Saab dealerships in Glasgow and Perth with 75 staff, has been acquired by Eastern Western for about £5m.
12-Jun-2003

Royal Bank of Scotland is to acquire Churchill Insurance from Credit Suisse for £1.2bn, which will involve the merger of Churchill with its Direct Line subsidiary to create the UK's third largest general insurer.
12-Jun-2003

Chubb, the security services group, is to be acquired United Technologies Corp of the US for £622m, and UTC is now seeking further acquisitions.
12-Jun-2003

JD Wetherspoon has sold 17 pubs to The Laurel Pub Company for £10m, taking Laurel's estate to 643.
11-Jun-2003

Tesco is planning to acquire the C Two-Network chain of 78 convenience stores in Japan for £139m, and aims to open up to 20 new stores a year.
11-Jun-2003

Tarsus Group is to sell its Exhibition Bulletin magazine to Mash Media Group for £1.1m.
10-Jun-2003

Royal & Sun Alliance has sold its Royal Specialty Underwriting business in the US to Alleghany Insurance for £72m, while its Puerto Rican subsidiary has been sold to Cooperativa de Seguros Multiples for £38m.
10-Jun-2003

Carillion has acquired Swedish Rail Systems Entreprenad, the Swedish rail maintenance company with 250 staff and net assets of £6.2m.
10-Jun-2003

Waste Recycling Group, the operator of 59 landfill sites, is to be acquired by investment group Terra Firma Capital Partners in a £530m deal.
10-Jun-2003

Stagecoach has sold its Citybus business in Hong Kong to New World First Bus Services for £176m.
10-Jun-2003

HBOS has acquired IMIWeb, the UK broking arm of Banca IMI of Italy, in order to expand its Halifax Share Dealing subsidiary.
09-Jun-2003

Alfred McAlpine has acquired AIMS Group Services, the technical services company that focuses on workplace compliance issues, for £7.2m.
09-Jun-2003

Benfield Motor Group has acquired the former Arriva Toyota car dealership in Wakefield, and will retain all 37 staff.
09-Jun-2003

Stagecoach has agreed to sell the west and south-central regions of Coach USA to merchant bank Kohlberg & Co for £93m.
09-Jun-2003

Just Learning has acquired CareShare, the Scottish chain of 20 nurseries, for £17m, creating a combined group with 56 sites and 1,200 staff.
09-Jun-2003

Kidde is to acquire Briton Fire Company, the Norfolk-based supplier of fire extinguishers, for £4.7m.
09-Jun-2003

Supreme Imports, the supplier of batteries and photographic products, has undergone a £16m management buy-out backed by private equity group Sand Aire.
09-Jun-2003

Persimmon has acquired Merewood Group, the regional housebuilder operating in Cumbria and Lancashire, for £23m.
06-Jun-2003

Northgate Information Solutions is to acquire Carapeople, the supplier of payroll processing systems with 120 staff at offices in Brentford, Bristol, Dublin and Basingstoke, from Hibernia Development Capital Partners for £13m.
06-Jun-2003

Tribal Group has acquired Davies Byatt, the research consultancy, for £2.3m, and MPC, the corporate communications company, for £3m.
06-Jun-2003

Sea Containers is in exclusive negotiations to sell the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company ferry service to private equity firm Montagu for up to £150m.
06-Jun-2003

Pennon has acquired Churngold Holdings, the operator of waste recycling sites in Bristol, Glasgow and Edinburgh, for £20m, in order to expand its Viridor Waste division.
06-Jun-2003

Rexam is to acquire Risdon Pharma Development, the supplier of plastic packaging to the pharmaceutical industry with factories in France and Germany, from Montagu Private Equity for £90m.
05-Jun-2003

Done Bookmakers has acquired Pickwick Racing, the operator of betting shops in Tewkesbury, Cheltenham, Cirencester, Cardiff and Newport with 350 staff.
05-Jun-2003

Spring Group is to acquire the UK and European IT recruitment operations of Best International Group for £7.5m, including offices in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh.
05-Jun-2003

Hayley Somerset Consulting has acquired RAP Consulting Engineers, the Nottingham-based mechanical and electrical engineering consultancy.
05-Jun-2003

Leasedrive Holdings, the contract hire and vehicle rental company, has undergone a £45m management buy-out.
04-Jun-2003

Epyx has acquired TransLease, the provider of electronic authorisation and invoice delivery systems to the automotive market, from Cap Gemini Ernst & Young for undisclosed terms.
04-Jun-2003

Milton Hotels, the Scottish operator of four hotels, has been acquired by Portland Hotels for about £25m, and plans are being prepared to develop and re-brand the sites.
04-Jun-2003

Maclay Murray & Spens has acquired Fenners, the London-based legal firm specialising in corporate finance, property and banking, which will involve the transfer of 18 staff.
04-Jun-2003

Carphone Warehouse has acquired the German operations of Hutchison Telecommunications for £32m, as part of a strategy to enter the service provider business.
04-Jun-2003

Total Bitumen has sold its road surface dressing contracting division to Road Maintenance Services for undisclosed terms.
04-Jun-2003

Securicor has sold Securicor Information Systems, the Chippenham-based provider of IT consultancy services with more than 500 staff, to a management team backed by Kleinwort Capital for up to £30m.
03-Jun-2003

British Airways has sold Deutsche BA, its German subsidiary, to Intro Verwaltungsgesellschaft for a nominal sum.
03-Jun-2003

Invensys is to sell Baan, its Dutch software business, to Cerberus Capital Management and General Atlantic Partners for £84m.
03-Jun-2003

Edinburgh Fund Managers has sold its private client asset management operations to Tilney Investment Management for an initial £5m.
03-Jun-2003

Torex has acquired Mercury Petroleum Systems, the supplier of software and services to the retail petroleum industry, for up to £1m.
02-Jun-2003

Greencore is selling J&J Tranfield, the Sheffield-based sausage manufacturer with 260 staff, to a management team for £5.6m.
02-Jun-2003

PHS has acquired Airstream Services, the Manchester-based washroom services company, for £25m.
02-Jun-2003

Aviagen, the Edinburgh-based poultry breeding company, has been sold by BC Partners to private equity house Advent International for £255m.
02-Jun-2003

Securicor is to sell Securicor Cash Machine, the operator of 1,232 ATMs, to Cardpoint for up to £10m.
30-May-2003

Carillion has sold The Expanded Piling Company, the Grimsby-based piling contractor, to Laing O'Rourke for £6.3m.
30-May-2003

New Look is to acquire the remaining 49% stake in NewMim, the French fashion retailer with 171 stores, for up to £30m.
30-May-2003

Profile Wrappers, the contract profile laminating company with turnover of £3m, has undergone a management buy-in.
30-May-2003

Hydrex has acquired Hughes Rail, the Fareham-based rail plant hirer, for undisclosed terms.
29-May-2003

Aegon UK has acquired Elliott Bayley, the Surrey-based independent financial adviser with 43 staff, for undisclosed terms.
29-May-2003

EQ Group has sold TV Innovations, its US-based healthcare communications division, to management, in order to focus on its UK marketing services business.
29-May-2003

Media Square has acquired Le Fevre Communications, the regional public relations company with offices in London and Oxford.
29-May-2003

Cobham has reached agreement with Northrop Grumman of the US to acquire Litton Life Support, the Iowa-based manufacturer of air separation systems, for about £50m.
29-May-2003

Amey has sold its Amey Vectra technical and environmental consulting business to Volvere for £2m.
28-May-2003

GUS is to sell its home shopping operations in the UK, Ireland and Sweden, as well as its Reality logistics and customer care business, to March UK for £590m.
28-May-2003

Wood Group has acquired Korndorffer Contracting International, the Dutch provider of design engineering services to the oil and gas industry with 45 staff.
28-May-2003

Mining Journal, the London-based mining industry publisher with 34 staff, has undergone a management buy-out backed by Aberdeen Murray Johnstone Private Equity.
28-May-2003

Tindale & Stanton, the Durham-based wholesale bakery chain with more than 300 staff, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms.
28-May-2003

P&O is to sell its routes and vessels at the ports of Liverpool, Fleetwood and Dublin to Stena Line, and its recently-opened terminal at the port of Mostyn will close with the loss of 26 jobs.
28-May-2003

Crediton Poultry Company has sold its cooking division out of receivership to the Crediton Chicken Company, saving 57 jobs.
28-May-2003

Hammicks has sold its legal division to John Smith & Son of Glasgow, including a subscription business and specialist bookshops in London, Manchester and Bristol.
27-May-2003

GVA Grimley is to acquire Saxon Law, the London-based property company, which will involve the relocation of 35 staff from Bruton Street to GVA's base in Stratton Street.
27-May-2003

Leapingsalmon has sold its four railway station kiosks in London to the Unilever Bestfoods' Rocket division, and will now seek tie-ups with non-food retailers.
27-May-2003

Velo, the Marlow-based fleet car management company, has been acquired by West Private Equity for about £10m.
27-May-2003

AstraZeneca has sold Marlow Foods, the manufacturer of Quorn substitute meat products, to Montagu Private Equity for £70m.
27-May-2003

