2018 Company Mergers & Acquisitions

List of company mergers and acquisitions that took place in the UK in January to June 2018

June 2018

BP takes charge of leading EV infrastructure firm

Thu, 28/06/2018 BP has plugged into the EV market with the acquisition of Chargemaster, the UK's biggest electric car charging firm. The deal signals BP's commitment to scaling up ultra-fast charging on its UK forecourts, adding 6,500 docking points to its nationwide portfolio. On completion of the deal Chargemaster will be rebranded to BP Chargemaster and integrate its network with BP's 1,200 service stations. It will rollout BP's ultra-fast charging infrastructure, including 150kW docks capable of delivering 100 miles of range in 10 minutes. BP expects the EV market to expand significantly in the coming years, predicting that 12 million vehicles will be on UK roads by 2040.

Literacy Capital invests in Dartmouth Partners

Thu, 28/06/2018 Investment firm Literacy Capital has acquired a minority stake in Dartmouth Partners, with assistance from business bank OakNorth. Dartmouth Partners is a leading recruiter in the City, with clients including Bank of America, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and UBS. It aims to create another 40 jobs by 2020 with this deal.

Dimensions Training Solutions acquires Learndirect

Thu, 28/06/2018 Sheffield-based adult education and apprenticeship business Learndirect has been bought by Dimensions Training Solutions, cementing a relationship that included the provision of learning technology. Based in Leicester, DTS employs around 150 people and delivers apprenticeships, commercial training and advanced learner loans. The deal could save around 1,000 jobs after government cuts to adult skills funding and a poor rating from Ofsted put Learndirect's future in doubt.

Gentrack Group seals £23m deal for Evolve Analytics

Thu, 28/06/2018 Gentrack Group has agreed to buy Evolve Analytics, an energy data analysis software and services provider, for £23m. The deal bolsters the Auckland-based company's leading position in utility billing and customer information systems in the UK. Evolve Analytics MD Alan Duggan will join the Gentrack UK management team.

Viking Mead buys Valhalla Brewery

Thu, 28/06/2018 Viking Mead has bought the UK's northernmost ale producer, Valhalla Brewery on the Isle of Unst, Shetland. Founded in 2017, Viking Mead makes Skald, a 'session-strength' mead at around 5%. It will continue to produce this along with Valhalla's line of craft ales.

Ovation Travel Group gains foothold in UK

Wed, 27/06/2018 US business travel group Ovation has completed its first overseas acquisition with a deal for Chartwell Travel, a specialist in organising travel for entertainment, film, television and news production companies. The business will serve as Ovation's base for luxury leisure and independent corporate travel advisors in the UK.

Capgemini acquires Adaptive Lab

Wed, 27/06/2018 Capgemini has completed a deal for Adaptive Lab, a digital design studio that helps businesses adjust to new technology and associated shifts in consumer behaviour. Established in 2009, Adaptive Lab's team is comprised of 50 designers, developers and strategists. With a particular strength in financial services and telco, its acquisition augments Capgemini's end to end digital services offering.

Future Industrial saves 40 jobs at Colt

Wed, 27/06/2018 Future Industrial Services has acquired Colt Industrial Services from Augean, saving the Hull business from potential closure and securing the future of 40 jobs. The deal brings FIS's headcount to over 350 people and expands its range of services.

Körber acquires Centriq

Wed, 27/06/2018 Hamburg-based multinational Körber has acquired Centriq, a provider of IT solutions for the logistics, supply chain and retail sectors. Based in Blackpool, Centriq is the holding company for Voiteq and Cirrus Logistics. Voiteq specialises in voice-activated solutions for use in warehouses, while Cirrus Logistics provides supply chain modeling and simulation software. The deal establishes Körber's logistics systems business as a market leader.

Arena Group buys Events Solution

Tue, 26/06/2018 Arena Events Group has announced that it has bought Events Solution for £2.5m from remaining co-founder Richard Herberts. Events Solution's product range includes front of stage, pedestrian and Metropolitan police barriers, gantries, Heras fencing and staging. The deals builds on Arena's recent acquisitions of furniture hire business GLD Productions in February and seating business Wernick Events last year.