Chime Communications has sold its Smithfield Financial public relations business to management for undisclosed terms.
27-May-2003

Holmes Place is to undergo a £25m management buy-out backed by Bridgepoint and Permira, and plans to open about 25 health clubs across Europe over the next three years.
23-May-2003

Roxboro is to sell its Weston aerospace sensors division to Esterline Technologies for £55m.
23-May-2003

Stagecoach has agreed to sell its Coach USA Transit bus operations in the US to First Transit, a subsidiary of First Group, for about £15m.
23-May-2003

Nord Anglia Education has acquired the Leeds-based skills training provider Yorkshire Post Training, in order to expand its Lifetime Careers subsidiary.
23-May-2003

Medical Solutions has acquired the Welcare Pathology Laboratory from the Welcare Hospital in Dubai for up to £12m.
23-May-2003

Graham's Dairies has bought Stevenson Dairy Farm at Cumnock in Ayrshire, increasing its headcount from 165 to 190.
23-May-2003

Walker Greenbank is to sell the fabric weaving operations of Weavestyle and Contract Fabrics to Project Riverside OPCO for £2.8m.
22-May-2003

Redbridge Holdings has acquired H Goodall, the Wolverhampton-based fresh produce wholesaler with 15 staff.
22-May-2003

Initial Packaging Solutions of Widnes has been bought out of receivership by a management buy-out, securing 90 jobs.
22-May-2003

ISA International has been bought out of administration by a London-based consortium, securing the future of 290 jobs at its computer supplies business in Bradford.
22-May-2003

Cardfair has acquired Card Warehouse in a £45m deal, creating a new company called Greeting Card Group with more than 400 shops.
21-May-2003

Pink Link, the Huddersfield-based haulage firm with 50 staff and 20 vehicles, has undergone a management buy-out backed by Lloyds TSB Corporate.
21-May-2003

Powderject, the vaccine maker, is to be acquired by Chiron of the US for more than £540m.
20-May-2003

Sports Resource Group, the sports marketing company, has agreed terms for a £6.6m management buy-out.
20-May-2003

IFG Group has sold The ISA Shop, the Nottingham-based independent financial advisor, to The Money Portal for £1.9m.
20-May-2003

Ryland has sold its Peugeot dealership in Stoke-on-Trent to Greenhous Group for £2.3m.
20-May-2003

McCowans, the Stenhousemuir-based toffee confectionery company with 70 staff, has been acquired by a management buy-in from Dutch consortium Phideas for £3m.
20-May-2003

John S Burns has acquired three printing businesses in Glasgow for just under £1m, including Dave Barr Print, Vibracolour and Clydeway Print Finishers.
20-May-2003

Knowledge Support Systems' principal trading subsidiary is to be acquired by Eurovestech, and the remaining KSSG shell will undergo voluntary liquidation.
19-May-2003

Acal has acquired 70% of the issued share capital of Computer Parts International from its management and 3i Group, in a £5.8m deal.
19-May-2003

Beckett Group has acquired Hose Somers, the Thetford-based insurance broker, and is now in discussions with four other regionally-based brokers.
19-May-2003

Omnico has acquired PL Plastics, the supplier of plastic building products with branches in Preston and Wigan, for undisclosed terms.
19-May-2003

Northumbrian Water has been sold by Suez of France to a consortium of financial institutions led by Deutsche Bank and Ecofin, in a £2.2bn deal.
19-May-2003

Lloyds TSB is to sell its French private banking and fund management operations to UBS of Switzerland for undisclosed terms.
19-May-2003

Mushroom Records is being acquired by Warner Music of the US for an estimated £15m.
19-May-2003

Viridian and 3i have sold the ShopElectric chain of 35 electrical stores in Northern Ireland to Northern Retail.
19-May-2003

BBA Group is to acquire the Midcoast Aviation Fixed Base Operation at St Louis Lambert International Airport in the US for £6m, in order to expand its Signature Flight subsidiary.
16-May-2003

Grant Thornton has sold Droylsden-based Springs Bakery out of receivership to The Real Dough Company of Manchester, saving 55 jobs.
15-May-2003

Grant Thornton has sold CLM Building Services of Warrington out of receivership to Middlesex-based Atlas Securities, securing the future of 120 jobs.
15-May-2003

Royal Bank of Scotland is to buy the German credit card operations of Santander Central Hispano for undisclosed terms, while the South American private banking operations of its Coutts division are being sold to SCH.
15-May-2003

Taylor Nelson Sofres has acquired NFO, the US market research business of Interpublic, for £264m.
15-May-2003

DSSR has acquired Malcolm Lamb Associates, the West Midlands-based building services consultancy.
15-May-2003

Hawtin is to sell its Bridgend-based Powersport International fitness equipment manufacturing business to a management team for £0.7m.
14-May-2003

Eyestorm has merged with Britart to create a combined art dealing business called Whiteground, with three co-branded international galleries in London, New York and Newcastle.
14-May-2003

Warner Village, the chain of 36 cinemas, has been acquired by SBC International Cinemas for £225m, and the sites will be renamed as Vue.
14-May-2003

Cinven and Candover are in negotiations to acquire the BertelsmannSpringer scientific publishing division of Bertelsmann of Germany, in a £700m deal.
13-May-2003

Kingdom of Leather, the operator of 15 furniture stores, has been acquired by Natuzzi of Italy for about £30m.
13-May-2003

London Pacific is to sell London Pacific Advisory Services, London Pacific Securities and LPA Insurance Agency to SunGard Data Systems for £5.1m.
13-May-2003

Selfridges, the department store group, has accepted a £600m takeover bid from the Wittington Canada private holding company.
13-May-2003

Touchstone has acquired the Microsoft Great Plains business software division of Tenon Technology, which will involve the transfer of a client list and certain employees.
12-May-2003

Travelcare has acquired Sunshare Vacations, the travel company with 200 staff at call centres in Stockport, Doncaster, Kidderminster and Bournemouth.
12-May-2003

Johnson Service has acquired Jeeves of Belgravia, the London-based operator of 12 dry cleaning shops, from Minit Holdings for about £3m.
12-May-2003

Timpson has acquired Minit UK, the owner of Supasnaps, Sketchley cleaners and Mister Minit, taking its total chain to more than 1,000 outlets.
12-May-2003

Scatchard has sold its Merseyside-based wine and spirits wholesale division to JW Lees of Oldham for undisclosed terms, with the transfer of 12 staff.
09-May-2003

Torex has acquired Protos, the supplier of maternity IT systems, for £1.5m.
09-May-2003

Barclays is to acquire Banco Zaragozano, the Spanish bank with 361 branches, for £810m.
09-May-2003

Project Telecom has acquired IMS Telecom, the Leeds-based provider of mobile telecom services, for £2.2m.
09-May-2003

Wembley is to acquire the Perry Barr Greyhound Racing Club in Birmingham for £4.2m, and up to £2m will be invested in new facilities.
08-May-2003

Arriva has sold its Peugeot dealerships in Hartlepool and Middlesbrough to South Cleveland Garages.
08-May-2003

Bullough, the office furniture and heating company, has been acquired by Montpellier for £7.4m.
08-May-2003

UCS Construction, the Lincoln-based construction group with 350 staff, has undergone a £7.5m management buy-in.
08-May-2003

Meggitt has sold its petroleum systems business to a management buy-in operating under the name of VBi for £3.5m.
07-May-2003

Christian Salvesen is to sell its German industrial logistics business to a management buy-out for a nominal sum.
07-May-2003

Spice Holdings has acquired H2O Water Services, the Leeds-based installer of water meters and pipes with 350 staff, in a multi-million pound deal.
07-May-2003

Nettec is to sell Nettec Solutions, the supplier of content-managed corporate portals, to Aspect Internet Holdings for £0.6m.
06-May-2003

Sky Capital is to acquire Cardinal Capital Management, the US-based broker dealer and investment advisor, for £2.6m.
06-May-2003

Hurst Parnell, the Bristol-based fruit and vegetable wholesaler with 70 staff, is under new ownership and finance for the deal was provided by Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance.
06-May-2003

Kenwood Turned Parts Engineering of the Isle of Wight has been bought out of receivership by a former director, saving 50 jobs.
06-May-2003

Rok has sold the plant hire business of recently-acquired Llewellyn to Cox Plant for £4.5m.
06-May-2003

Protherics is to acquire Enact Pharma, the biopharmaceuticals company, for £7.9m, and has also announced plans to raise £3m in a share offer.
06-May-2003

Duckworth, the independent publisher, has been bought out of administration by a group of US investors for undisclosed terms.
06-May-2003

Reg Vardy has announced the £11m acquisition of seven more dealerships, including Jaguar and Land Rover sites in Edinburgh, two Volkswagen sites in Wolverhampton and three Ford sites in the west of Scotland.
06-May-2003

Dennis Publishing is to acquire the I Feel Good publishing company for £5.1m, in order to expand its Choice Publishers division.
06-May-2003

John Laing has sold Beechcroft Developments, its retirement home construction business, to a management buy-out backed by Bank of Scotland for £34m.
06-May-2003

Stanley Leisure has bought the Palm Beach Casino in London from London Clubs International for £36m.
06-May-2003

Co-operative Group is planning to acquire the Norpak chilled and frozen foods distribution business in Staffordshire from United Co-operatives for undisclosed terms.
06-May-2003

PricewaterhouseCoopers has sold Oriental Express Frozen Foods, the Norfolk-based ready meals company, out of receivership to a management buy-out, saving 150 jobs.
06-May-2003

JE Wilson & Sons has acquired Duncan's, the Lanarkshire-based confectionery manufacturer, for undisclosed terms.
06-May-2003

Software for Sport is to acquire Chorus Application Software, the south-west of England-based supplier of financial software systems, for £1.4m, and has also announced plans to change its name to Computer Software Group.
02-May-2003

Vale Brothers has acquired Equus Polymer, the Willenhall-based manufacturer of equestrian products, for undisclosed terms.
02-May-2003

Parkdean is to acquire Pactrem, the owner of two caravan holiday parks in Cornwall, for £13m.
02-May-2003

Global Group has announced that its Canterbury Foods subsidiary is to sell the Spacehire cold storage and vegetable freezing operation in Goole to Mulberry Foods for £1.9m.
01-May-2003

Mouchel has acquired Lloyd Davies Associates, the Newbury-based information management consultancy, for up to £1.7m.
01-May-2003

Capital Gaming has been established to acquire the Cardiff-based gambling machine assets of Coinmaster out of receivership, saving 15 jobs from the 50-strong workforce.
01-May-2003

Tomkins is to acquire Stackpole, the Canadian manufacturer of power train components, for £143m.
01-May-2003

Betinternet.com has acquired Oddsalive, the Malta-based online betting company, for a nominal sum.
30-Apr-2003

SectorGuard has acquired the manned guarding business of London Alliance Contract Services for an initial £0.5m.
30-Apr-2003

Crown Sports is to sell its Winning Lines sports betting service to Last Race for £0.4m, in order to focus on health and fitness.
30-Apr-2003

Bradford & Bingley is to acquire Holden Meehan, the independent financial adviser, for undisclosed terms.
30-Apr-2003

Ambient has sold its World Market Analysis research business to the founder of Global Insight for £1.2m.
29-Apr-2003

PNC Telecom has sold KJC Mobile Phones, the mobile phone retail and distribution business, and PNC Telecom Services, the fixed line telecom business, to Harthall for £2m.
29-Apr-2003

Everest, the double glazing company, has undergone a £63m management buy-out backed by Bank of Scotland.
29-Apr-2003

RAC has sold its Lex Harvey and Lex Birchwood forklift trucks and mobile maintenance operations, including 18 sites and about 1,000 staff, to Finning International of Canada for £99m.
29-Apr-2003

Scottish & Newcastle is to acquire HP Bulmer, the Hereford-based cider maker, for £278m, and has also announced the acquisition of Portuguese brewer Central de Cervejas.
29-Apr-2003

Alstom is to sell its industrial turbines business to Siemens of Germany for £760m.
29-Apr-2003

WPP has acquired Sadek Wynberg Research for undisclosed terms, in order to expand its Millward Brown market research division.
29-Apr-2003

CODASciSys has acquired Business Collaborator, the Reading-based provider of knowledge management solutions, from Enviros for £2.8m.
28-Apr-2003

MF Sealing Systems has acquired Allen Gwynnes, the process pump repair business of Teesside-based Marske Machine Company.
28-Apr-2003

Wolseley is planning to acquire Pinault Bois & Materiaux, the French distributor of building materials with 5,300 staff, for £390m.
25-Apr-2003

BBA Group has acquired the Premier Turbines aircraft engine repair business in the US from Sabreliner Corporation for £22m, and has also announced the sale of its Luton engineering business to Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation.
25-Apr-2003

Strainstall Group has acquired Prolec, the Dorset-based manufacturer of safety equipment with 24 staff.
25-Apr-2003

World Travel Holdings has sold Netfaresonline, its Canadian consolidated fares distribution business, to Logiciels OpenFares for £0.2m.
24-Apr-2003

Kingfisher is to sell Reno-Depot, its Canadian chain of 20 home improvement stores, to RONA for £155m.
24-Apr-2003

Bloomsbury Publishing has acquired Berlin Verlag Beteiligungsgesellschaft and BvT Berliner Taschenbuch Verlags, in order to expand its literary publishing business in Germany.
24-Apr-2003

Leicester Circuits, the manufacturer of printed circuit boards, has been bought out of administration by a management buy-out, saving 65 jobs.
24-Apr-2003

SDL has acquired Lomac, the provider of Eastern European localisation and translation services, for up to £1.2m.
23-Apr-2003

Valpak has sold its commercial glass collection business to Berryman, including the assets, trade and goodwill of the Recycle-more-glass scheme.
23-Apr-2003

Misys has acquired Crossmar Matching Service, the developer of software for foreign exchange transactions, from Citicorp for £8.3m.
23-Apr-2003

PSL, the Aberdeen-based oil services company, has been bought out of receivership by management, securing the future of 200 jobs.
22-Apr-2003

AC Ward has acquired the Saxton grocery wholesale business of BWG, and will relocate its own operation to the Saxton depot at West Thurrock.
22-Apr-2003

Brit Insurance is to acquire PRI Group, the professional indemnity insurer, for £156m.
18-Apr-2003

Royal Bank of Scotland is to acquire Port Financial Corporation, the US holding company for the Cambridgeport savings bank, for £180m.
18-Apr-2003

Planit Holdings is to acquire Radan Computational, the Bath-based supplier of CAD software for the sheet metal industry, for £3.6m.
18-Apr-2003

Photo-Me International has acquired the Central Lab Equipment division of the former Gretag Imaging company in Switzerland for £1.4m, in order to expand its photo laboratories business.
18-Apr-2003

JW Braithwaite, the Wolverhampton-based bookbinder and print finisher, has been bought out of receivership by a management team, securing 70 jobs.
18-Apr-2003

Cordell Group has acquired Structures (Teesside), the steel-working company with 30 staff, and 30 additional jobs will be created within two years.
18-Apr-2003

NCC Group, the Manchester-based software services company with 140 staff, has undergone a £30m management buy-out.
18-Apr-2003

Aegis has acquired the media buying assets of Independent Media Services of the US for £5m.
17-Apr-2003

Parity Group has acquired the training facilitation business of Technical Training of Edinburgh for £0.7m.
17-Apr-2003

Lair International of Bridgend has acquired Talisman, the Essex-based manufacturer of nylon handcuffs, for £1m.
17-Apr-2003

Amey, the support services group with 9,000 staff, is to be acquired by Grupo Ferrovial of Spain for £81m, which will enable Amey to resume its place in the Tube Lines consortium.
17-Apr-2003

Chesterton International, the commercial property company, is expected to accept a £10m takeover offer from Phoenix Acquisitions, a vehicle set up by one of its largest shareholders.
17-Apr-2003

Linden has acquired the Fairfield housebuilding joint venture between Wiggins and Galliford Try for £7.2m.
17-Apr-2003

Hanson is to acquire Better Materials Corporation, the US aggregates company, for £97m.
17-Apr-2003

Convergent Communications has sold its systems division to the Oval subsidiary of Azzurri for £4m, in order to focus on its mobile phone service and distribution business.
16-Apr-2003

SembCorp Utilities of Singapore has acquired the Enron Teesside Operations chemicals site at Wilton for £83m, securing the future of 579 jobs.
16-Apr-2003

Elopak has acquired the Bowpak and Quadrobloc carton packaging business at Houghton-le-Spring from SIG Combibloc.
16-Apr-2003

Showpla Mouldings, the Cannock-based plastics company, has been bought out of receivership by a management buy-in, saving more than 100 jobs.
16-Apr-2003

Burn Stewart has acquired the Black Bottle whisky brand and the Islay single malt Bunnahabhain, together with the Bunnahabhain distillery, from Glasgow-based Edrington for about £10m.
15-Apr-2003

Network Health & Beauty, the Farnborough-based distributor of beauty and personal care products with 47 staff, has been acquired by EPIC Brand Investments and the Lornamead Group.
15-Apr-2003

PricewaterhouseCoopers has sold Oriental Express Frozen Foods of Fakenham out of receivership to a management team, securing the future of more than 150 jobs.
15-Apr-2003

Gloystarne, the Rotherham-based warehousing and transport company with 300 staff, has been bought out of administration by New Wave Logistics of Milton Keynes for undisclosed terms.
15-Apr-2003

Markbeech Products, the Rowley Regis-based supplier of coconut products, has been bought out of administration by Singapore-based First Grade Agency, securing 42 jobs.
14-Apr-2003

Seymour Pierce's investment banking and broking division is to undergo a £7.3m management buy-out backed by Alchemy Partners, while the fund management division will be sold in a separate deal.
14-Apr-2003

Viridian is to sell the Moyle electricity interconnector between Northern Ireland and Scotland to Moyle Holdings for £122m.
14-Apr-2003