AIG Life acquires Ellipse from Munich Re

Tue, 26/06/2018 AIG Life has announced that it is to buy group life risk protection provider Ellipse from Munich Re. Launched in 2009, Ellipse is the sixth largest group life provider in the UK, with £64m of in-force premiums and nearly 4,500 in-force policies covering 370,000 lives. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

PureGym expands London estate

Tue, 26/06/2018 Not to be outdone by its acquisitive rivals, UK leading gym operator PureGym has completed a deal for Soho Gyms. Its 10 fitness clubs based in prime London locations will all be converted to the PureGym format in a rolling refurbishment programme. PureGym owns a network of 214 gyms nationwide, and brings its London estate to 59 with this deal.

Capita sells Supplier Assessment Services for £160m

Thu, 21/06/2018 Global private equity firm Warburg Pincus has acquired Supplier Assessment Services from Capita for £160m. Supplier Assessment Services is a provider of technology-enabled third party pre-qualification and health and safety accreditation services in the UK. Its customers span the public and private sector in construction, facilities management, education and utilities. The deal includes the Constructionline and Acclaim portfolio of products and services.

Highfield Gear Industries saved from administration

Thu, 21/06/2018 Business advisory and corporate recovery firm Quantuma has sold Highfield Gear Industries out of administration to Yorkshire Engineering Services 24/7, saving 16 jobs. Based in Huddersfield, Highfield manufactures gearboxes, gears and parts, undertakes repairs and holds spares. It recorded revenue of £1.6m in the last financial year.

Baldwins buys Kidderminster accountancy firm

Thu, 21/06/2018 Business advisory firm Baldwins has added to its portfolio of 64 offices with the acquisition of dhjh chartered accountants in Kidderminster. dhjh employs 15 people and provides services to over 550 businesses and individuals.

The Gym Group buys 13 easyGym sites

Thu, 21/06/2018 The Gym Group is to buy 13 sites from easyGym in a deal worth £20.6m, with an additional £4.1m to be paid once lease extensions are agreed for two of the gyms. easyGym currently operates 16 gyms, with another under development. The sale aligns with its decision to pivot to a franchise model targeting overseas expansion, as announced in March. The Gym Group currently owns 133 gyms nationwide and will part-fund the acquisition through a £24m equity placement.

Daisy Group acquires EE partner Voice Mobile

Thu, 21/06/2018 Building on its recent takeover of TalkTalk's b2b customer base, telecoms giant Daisy Group has bought Voice Mobile. The Birmingham-based firm has been partnered with Daisy since 2004, and will continue to manage EE mobile accounts following the acquisition. Daisy Group is a leader in the distribution marketplace, and will use the deal to create an 'EE centre of excellence'.

Equitable Life sold to LCCG for £1.8bn

Wed, 20/06/2018 Equitable Life has agreed a £1.8bn deal to transfer the society and all its policies to Reliance Life, part of the Life Company Consolidation Group (LCCG). LCCG is a specialist in buying up old books of life insurance business. The sale sees the majority of Equitable's 400,000 policyholders receive a windfall, with the bonus level applied to the underlying value of with-profits policies jumping from 35% to between 60% and 70%. Equitable has been closed to new business since 2000, after a financial scandal that brought it close to collapse and led to the UK government paying more than £1bn in compensation to members. The deal, which would remove policy guarantees, will be voted on by eligible policyholders in mid-2019.

Foresight Group invests £2m in Epistem MBO

Wed, 20/06/2018 Foresight Group has invested £2m in a management buyout of contract research business Epistem from Genedrive plc. Headquartered in Manchester and with offices in Baltimore in the US, Epistem is a life sciences services company specialising in pre-clinical and clinical development for therapeutic areas including oncology and inflammatory diseases.

William Jackson Food Group buys Wellocks

Wed, 20/06/2018 Following its recent disposal of Aunt Bessie's, William Jackson Food Group has announced the acquisition of ingredients supplier Wellocks. The £50m turnover business supplies fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat and dried store ingredients to a national customer base of restaurants, casual dining chains, hotels and sports venues. With headquarters in Lancashire, Wellocks employs 470 people and operates from four locations nationwide.