Oxford Glycosciences has recommended that shareholders accept a £101m takeover offer from Celltech.
14-Apr-2003

PPL Therapeutics is to sell its xenograft and stem cell activities to a newly-formed US company called Regenecor Holdings, in which PPL will hold an equity stake.
11-Apr-2003

Propan Homes has acquired Honeygrove Holdings, the housebuilder with operations in Kent and Sussex, for £2m, and the enlarged group will change its name to Honeygrove Group.
11-Apr-2003

Box Carton, the West Bromwich-based packaging company, has been bought out of receivership by a management team, saving 65 jobs.
11-Apr-2003

RGIT Montrose, the provider of energy consultancy and training services with 170 staff, has undergone a £10m management buy-out backed by 3i.
11-Apr-2003

Fitness First, the operator of 346 fitness clubs, is to undergo a £204m management buy-out backed by Cinven, and 40 new clubs are expected to open in the coming year.
11-Apr-2003

InTechnology has acquired Allasso, the German distributor of IT security products, from Articon-Integralis for up to £20m.
11-Apr-2003

Sweetmans, the operator of 26 shops and three bakeries across South Wales, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms, and is now planning to open eight new shops over the next two years.
10-Apr-2003

Curtis Fine Papers has acquired two paper businesses from Klippan International of Sweden for undisclosed terms, and Klippan's Caldwells Mill plant at Inverkeithing will now focus on office paper and publishing paper.
10-Apr-2003

Bett is to be acquired by Gladedale of Surrey in a deal that values the Scottish housebuilder at £95m.
10-Apr-2003

Retail Decisions has sold its Human Resources Technology software subsidiary to management for £0.9m.
09-Apr-2003

Blick has acquired ISGUS International, the distributor of time recording and production management systems produced by ISGUS Schlenker-Grusen of Germany.
09-Apr-2003

Spirax-Sarco Engineering has acquired Watson-Marlow Bredel, the peristaltic pump distributor, from Walter Becker South Africa for £1.3m.
08-Apr-2003

XKO has acquired Control, the ERP software company with 40 staff and offices in Deeside and Birmingham, for £1.2m.
08-Apr-2003

Barkston, the Leeds-based plastics company with more than 100 staff, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms.
08-Apr-2003

James Brearley & Sons has acquired Nichols Williams Durrant & Co, the Leeds-based investment and pensions adviser.
08-Apr-2003

Xstrata is to acquire MIM, the Australian coal, zinc and copper producer, for £1.9bn, partly funded by a £900m rights issue.
08-Apr-2003

Stylo has acquired Shelly's, the operator of 11 high street shoe shops, for £1.5m.
08-Apr-2003

MyTravel has sold MyTravel Financial Services, its foreign exchange wholesale business, to Travelex for £21m.
07-Apr-2003

Initiative Software has acquired Tele-Connect of Staffordshire from Cedar Enterprise Solutions for undisclosed terms, in order to expand its call centre software business.
07-Apr-2003

Royal & Sun Alliance has sold its UK private medical insurance business to a management team backed by Barclays Private Equity for £147m.
07-Apr-2003

Vantis has acquired the non-audit business of Beavis Walker of London for up to £5.2m.
04-Apr-2003

Birkby's Plastics, the injection moulder with 500 staff in Yorkshire and Detroit, has undergone a management buy-out from Japanese trading house Marubeni.
04-Apr-2003

CJ Vander, the Sheffield-based manufacturer of silverware, has undergone a management buy-out from US parent Syratech Corporation, and sister company International Silver is also part of the deal.
04-Apr-2003

Osmetech has announced a £2.2m deal to acquire Roche's US-based OPTI range of blood gas analysers.
04-Apr-2003

Incisive Media has acquired Risk Waters, the financial publisher, for £35m.
04-Apr-2003

TTP Communications has acquired Mobisys Telecom, the South Korean GSM/GPRS terminal integration and design company with 24 staff.
03-Apr-2003

Scottish & Southern Energy has acquired Neoscorp, the Berkshire-based provider of communications network infrastructure, for £13m, in order to expand its SSE Telecommunications division.
03-Apr-2003

Emap is to acquire Excelsior Publications, the French publisher of consumer magazines, in a £64m deal.
03-Apr-2003

Ceramic Tile Distributors has been acquired by Saint Gobain of France, securing the future of 124 jobs at sites in Newcastle, Hull, Sunderland and Darlington.
03-Apr-2003

Bank of Scotland is to help fund the £35m acquisition of 15 Brannigans bars out of receivership by the owner of Blackpool Tower.
03-Apr-2003

Ryland has sold its Mercedes-Benz van operations in Stockton-on-Tees and Spennymoor to Bell Truck Sales for £0.6m.
02-Apr-2003

Sparrows Offshore International, the Aberdeen-based provider of crane service to the oil industry, has been acquired by LMS Capital for £26m.
02-Apr-2003

HR Owen has acquired the Heathrow BMW dealership in west London for £4.6m.
02-Apr-2003

Hitachi Credit has acquired part of the business of SVM for £12m, in order to expand its Fleetlease contract hire and fleet management division.
02-Apr-2003

Modern Tyre Group has announced the acquisition of the nine Motorway Tyres' depots in Northern Ireland.
02-Apr-2003

BAA has sold its stakes in designer outlets in York, Ashford, Mansfield and Livingston to Mayfair Limited Partnership for £165m.
02-Apr-2003

ReNeuron, the biotechnology company, has agreed terms for a £3.6m management buy-out backed by private equity vehicle St James's.
02-Apr-2003

Hawtin is to sell Ultrabronz America, its US-based sunbed distribution business, to a former managing director for £0.6m.
02-Apr-2003

Wilson Bowden is to acquire the homes division of Henry Boot for £48m, gaining access to 1,800 plots of land.
02-Apr-2003

British Vita has acquired Synco, the Italian colour and additive masterbatch producer, from Cognis for £1.3m.
01-Apr-2003

XL Timbalex, the manufacturer of plastic car components, has been bought out of administration by management, but 123 jobs will be lost at the Bicester site and 80 jobs at Didcot.
01-Apr-2003

Brambles Industries has sold the Serviceteam repair and maintenance business of its Cleanaway waste management division to AWG Facilities Services for an initial £7.6m.
31-Mar-2003

Tenon has sold its Tenon Livingstone Guarantee corporate finance business to eight partners in the Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham offices for undisclosed terms.
31-Mar-2003

McCormick Macnaughton has acquired the Northern Ireland construction equipment rental business of Hewden Stuart.
31-Mar-2003

Express Dairies has agreed terms for a merger with the UK division of Arla Foods, which could lead to annual cost savings of more than £20m.
28-Mar-2003

Watermark Group is to acquire M'n'H Recycling, the Sussex-based recycler of airline amenity and other travel products, for up to £1.3m.
28-Mar-2003

Strathclyde Homes has bought Novaside Timber Frames out of receivership for an estimated £1m, securing the future of 25 jobs in Cumbernauld.
27-Mar-2003

Electronic Packaging Systems of Braintree has been bought out of receivership by an undisclosed buyer, securing the future of about 150 jobs.
27-Mar-2003

Lastminute.com has acquired Holiday Autos, the car rental broker, for £40m.
27-Mar-2003

Itouch is acquire Movilisto, the provider of mobile phone services in Spain and Portugal, for an initial £24m.
26-Mar-2003

GUS has announced a £70m deal to take full control of Scorex, the Bradford-based credit solutions company, in order to expand its Experian business.
26-Mar-2003

Clarity Commerce Solutions is to acquire Romulus Enterprises, the Edinburgh-based supplier of business intelligence analytic software, for up to £5m.
25-Mar-2003

ML Laboratories is to sell its Icodextrin glucose polymer manufacturing business in Liverpool to Baxter Healthcare for £6.5m.
25-Mar-2003

Alpha Newspaper Group of Dungannon has merged with the Northern Newspaper Group of Coleraine, creating a combined newspaper publishing company called Northern Alpha.
25-Mar-2003

MEB Contracting of Birmingham has undergone a management buy-out from Midlands Electricity for undisclosed terms, creating a new company with 70 staff called Midlands Electrical Services.
25-Mar-2003

Zenith Entertainment, the TV production company, is to undergo a management buy-out backed by private equity firm ProVen.
24-Mar-2003

Morgan Crucible is to sell six of its US-based Engineered Soft Coatings facilities to a subsidiary of Curtiss-Wright for £13m.
24-Mar-2003

Armitage, the Nottingham-based pet food manufacturer with factories in Stockport, Ashton-under-Lyne, Pinxton and Dundee, has agreed to a £8.1m takeover offer from Focus100.
24-Mar-2003

British Biotech is to merge with RiboTargets, creating a combined biotechnology group with a market value of £52m.
24-Mar-2003

Viyella, the operator of 34 fashion stores, has been acquired by Harris Watson of Birmingham for undisclosed terms.
24-Mar-2003

Cobham has acquired Orion Electronics, the Canadian supplier of GPS tracking equipment for £6m, and Xybion Sensor Positioning Systems of the US for £0.9m.
21-Mar-2003

Crabtree, the Gateshead-based supplier of printing and packaging machinery with 120 staff, has undergone a £2.2m management buy-out backed by Northern Venture Managers.
21-Mar-2003

Smith & Nephew has agreed to acquire Centerpulse, the Swiss medical technology company, for £1.5bn, creating the world's third largest orthopaedics group.
21-Mar-2003

L Gardner's aerospace business has been bought out of receivership by a management team for £21m, saving 1,000 jobs.
21-Mar-2003

Propan Homes has acquired Pinemount Trading and Latchfield Investments, in order to expand its residential property and land development operations in the south-east.
20-Mar-2003

Enesco is to acquire Bilston & Battersea Enamels of the West Midlands for £2.5m, in order to expand its giftware business.
20-Mar-2003

Royal Liver is to acquire Park Row, the Leeds-based independent financial advice company, for £17m.
20-Mar-2003

Scott Timber Group has acquired Combine Pallets of London for £5m, creating the UK's largest pallet making group with 400 staff.
20-Mar-2003

Leods Contracts has acquired Architectural Veneering Company, the Wakefield-based manufacturer of fire doors with 15 staff, for undisclosed terms.
19-Mar-2003

HSBC Private Equity has undergone a £25m management buy-out from HSBC, and the business will be renamed Montagu Private Equity.
19-Mar-2003

TT Electronics has acquired Demo, the French manufacturer of electromechanical control panels for heating systems, for £2.5m.
18-Mar-2003

Highbury House is to acquire Cabal, the magazine publisher, for £10m.
18-Mar-2003

M&H Plastics, the Suffolk-based manufacturer of plastic packaging with 600 staff, is to be acquired by JP Morgan Chase's private equity arm for undisclosed terms.
18-Mar-2003

Cellar 5, the chain of 360 off-licences, has been bought out of receivership by Manchester-based property company Maryland Securities for undisclosed terms.
17-Mar-2003

Sterling Publishing has acquired Analysis & Networking, the organiser of pharmaceutical industry conferences, for an initial £0.4m.
17-Mar-2003

Holland & Barrett has acquired Health & Diet Group from Royal Numico of the Netherlands for £7.5m, gaining 49 GNC health food stores in the UK.
17-Mar-2003

Solanum is to merge with RB Organics, Rustler Produce and Isleham to create a new vegetable supply group called Produce World.
17-Mar-2003

Brit Insurance Holdings has sold PI Direct, the London-based professional indemnity underwriting company, to management.
14-Mar-2003

Netstore has acquired NetConnect, the internet security company with offices in London and Cambridge, for an initial £0.8m.
14-Mar-2003

Miza Pharmaceuticals has been bought out of administration by a management-led consortium operating under the name of Inyx Pharma, securing 138 jobs at its Runcorn factory.
14-Mar-2003

Cellular Operations, the Swindon-based provider of mobile airtime services, has been acquired by Vodafone for undisclosed terms.
14-Mar-2003

Quasar Microwave Technology has sold its military, medical and aerospace product range to a management team operating under the name of Waveguide Solution, securing the future of 12 jobs in Newton Abbot.
14-Mar-2003

Leeds Group has sold Nemesis, its Italian textile manufacturing subsidiary, to a management buy-out for a nominal sum.
13-Mar-2003

MyTravel has sold London Travel Service and Bridge Britain and Ireland to Cheshire-based Holidaybreak for about £2m, and is now looking to sell its Altrincham-based subsidiary Cresta Holidays.
13-Mar-2003

Decker Media, the Nottingham-based media sales company, has been acquired by Adbus Transport Advertising.
13-Mar-2003

Candover has acquired the Wellstream pipe manufacturing business of US oil services group Halliburton, as part of a £79m management buy-in.
13-Mar-2003

Autoleads, the Armour Group subsidiary, has acquired CTI, the Fareham-based manufacturer of aerials for the automotive and marine markets, for £2.1m.
12-Mar-2003

BOC Group is to acquire the Canadian packaged gas and related welding equipment business of Air Products for about £25m, including four filling plants and 25 branch locations.
12-Mar-2003

Future Network has agreed to acquire Hachette Digital Presse, the French publisher of computer games magazines, for £3.5m.
12-Mar-2003

Torex has acquired Micrelec, the Belgian supplier of forecourt site control systems, for £9m.
11-Mar-2003

European Motor Holdings has acquired a Volkswagen car dealership in Walton on Thames for £0.5m.
11-Mar-2003

Creightons of West Sussex has bought Nemesis Toiletries out of receivership for £0.2m, saving 85 jobs at the Potter & Moore business in Peterborough.
11-Mar-2003

Jaeger, the fashion retailer, has been sold for the second time this year, this time to the founder of Honorbilt for a nominal sum.
11-Mar-2003

Enic, the sports and media group with investments in Tottenham Hotspur and Rangers, is to be taken private in a £40m deal agreed with Kondar and its independent directors.
11-Mar-2003

Bethell Fleet Services has been bought out of administration by a management team for undisclosed terms, securing the future of 26 jobs in Kearsley.
10-Mar-2003

Cinven has sold the Odeon chain of 97 cinemas to WestLB and the Entertainment Group for £431m.
10-Mar-2003

Flight Centre of Australia has acquired Britannic Travel, the network of 24 UK travel agencies, for £45m.
10-Mar-2003

3663 First for Foodservice (Three Double Six Three) has acquired Swithenbank Foods, the supplier of chilled and fresh foods.
10-Mar-2003

Kuehne & Nagel has acquired Seabrook & Smith, the Essex-based wine logistics company with 50 staff.
10-Mar-2003

The Friary Press, the Dorchester-based magazine printer with 100 staff, has undergone a management buy-out.
07-Mar-2003

Coats Viyella, the thread manufacturer, has accepted a £414m takeover offer from Guinness Peat Group.
07-Mar-2003

G&B Plumbing & Heating, the Dorset-based operator of six plumbing outlets, has been acquired by Jewson for undisclosed terms.
06-Mar-2003

Spencer Coatings has acquired Pearl Paints of Wales out of receivership for a nominal sum, and production will be relocated to Aberdeen.
06-Mar-2003

Meggitt is to acquire Caswell International, the US supplier of fire training equipment, for £18m.
06-Mar-2003

Top Knobs of Newton Abbot has been sold out of receivership to Staffordshire-based Grosvenor Ceramics Hardware, while the St Helens side of the business has undergone a management buy-out and will be known as Express Handles of Golborne.
06-Mar-2003

Hydrex has acquired Lindsay Plant, the operator of hire depots in Kilmarnock and Edinburgh, for undisclosed terms.
06-Mar-2003

Readymix has acquired Breton Precast, Breton Roecrete and Breton Scotland from Farrans Group for £4.7m, in order to expand its concrete operations in Ireland and Scotland.
05-Mar-2003

KPMG has secured the sale of Country Bakehouse, the Llandudno Junction-based cakes factory with 90 staff, out of receivership to Martins Cakes of Manchester.
05-Mar-2003

Distillex, the Leyland-based solvent recovery company with 44 staff, has been acquired by P&R Disposal Services of St Helens for undisclosed terms.
05-Mar-2003

Fernedge Printers of London has been bought out of receivership by Image Litho, saving 14 jobs.
04-Mar-2003

Agfa has acquired Printing Techniques, the Northampton-based printing equipment company with 40 staff.
04-Mar-2003

Business Post Group has acquired BXT, the Birmingham-based technical courier with 138 staff, for £1.8m.
04-Mar-2003

South Staffordshire Group has acquired Servotomic, the provider of home assistance policies for domestic boiler breakdowns, for £2.4m, in order to expand its HomeServe subsidiary.
04-Mar-2003

JBG Building Services, the Pontypridd-based provider of residential property services, has undergone a management buy-in for undisclosed terms.
04-Mar-2003

Butcombe, the Bristol-based independent brewery with 15 staff, has been acquired by the former owners of The Beer Seller.
04-Mar-2003

Huveaux is to acquire Lonsdale, the publisher of study aids, for up to £6.8m, and the deal will be funded by a £7m share placing.
04-Mar-2003

Loch Fyne Oysters, the Scottish seafood company, is to be acquired by its own staff, in a deal backed by the Baxi employee-ownership trust and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
04-Mar-2003

Taylor & Francis has acquired CRC Press for £60m, in order to expand its scientific publishing business in the US.
03-Mar-2003

Cronimet has acquired Rotherham-based Tinico Alloys for undisclosed terms, creating a combined scrap metal merchant with annual turnover of £22m.
03-Mar-2003

Bucknall Austin has acquired the Citex construction management business out of administration, securing about 300 jobs.
03-Mar-2003

TMI Foods, the Northampton-based bacon and vegetable supplier, has undergone a management buy-out backed by Bank of Scotland.
03-Mar-2003

Electra Partners is selling the Tom Cobleigh pub chain to Spirit Group for £106m.
03-Mar-2003

Hartest Holdings is to sell its Haverhill-based laboratory furnishings division to management for up to £3.3m, in order to focus on medical services and instrumentation.
28-Feb-2003