Incremental Group steps up UK expansion plans

Wed, 20/06/2018 Glasgow-headquartered Incremental Group has bought Gap Consulting, a Microsoft Gold CRM Partner based in Northwich, Cheshire. Incremental Group is targeting £60m revenue by 2022, with a workforce of more than 500. This deal boosts its headcount by 40 to 125 across three sites, and provides it with specialist expertise in the health, professional services and not-for-profit sectors.

Cyberfort Group improves data security offering with latest acquisition

Mon, 18/06/2018 Cyberfort Group has completed a third acquisition with the takeover of Wakefield-based cybersecurity consultancy Agenci. Agenci has offices in Wakefield and London and specialises in ISO 27001 and GDPR. With this deal it joins ultra-secure hosting and managed services provider The Bunker and cybersecurity testing business Arcturus. Backed by Palatine Private Equity, Cyberfort aims to build an end-to-end data security proposition to capitalise on the noise around GDPR and the forthcoming ePrivacy Regulation.

Tayto acquires British pork crackling brand

Mon, 18/06/2018 Northern Irish snack producer Tayto has acquired Real Pork Crackling Company from owner Chris Cunliffe. The business currently turns over approximately £6m and will join Tayto's pork scratching label Mr Porky, giving it a third production facility in Tamworth. Acquisitive Tayto is the third largest snack manufacturer in the UK, producing around six million bags a day.

CPP Group announces key acquisition

Mon, 18/06/2018 Financial assistance product provider CPP Group has acquired Valeos, a specialist consultancy which provides value-added products and services to companies in the insurance sector. CPP Group plans to combine Valeos' lost and stolen key services to its Lasu brand portfolio.

CYBG agrees £1.7bn takeover of Virgin Money

Mon, 18/06/2018 CYBG, the owner of Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank, has agreed a £1.7bn all-share offer to take over Virgin Money. The deal creates the largest challenger bank to the UK's biggest lenders, with a balance sheet of £60-70bn and six million customers. The acquisition puts 1,500 of the combined firm's 9,500 jobs at risk, mostly at a management level. The deal is pending shareholder approval, although already has the backing of Virgin Money's largest shareholder, Virgin Holdings with a c. 35% stake. The combined firm will be headquartered in Glasgow and operate under the Virgin Money brand.

Schoolwear retailer Banner buys Monkhouse

Mon, 18/06/2018 School uniform and sportswear supplier Banner has acquired F.R. Monkhouse, a schoolwear retailer with nine retail stores and nine on-site shops in large independent schools. The deal has been funded by MML Capital Partners.

Speirs & Jeffrey acquired in £104m deal

Fri, 15/06/2018 Rathbone Brothers has completed the acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey, Scotland's largest independent wealth manager with assets under management of £6.7bn. The £104m deal has been paid with £79m in cash (funded in part through a proposed £60m equity placement) and one million new shares worth £25m. A further 0.6m shares will be payable depending on meeting certain short-term targets, and up to another 5.2m shares if operational and financial targets are hit over the medium term. Speirs & Jeffrey employs 38 investment professionals, all of whom are working executive directors of the business. The deal takes the value of Rathbone's pro forma assets under management to £44.5bn.

Viasat buys MOD supplier Horsebridge Defence and Security

Fri, 15/06/2018 US communications business Viasat has acquired Horsebridge Defence and Security, a UK firm specialising in the design, system integration and support of deployable secure networks. Horsebridge has an established relationship with the UK Armed Forces and a number of Ministry of Defence programmes. The deal boosts Viasat's military communications integration expertise and enables growth in the UK market.

Recipharm acquires inhalation drug business from Sanofi

Thu, 14/06/2018 Swedish pharmaceutical firm Recipharm has expanded its inhalation capabilities with the takeover of Sanofi's contract respiratory drug business for £45m. The deal includes more than 450 employees and a 125,000 sq m site at Holmes Chapel, Cheshire where Sanofi manufactures inhalers and nasal sprays. The CMO had pro forma revenue of £51m and pro forma EBITDA of £8.5m in the 2017-18 financial year.

AKQA completes double swoop for design firms

Thu, 14/06/2018 Digital agency AKQA has completed a double swoop for Universal Design Studio and Map Project Office, an architecture and interior design practice and an industrial design consultancy respectively. The deal creates 'a multidisciplinary experience design practice' – sharing projects, locations, people and clients to unite the entire customer journey from architecture and environments to service design.