InVision has acquired Yxlon, the airport security company, from Botts & Co for £24m.
28-Feb-2003

Hill & Smith has sold the pressure measurement and calibration activities of its SI Pressure Instruments subsidiary to GE Druck for £3m.
27-Feb-2003

Bell Group has acquired Maas Systems, which includes hi-tech security operations in London and the Netherlands, from Maas International Europe for £1.3m.
27-Feb-2003

Eyretel, the call centre software company, is to be acquired by Witness Systems of the US for £37m.
27-Feb-2003

Novar has acquired Alterton Technologies, the US supplier of electronic building controls, for £38m, and has also announced plans to shed 500 jobs in its building materials business in 2003.
27-Feb-2003

Geest is to acquire Genevieve Langlais, the French supplier of prepared salads, for £11m.
26-Feb-2003

RH Group of Nottingham has acquired the business of Enterprise European Roadfreight out of administration, including sites in West Thurrock, Bristol and Milton Keynes.
26-Feb-2003

Fitzhardinge is to acquire Gooch Webster, the London-based property consultancy with 240 staff, for £8.1m, and Fisher Wilson, the Scottish retail property specialist with 14 staff, for £2.5m.
25-Feb-2003

Bunzl has acquired Enterprise Incorporated, the US distributor of supplies to food processing plants, from ConAgra Foods for undisclosed terms.
25-Feb-2003

Arterial Motors, the Derby-based transport firm with 28 buses and 30 staff, has been acquired by TransLinc of Lincoln for undisclosed terms.
24-Feb-2003

BSS is to acquire Tricom Group, the Bedford-based distributor of heating and plumbing products, from Isis Equity Partners for £16m.
21-Feb-2003

THB Group is to acquire BEIB Equestrian Holdings, the specialist insurance broker covering the equestrian market, for an initial £2.3m.
21-Feb-2003

Abbey Vale Bakery of Devon has been bought out of administration by Averda, and the 75-strong workforce is expected to increase as Averda develops new ideas for the food-to-go market.
21-Feb-2003

Silkjet, the Leicester-based manufacturer of plastic injection moulded products with 75 staff, has undergone a management buy-out following parent company Webgrove's move into administration.
21-Feb-2003

Torex has acquired the laboratory, radiology, oncology, mental health and primary care operations of InHealth Solutions for £3.5m, in order to strengthen its market position for hospital IT systems.
21-Feb-2003

Finsbury Food Group is to acquire Nicholas & Harris for up to £5m, and will transfer N&H's cake manufacture from Basingstoke to Cardiff and concentrate all speciality bread production at the N&H site in Salisbury.
20-Feb-2003

Talbot & Muir has merged with Southall Asset Management, creating an enlarged Nottingham-based financial services group with 20 staff.
20-Feb-2003

Genus, the cattle breeding company, has acquired RAB Australia for £3.6m, and has also announced plans to sell or close its market research division.
20-Feb-2003

Altair Filter Technology, the Alton-based filter equipment supplier with 100 staff, has undergone a £24m management buy-out backed by Gresham.
19-Feb-2003

Delta has acquired Webforge Group, the manufacturer of gratings for industrial flooring with 11 plants in Asia and Australia, from Pacifica Group for £19m.
19-Feb-2003

Radamec Group has sold Radamec Broadcast Systems, the developer of robotic camera controls and virtual reality systems, to The Vitec Group for £4.6m.
19-Feb-2003

Cosalt has acquired Sea Dog Life Saving Appliances, the supplier of marine life saving and fire protection equipment from sites in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, for £2.5m.
19-Feb-2003

Team Valley Brush Company, the Tyneside-based paint brush manufacturer with 100 staff, has been acquired by Delbanco Meyer of London for undisclosed terms.
19-Feb-2003

Smart & Cook has acquired Oughtred & Harrison of Yorkshire in a £20m deal, adding seven new branches to its insurance broking network.
19-Feb-2003

CB Richard Ellis is planning a £259m merger with Insignia Financial to create a worldwide commercial property group with 16,000 staff, prompting speculation about the future of some of the 750 UK-based jobs at CB Hillier Parker.
19-Feb-2003

Heatbusters, the portable air conditioning supplier, has been acquired by Rapid for undisclosed terms.
19-Feb-2003

BAe Systems is to acquire Advanced Power Technologies, the US surveillance and information processing company, for about £18m.
18-Feb-2003

Coils UK, the Ebbw Vale-based manufacturer of electromagnetic devices with 60 staff, has undergone a £1m management buy-out, and will be renamed Electro Magnetic Technology.
18-Feb-2003

Channelfly has sold its Power Promotion dance music promotions business to management for £0.2m.
17-Feb-2003

Interactivity Group is to acquire L&P-MCC, the healthcare advisory firm, for £7.4m.
17-Feb-2003

CRP Holdings of Skelmersdale is to merge with Balmoral Group International, creating a combined international oil field services group with 450 staff.
17-Feb-2003

Oxford University Press has bought the Grove dictionaries business, which will involve the transfer of 11 London-based staff.
17-Feb-2003

Halma has acquired Radcom, the Hampshire-based manufacturer of pipe monitoring equipment, for £2.9m.
17-Feb-2003

Theodore Goddard of London is to merge with Addleshaw Booth of Leeds and Manchester to create a combined law firm with 180 partners and 500 lawyers.
17-Feb-2003

Smart Approach, the provider of security training to airport operators, has agreed to a £3.5m reverse takeover deal with Aim-listed cash shell Robert H Lowe.
14-Feb-2003

Thomas Potts has sold the pre-press arm of G&E Digital Media in Peterborough to a management team, securing 25 jobs, and is now in discussions to sell G&E's digital print business.
14-Feb-2003

Leger Holidays, the Rotherham-based coach operator with 130 staff, has undergone a £22m management buy-out from MyTravel.
14-Feb-2003

Northumbrian Water has sold its Imass computer solutions business to management for undisclosed terms, securing the future of 80 jobs.
13-Feb-2003

Cheshire Circuits has acquired Cranford Circuits of Winsford, creating a combined circuit boards business with 90 staff.
13-Feb-2003

Boosey & Hawkes is to sell its musical instruments division to Rutland Fund Management for £20m, and is now looking to sell its music publishing business.
12-Feb-2003

Leadbitter, the construction company with 330 staff, has been acquired by Heijmans of the Netherlands for undisclosed terms.
12-Feb-2003

Lafarge has acquired Premier Readymix Concrete of Staffordshire for undisclosed terms.
12-Feb-2003

London Scottish Bank has acquired Pacific Home Loans, the secured lending broker based in Leigh, Essex, for an initial £3.2m.
12-Feb-2003

BP has announced a £250m deal to sell a 45% stake in the Bayernoil refinery, an 18% stake in the Trans Alpine Pipeline, 247 retail stations in Germany, 55 stations in Hungary and 11 in Slovakia to OMV Aktiengesellschaft of Austria.
11-Feb-2003

Podia is to sell Jardine Communications, the public relations consultancy, to Global Acquisitions for £0.2m.
11-Feb-2003

Morse has acquired Grantham Sutch Associates, the London-based computer services group with 20 staff, for £3.1m.
11-Feb-2003

ERA Technology has sold its water and gas pipes testing business to Building Investigation & Testing Services.
11-Feb-2003

SR Gent International has been acquired by a Singapore-based businessman, but will proceed with plans to close clothing factories in Mexborough and South Kirkby with the loss of 150 jobs.
11-Feb-2003

Eleco has acquired Leonardo Internet, the provider of integrated web and print design solutions for the construction industry, for £0.2m.
10-Feb-2003

Telecom Service Centres, the call centre company with 1,700 staff, has undergone a £23m management buy-out backed by Lloyds Development Capital.
10-Feb-2003

Amelca, the operator of a new dairy near Burton-on-Trent, is being bought out of receivership by start-up company Starcross Food.
10-Feb-2003

Gala, the operator of 166 bingo clubs and 28 casinos, has been acquired by venture capital groups Cinven and Candover for £1.24bn.
10-Feb-2003

Azlan, the distributor of computer networking equipment, is to be acquired by Tech Data of the US for £140m.
10-Feb-2003

SHL Group has sold The Resourceful Services Group, the holding company for the Park Human Resources recruitment advertising and consulting business, to Work Communications for £4.6m.
07-Feb-2003

Royal & Sun Alliance is to sell Tyndall Investment Managers of Australia to James Fielding Holdings for £10m.
07-Feb-2003

Lookers has acquired JN Holdings, the operator of Taggarts Jaguar and Land Rover franchises in Glasgow and Motherwell.
06-Feb-2003

Millfield is to acquire RST Group, the accountancy firm with 110 staff and 13 offices in the north of England and Scotland.
06-Feb-2003

Warthog has expanded its games software business with the £0.2m acquisition of Texas-based development studio Fever Pitch, in order to gain a presence in the US.
06-Feb-2003

European Motor Holdings has acquired the Preston Hall BMW dealership in Stockton from Arriva for £7.4m.
06-Feb-2003

CTC Marine Projects, the Darlington-based under-sea telecoms cable laying company, has undergone a £6m management buy-out.
06-Feb-2003

Ricardo has acquired Tarragon Embedded Technology, the Cambridge-based automotive systems software company with 52 staff, for an initial £3.1m.
06-Feb-2003

Emap has acquired Agor SAS, the French operator of trade exhibitions, for £21m.
06-Feb-2003

Rolfe & Nolan, the software supplier, has received a £15m takeover approach from a management team backed by HgCapital.
06-Feb-2003

AEA Technology is to sell its CFX software business, which specialises in computational fluid dynamics, to Ansys of the US for £12m.
05-Feb-2003

Laird has expanded its security systems business in the US with the £4.3m acquisition of Omega International, Omega Spring Technology and Omega Balance.
05-Feb-2003

Hepworth Motor Group has acquired the Sunwin Motors' Mitsubishi dealership in Bradford for undisclosed terms.
05-Feb-2003

United Dairy Farmers has acquired Dale Farm Ice Cream, as part of a strategy to expand its added value foods business in Northern Ireland.
05-Feb-2003

Renshaw Scott has sold Beech's Fine Chocolates, the Preston-based confectioner with 75 staff, to a management buy-out.
05-Feb-2003

Abbey National has sold most of its First National consumer credit business to GE Consumer Finance of the US for £848m.
05-Feb-2003

Grafton is to acquire Jackson Building Centres, the Lincoln-based chain of 18 builders' merchants, for £87m.
05-Feb-2003

Degussa is to sell speciality chemical operations in Barry, South Wales, and Hythe, Southampton, to Cognis for undisclosed terms, as part of the regulatory agreement for the acquisition of Laporte in 2001.
05-Feb-2003

Taylor & Francis has acquired Bios Scientific Publishers, the publisher of medical and biological books and journals, for £2.7m.
04-Feb-2003

London & Boston Investments has acquired Audiotel International, the supplier of covert surveillance equipment, for £1.4m.
04-Feb-2003

Culver Holdings has acquired the Trinity Court commercial insurance business from Budget Group for £0.2m, in order to expand its broking operations in Cardiff and London.
04-Feb-2003

Ryanair has acquired the Buzz budget airline from KLM for £16m, and is also looking to buy an additional 100 Boeing aircraft.
03-Feb-2003

Barclays has acquired the European retail stockbroking business of Charles Schwab for a nominal sum, which will result in the closure of offices in Birmingham and Milton Keynes.
03-Feb-2003

BP has agreed to sell the Fosroc Mining chemicals division of Burmah Castrol, including 13 manufacturing sites in seven countries, to a management buy-out backed by Close Brothers Private Equity for £32m.
31-Jan-2003

Peterhouse has acquired Digital Surveys, the Newcastle-based provider of survey and data services to the rail and water sectors, for £0.4m.
31-Jan-2003

Z-Finishing, the Cheshire-based print finishing company, has been bought out of receivership by a new company called Z-Card, saving most of the 156 jobs.
31-Jan-2003

Cirrus Technologies, the Redditch-based car industry service company with 100 staff, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms.
31-Jan-2003

Planit Holdings has acquired Lignatec, the developer of stair manufacturing software, for £0.3m.
30-Jan-2003

John Fredericks Plastics has acquired S&J Marketing, the Northampton-based conservatory roof manufacturer, for £3m.
30-Jan-2003

Wolseley has acquired four companies in the US and Canada for £37m, including three heating, plumbing and valve businesses and a lumber business.
30-Jan-2003

Gaskell is to sell its tile division, including sites in Lancashire and London, to Low & Bonar for £17m, while its carpet factory in Kidderminster is expected to close with the loss of 70 jobs.
29-Jan-2003

DCC has acquired Shannon Environmental Services, the Irish waste chemical treatment company, for about £4m.
29-Jan-2003

The London Stock Exchange has acquired Proquote, the Cheshire-based supplier of online trading and market information software, for £13m.
29-Jan-2003

Walker Greenbank is to sell Textile Wallcoverings International, the US distributor of wallcoverings, to Thybony for £0.9m.
28-Jan-2003

Tomkins has sold Milliken Valve, the US-based valve manufacturer, to the Henry Pratt Company for about £5m.
28-Jan-2003

Inter-Alliance is to pay up to £2.5m for certain fixed assets and the net commission of Heartland Independent Advisers, which has offices in Birmingham, Cardiff, St Albans and Nottingham and about 175 self-employed advisers.
28-Jan-2003

Bako North Western has acquired the bakery sundries business of John Morley's of Congleton for undisclosed terms.
28-Jan-2003

Energy Power Resources has acquired Sondel International for about £5m, thereby increasing its stake in Fibrowatt, the operator of three East Anglian power stations fuelled by chicken litter, to 56%.
28-Jan-2003

Capcon Holdings is to acquire Argen, the corporate investigation company, for an initial £1.3m.
27-Jan-2003

Moyses Stevens is to undergo a £3.5m management buy-out backed by Nemadi Advisors, and is planning to open 15 new flower shops across the country over the next three years.
27-Jan-2003

Berkeley Berry Birch has acquired Professional Financial Solutions, the independent financial adviser operating from Huddersfield and Camberley, for £1.5m.
27-Jan-2003

ICON has acquired Medeval Group, the Manchester-based provider of clinical pharmacology services to the pharmaceutical industry, for about £10m.
27-Jan-2003

Leeds United has sold its business travel division to World Travel Management for a nominal sum.
27-Jan-2003

Cambridge Antibody Technology has offered to acquire Oxford Glycosciences for £110m, and the group's combined cash reserve of £260m will be used to license new drugs or acquire another biotechnology company.
24-Jan-2003

Coats has sold its Jaeger and Viyella fashion brands to Riverhawk Investment for undisclosed terms, in order to focus on the production of industrial sewing thread.
24-Jan-2003

Collins Stewart is to acquire Tullett for £213m, in order to expand its activities in the bond and derivatives market.
24-Jan-2003

Enterprise Inns has sold 52 pubs in the Hampshire and Gloucestershire areas to InnSpired for £16m.
24-Jan-2003

Pacific Media is to acquire Sirius Retail Television, the operator of three TV shopping channels, for an initial £3m.
23-Jan-2003

Radio First is to acquire Efugio Actividades, the operator of English language radio stations overseas, for an initial £1.1m.
23-Jan-2003

Lexicon Group has acquired Strickland Consultants of Glasgow, in order to expand its vocational training business into Scotland.
23-Jan-2003

Poundzone has acquired The Factory Group, the West Yorkshire-based operator of 42 Factory Shops and eight Cape County Furniture stores with 600 staff, in a multi-million pound deal.
23-Jan-2003

Alan Day Motor Group has acquired four car dealerships in Hampshire from Derek Warwick Motor Group for undisclosed terms, gaining 125 extra staff.
23-Jan-2003

Corrie Group has acquired I&M Sinclair, the Thurso-based heating and plumbing company, for an estimated £1m.
23-Jan-2003

TW Kempton, the Leicester-based supplier of business and military clothing, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms, securing the future of 135 jobs.
23-Jan-2003

Avis Europe is to acquire car rental operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East from Budget International for £12m.
23-Jan-2003

Inter Link Foods is to acquire Soreen, the Manchester-based malt loaf manufacturer, from Warburtons for £8.4m.
23-Jan-2003

Stadium Group has sold its plastic injection moulding division, including sites in Hartlepool, Hinckley and Newton Abbot, to a management team in a deal worth more than £10m.
22-Jan-2003

Northern Venture Managers has provided backing for a management buy-out at RBF Group, the Melbourn-based manufacturer of healthcare products, heat shields and seat covers with 20 staff.
22-Jan-2003

Ebookers has acquired Travelbag, the travel agency specialising in trips to Asia and Australia, for £55m.
22-Jan-2003

Rok Property Solutions is selling Llewellyn Timber Engineering, the roof truss manufacturer with 30 staff, to Pace Timber Systems of Milton Keynes for undisclosed terms.
22-Jan-2003

Rank is to acquire Blue Square, the internet and telephone betting company, for £65m.
21-Jan-2003

BWD Securities has sold its Huddersfield-based administration services division, comprising Northern Registrars, Northern Administration and Connaught St Michaels, to Capita IRG for £18m.
21-Jan-2003

Gilesports has acquired six sports shops in the north-east from Dixon Sports, taking its chain to 89 sites.
21-Jan-2003

Tarsus has sold its London-based organic food exhibition, Organex, to Diversified Business Communications for £0.7m.
20-Jan-2003

NWF Fuels has acquired T Splitt, the Burnley-based fuel distributor with turnover of about £10m, taking its network to 13 outlets.
20-Jan-2003

Kingfisher has agreed to sell ProMarkt, the German electrical retailer, back to its founders for a nominal sum.
20-Jan-2003

Abbot Group has sold its OIS International inspection business to Oceaneering International Services for £17m.
20-Jan-2003

IMI has acquired Fluid Kinetics, the US supplier of industrial silencers, for £5m.
20-Jan-2003