HgCapital sells Intelliflo to Invesco

Thu, 14/06/2018 HgCapital has sold IFA software provider Intelliflo to Invesco. Intelliflo offers front and back office software solutions to IFAs and networks, wealth managers, life companies and brokers. Since its inception in 2004, it has become the leading technology platform for financial advisers in the UK, supporting the business of approximately 30% of professionals.

Hindley Circuits completes second acquisition

Thu, 14/06/2018 Northumberland manufacturer Hindley Circuits has completed a second acquisition this year. Irridian Industrial Electronics, an electronic product design and repair specialist has been bought to enhance Hindley's electronic printed circuit board (PCB) assembly services, building on its takeover of Magnum Electronics earlier in 2018. These acquisitions form part of the company's plans to achieve annual turnover of £10m within its first five years of trading.

New defence sector M&A rules come into force

Thu, 14/06/2018 New merger and takeover rules have come into force that strengthen the UK government's powers to scrutinise deals by overseas buyers that may raise national security concerns. The legislation applies to businesses developing military and dual-use technology, computing hardware and quantum technology, dropping the threshold for target businesses from £70m in turnover to just £1m. The rule changes reflect the increasing influence of startups in the defence sector.

Tokio Marine HCC agrees deal for Qdos Contractor

Tue, 12/06/2018 Insurance group Tokio Marine HCC has announced it is buying Qdos Contractor, a provider of insurance products and services to the UK independent contractor and freelancer market. The deal sees the addition of Qdos Contractor's online delivery platform to the group's professional risks division.

Integro Group completes Tysers takeover

Tue, 12/06/2018 International insurance brokerage and speciality risk management firm Integro Group has completed its takeover of Hawkes Bay Holdings (HBH), the owner of Lloyd's broker Tysers. Integro will now begin the process of merging its wholesale and retail operations with Tysers, nearly doubling the size of Integro's current wholesale business. Established in 1820, Tysers has evolved from a marine trade business to a specialist broker operating in four practice groups: North America, International, Reinsurance and Marine & Speciality.

Poundworld in administration

Tue, 12/06/2018 Poundworld has gone into administration. The discount retailer offers around 8,000 product lines mostly priced at £1. The business operates from 335 stores and employs around 5,100 people. Its head office and distribution centre are in Normanton in West Yorkshire. The company will continue to trade while administrators seek a buyer for all or part of the business. Like other high street retailers, Poundworld has suffered from high product cost inflation, decreasing footfall, weaker consumer confidence and an increasingly competitive discount retail market.

US firm Acelity buys Crawford Healthcare

Tue, 12/06/2018 Cheshire-based firm Crawford Healthcare has been bought by the world's largest wound care company Acelity. The US firm has acquired Crawford to add complementary product platforms, commercial scale and R&D expertise to its wound care and dermatology segments. Acelity owns the market-leading wound care brand KCI and employs nearly 5,000 people worldwide. Crawford operates from a manufacturing facility in Knutsford, Cheshire as well as an office in Pennsylvania.

Pryme Group acquires Hydraton

Tue, 12/06/2018 Pryme Group has announced its first acquisition as part of ambitious plans to double turnover by 2021. Hydraton, a division of Sheffield-based Pressure Technologies, is a leading supplier of high pressure and flow control equipment to the global oil and gas industry. Its acquisition allows Pryme to offer a more comprehensive suite of engineering services to clients, as well as increasing its presence in the aerospace, defence and oil and gas sectors.

Smoothwall acquires Future Digital

Mon, 11/06/2018 Smoothwall, a developer of web filtering and monitoring solutions, has acquired Future Digital, expanding its digital safeguarding and filtering presence in the education sector. The deal means that Smoothwall now covers over 10,000 schools worldwide, and builds on its appointment of former Tesla director Georg Ell as CEO last month. Smoothwall was acquired by private equity firm Tenzing in the fourth quarter of last year.

Diversified enters UK market with Digitavia acquisition

Mon, 11/06/2018 US technology provider Diversified has made a first foray into the EMEA region with the purchase of UK audiovisual (AV) reseller Digitavia. Specialising in meeting room equipment and video conferencing, Digitavia is based in Egham, Surrey and employs over 30 people.

Polar Krush takes over competitor Slushee UK

Mon, 11/06/2018 Iced drinks supplier Polar Krush has acquired its competitor Slushee UK, reportedly the fourth largest producer of slushed iced drinks nationwide. The deal includes the company's large portfolio of machines, situated in outlets across the leisure sector in the UK. Polar Krush MD Paul Goldfinch has said Slushee will be rolled into their supply chain. Polar Krush exports its drinks across Europe to France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. The manufacturer operates from a factory in Ashington, Northumberland which underwent a £1m refit last year, increasing output by 500%.

Red Arrow Trading lights up target

Mon, 11/06/2018 BLE Lighting & Power has been sold to electrical wholesaler Red Arrow Trading, after being deemed a non-core business by Lowe and Fletcher. The emergency lighting firm turns over £3m and is based in Eckington, South Yorkshire.

Sovereign Capital scores largest ever return on Linnaeus exit

Mon, 11/06/2018 Private equity firm Sovereign Capital Partners claims to have scored its largest ever return with its exit from veterinary group Linnaeus. Sovereign acquired Linnaeus Group in September 2014, which was then known as Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service and operated from a single hospital in the West Midlands. The company has since grown to 87 sites including 5 specialist referral centres and from 120 to over 1,400 staff. It has been bought by US group Mars Petcare for an undisclosed sum.

Humberts bailed out of administration by Natural Retreats

Fri, 08/06/2018 Estate agency Humberts has been bought out of administration by holiday home letting agency Natural Retreats. The 176-year-old firm, which is headquartered in Salisbury, will be headed up by Natural Retreats' CEO Matthew Spence.

House of Fraser and Mothercare announce restructuring plans

Fri, 08/06/2018 House of Fraser has announced restructuring proposals that would see it close 31 of its 59 UK stores, including its flagship London Oxford Street store. If the plan is approved, 2,000 House of Fraser jobs will be made redundant along with 4,000 brand and concession roles. The department store chain aims to cut rents by 25% for 10 of its remaining shops. The plan, which includes CVAs, will be voted on by creditors on 22 June. Earlier in the year, House of Fraser's Chinese owners announced plans to sell a 51% stake in the company. With a deal with Wuji Wenhua eventually falling through, House of Fraser’s new majority shareholder was confirmed as Hamleys' owner C Banner International Holdings in May. Earlier this week, Mothercare also announced restructuring plans, including CVAs and the closure of around 50 of its 137 stores by June 2019. This news puts another 800 jobs at risk.

PIB Group expands risk management division

Fri, 08/06/2018 Insurance solutions firm PIB Group has acquired Lincsafe, a health and safety advisory service specialising in the construction sector. Lincsafe will join the newly created ‘PIB Risk Management’ division, which is currently comprised of Ford Risk Management and Sigerson Associates. It will continue to trade under its current name.

Liberty Group merges with Salford construction firm ForWorks

Fri, 08/06/2018 Liverpool-based property services firm Liberty Group has merged with Salford construction firm ForWorks under the Liberty banner. Liberty Group specialises in repairs and maintenance, gas services and construction projects, serving more than a quarter of a million homes, while ForWorks is an expert in social housing maintenance, large scale refurbishment and new builds. The combined company has a turnover of £80m and employs more than 1,000 staff.

Good Skin Days bought out of administration

Fri, 08/06/2018 A UK cosmetic surgery business has been sold out of administration to a connected company Hamsard 3487 in a pre-pack deal. GSD Realisations (formerly Good Skin Days) and Good Skin Days Online operate two clinics in Guiseley and Harrogate on top of selling cosmetic products online. The deal secures a future for GSD’s 16 employees.