Bridgepoint is to support a £21m management buy-out at Euronet Services (UK), the operator of 700 cash machines, and the business will be expanded under the new name of Bank Machine.
20-Jan-2003

CD Bramall has acquired Perrys Distribution Services of Borehamwood for £5m, in order to expand its Quickco automotive parts distribution network.
17-Jan-2003

Cellar 5's receivers have sold 59 Right Choice stores to a new company called A&S Stores for undisclosed terms, securing the future of 160 jobs.
17-Jan-2003

Blyth & Blyth, the Edinburgh-based consulting engineer, has been bought out of receivership by a management team for undisclosed terms, securing the future of 95 jobs.
17-Jan-2003

Morley's of Bicester has acquired Bristol-based Duncan Roberts, creating a combined furniture supply business with turnover of £10m.
17-Jan-2003

ICAP is to acquire BrokerTec, the US electronic trading system, for up to £181m.
17-Jan-2003

Pearson has acquired S&P ComStock from McGraw-Hill for £74m, in order to expand its 60%-owned market data services subsidiary Interactive Data Corporation.
17-Jan-2003

Teather & Greenwood is planning to sell part of its investment management division to Prudential-Bache for up to £3.6m.
16-Jan-2003

Dare Valley Poultry, the Merthyr Tydfil-based poultry company with 105 staff, has been acquired by Cargill Integra of the US.
16-Jan-2003

BiB has acquired DMC Insurance Services, creating a combined Darlington-based financial services business with 72 staff.
16-Jan-2003

Isoclad Group, the Tyneside-based composite panel manufacturer, has undergone a management buy-out backed by Bank of Scotland for undisclosed terms.
16-Jan-2003

Candover is to sell Airtechnology Holdings, the supplier of motors, fans and environmental control systems, to Ametek of the US.
15-Jan-2003

NCS Integrated Solutions is planning to sell its PPD printing business to a management team.
15-Jan-2003

Travelcare has acquired Bell Travel, the Scottish travel agency with 14 branches, for a multi-million pound sum.
15-Jan-2003

Jane Norman, the fashion retailer, is to undergo a £70m management buy-out backed by Graphite Capital.
15-Jan-2003

GUS has acquired Nordic Info Group, the Scandinavian consumer information company, for £90m, in order to expand its Experian division.
15-Jan-2003

Willmott Dixon has acquired the UK property services division of Shimizu Europe.
15-Jan-2003

AC Haines Engineering of Plymouth has been bought out of receivership by a team of former managers, securing the future of 20 jobs.
14-Jan-2003

Aortech is to sell its commercial heart valve business to Kohler Chemie of Germany for £2.7m.
14-Jan-2003

Sun Life Financial Services of Canada is to sell its Basingstoke-based group insurance business to US-owned Unum for undisclosed terms.
14-Jan-2003

MyTravel is looking to sell Cresta Holidays, the Cheshire-based short breaks business, for up to £40m.
14-Jan-2003

Elektron has sold Powertron, the manufacturer of power supplies for the rail and other industries, to a new company called Powertron Converters for £0.1m.
13-Jan-2003

RMC Group is to sell its concrete product operations in the Netherlands and Belgium, as part of a debt-reduction programme.
13-Jan-2003

Oshkosh is to create up to 180 jobs at its factory in Llantrisant, having won a £160m Ministry of Defence contract to produce wheeled tankers.
13-Jan-2003

Glenmuir, the leisurewear company with 80 staff and turnover of £8m, has been acquired by Ruia Group of Bolton for undisclosed terms.
13-Jan-2003

Uniq has sold Uniqsauces, the Lancashire-based manufacturer of sauces and mayonnaise, to the UK subsidiary of US firm McCormick for £12m.
10-Jan-2003

Care UK has acquired Premiere Homecare, the London-based care provider, from Match Group for up to £2m.
10-Jan-2003

Edotech has acquired Cominformatic, the Swiss printing and data management company with 110 staff, for £6.5m.
10-Jan-2003

Lookers has acquired three Renault dealerships and a car rental business from Jackson & Edwards, in order to expand its operations in south Manchester and central Cheshire.
10-Jan-2003

Reg Vardy has acquired one Jaguar and two Land Rover dealerships in the east of Scotland from Arriva for £7.2m, and is looking to expand its network from 67 to 80 by the end of April.
10-Jan-2003

AEA Technology has acquired Lexware International, the East Kilbride-based provider of environment management services with 30 staff.
10-Jan-2003

ASW's assets in Wales are being bought out of receivership by Celsa of Spain, saving up to 600 jobs, and steel production in Cardiff will be restarted.
10-Jan-2003

Morrisons has launched a £2.5bn agreed bid for Safeway, creating a combined supermarkets group with 598 stores, but 1,200 Safeway jobs could be lost through the closure of its head office in Hayes.
10-Jan-2003

Unilever is planning to sell its Frigedoc frozen foods business in France to Toupargel for £52m.
10-Jan-2003

Longhirst Group, the Northumberland-based training and conference group, has undergone a £7.6m management buy-out backed by Northern Venture Managers, and plans to create more than 50 jobs over the next three years.
09-Jan-2003

Rexam has acquired Luner Glas, the German glass container manufacturer, for £33m, and has raised £86m in a share placing to fund further acquisitions.
09-Jan-2003

SectorGuard has acquired Gainsborough Events & Security Services of Essex for an initial £0.1m.
08-Jan-2003

Cobham is spending £50m on three acquisitions, including the Blackburn-based land platforms communications division of BAe Systems, SAAB's Applied Composites Division and Drager Aerospace of Germany.
08-Jan-2003

Hacas Group is to acquire Stratford Development Partnership, the provider of regeneration consultancy services to London local authorities, which will involve the transfer of 58 staff.
08-Jan-2003

BP is to sell Sericol, the speciality printing chemicals business with 1,200 staff worldwide and a factory in Broadstairs, to US investment firm Saratoga Partners for £75m.
08-Jan-2003

Viasystems has sold its Ballynahinch electronics factory in County Down to a management buy-out, securing the future of 65 jobs.
08-Jan-2003

McConechy's Tyre Service has acquired 33 Hi-Q and Motorway Tyres outlets, in a multi-million pound deal that almost doubles the size of its Scottish truck tyre supply business.
08-Jan-2003

Playford Ros, the Thirsk-based wine merchant with £4m turnover and 25 staff, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms.
08-Jan-2003

Sifam Fibre Optics has undergone a £2.5m management buy-out backed by HSBC Bank and JDS Uniphase, securing the future of 43 jobs in South Devon.
08-Jan-2003

Extec, the manufacturer of crushing equipment, has undergone a £56m management buy-out backed by 3i.
08-Jan-2003

Peterhouse has sold its Propencity division, which includes Jackson, Totty and Dean & Bowes, to a management team backed by Bank of Scotland for £23m.
08-Jan-2003

Sage has acquired Concept Group, the French financial software company, for up to £6.5m.
08-Jan-2003

Lighthouse Group is to sell two subsidiaries - Lighthouse Independent Financial Advisers (City) and Lighthouse Independent Financial Advisers (Kent) - to a former executive.
07-Jan-2003

Media Square has expanded its marketing services business with the acquisition of FI Direct, FI System, e-principals and Fourninety, gaining 61 additional staff in Leeds and Manchester.
07-Jan-2003

Enact Pharma has acquired De Montfort Biopharma of Leicestershire for an initial £0.5m.
07-Jan-2003

Ferraris has acquired Del Mar Medical, the US supplier of heart monitors, for £6.2m.
06-Jan-2003

Vivid Imaginations, the toy company, has undergone a £62m management buy-out backed by Phoenix Equity Partners.
06-Jan-2003

Deutsche Bank is to sell its property investment banking team, which includes 20 London-based staff, to Eurohypo for £44m.
06-Jan-2003

Crown Sports, the golf and health clubs operator, is to be acquired by Bennelong UK, a bid vehicle formed by its executive chairman, for £20m.
06-Jan-2003

Sports Resource has sold its International Soccer agency business to a management team, following a decline in the player transfer market.
06-Jan-2003

Kirker Holidays, the London-based travel company with 30 staff, has been sold to a management team backed by ECI Ventures for about £15m.
03-Jan-2003

Park Place Capital is to support a £25m management buy-out of London-based Signature Restaurants.
03-Jan-2003

Punch Taverns has acquired Conquest Inns, the operator of 61 pubs, for £26m, taking its estate to 4,484 sites.
03-Jan-2003

Spirax-Sarco Engineering has acquired AMPE, the Italian manufacturer of pneumatic and electronic instrumentation, for about £1m.
03-Jan-2003

Tom Cobleigh has sold its chain of 28 tenanted pubs to Daniel Thwaites for £12m.
03-Jan-2003

Tomkins has sold Fedco Automotive, the US manufacturer of automotive heater cores, to TransPro for about £5m.
02-Jan-2003

Meadgate Homes, the Cardiff-based luxury housebuilder, has undergone a management buy-out from the Lexington Group for undisclosed terms.
02-Jan-2003