Ocean Outdoor grows up north with Forrest acquisition

Wed, 06/06/2018 Advertising firm Ocean Outdoor has bought Forrest Media, a leading provider of large format outdoor media solutions in Scotland and the North of England. The deal follows the Ocean Outdoor group’s acquisition by British Virgin Islands-registered Ocean Outdoor (formerly Ocelot Partners) in March. The Forrest deal expands Ocean Outdoor’s national footprint in out of home digital displays with key locations in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Dwyer Franchising acquired by Harvest Partners

Wed, 06/06/2018 Dwyer Franchising, the parent company to UK home service brands including Bright & Beautiful and Countrywide Grounds Maintenance, has been bought by US private equity firm Harvest Partners. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Hexatronic buys training provider PQMS for up to £4.6m

Wed, 06/06/2018 Cable manufacturer Hexatronic has acquired UK-based training company Professional Quality Management Services for up to £4.6m. PQMS specialises in the telecommunications, electric & gas and health & safety sectors, and operates from two centres in Warwickshire and Lancashire. In tandem with this deal, Hexatronic has also purchased Smart Awards and Gordon Franks Training.

Watchfinder bought by Swiss luxury goods group Richemont

Wed, 06/06/2018 Swiss luxury goods group Richemont, the owner of Yoox Net-a-Porter, has agreed to buy Watchfinder, a pre-owned premium watch specialist. Established in 2002, Watchfinder is both an online and offline business, operating a highly qualified customer service centre in Maidstone and employing approximately 200 people worldwide.

Elaghmore Partners acquires McPhee Mixers

Wed, 06/06/2018 Private equity firm Elaghmore Partners has completed a deal for McPhee Mixers, a producer of truck-mounted concrete mixer units. Founded in 1971, McPhee Mixers is based in Blantyre, Glasgow and employs 70 people. It will become part of Elaghmore's Total Vehicle Solutions (TVS) Group, although continue to operate autonomously.

WEPA takes control of UK paper supplier

Tue, 05/06/2018 German tissue supplier WEPA Hygieneprodukte has acquired 100% control of its Northwood & WEPA joint venture. Changing its name to WEPA UK with this deal, the company is the leading private label paper supplier in the UK. Employing 270 people between its commercial headquarters in Bolton and production facility in Bridgend, the business reported a turnover of £120m in 2017.

Darling Associates expands north with Architect CT acquisition

Tue, 05/06/2018 London architects Darling Associates has expanded north in a merger with Wilmslow practice Architect CT. Architect CT provides architecture and interior design services for the hotels, pubs, residential care and retail sectors. Coupled with the expansion of its studio in Poland, the acquisition brings Darling Associates' headcount up to 120 staff. Architect CT will eventually transition to the Darling brand.

Aunt Bessie's sold to Birds Eye owner for £210m

Tue, 05/06/2018 Nomad Foods, the NYSE-listed firm behind the Birds Eye and Findus brands, has agreed to buy Aunt Bessie's in a £210m deal. The takeover of the brand from William Jackson & Son will expand Nomad's footprint in frozen food in the UK, building on its acquisition of GoodFella's Pizza in January. Famous for its Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes, Aunt Bessie's provides Nomad an inroad into the 'major eating occasion' of the roast dinner. Aunt Bessie’s generated revenues and adjusted EBITDA of approximately £107.8m and £20.2m in the last financial year. The deal includes a production facility in
Hull and around 400 staff.

Gateley acquires property specialist GCL Solicitors

Tue, 05/06/2018 AIM-listed law firm Gateley has completed its third acquisition in two years, buying property specialist GCL Solicitors for £4.15m. Based in Guildford, GCL Solicitors employs 79 people and has a turnover of £6m. The deal strengthens Gateley's position in the residential development sector in the south of England in particular.

Buy It Direct tables bid for Maplin

Mon, 04/06/2018 Yorkshire retailer Buy It Direct has reportedly tabled a six-figure offer for electronics retailer Maplin, which went into administration in February. Maplin is the second largest retail casualty of the year so far behind Toys R Us, with more than 200 store closures and 2,300 job losses. If accepted, Buy It Direct hopes to relaunch Maplin's website and create 30 jobs for former staff.

Sembcorp Industries buys UK Power Reserve for £216m

Mon, 04/06/2018 Singaporean energy group Sembcorp Industries has agreed to buy UK Power Reserve (UKPR), the nation's largest flexible distributed energy generator, for £216m. The deal provides Sembcorp with an additional capacity of over 1,000MW in the UK, where it supplies energy, centralised utilities and services to industrial firms. Comprised of 32 locations in England and Wales, UKPR's energy generating assets currently produce 533MW, with a further 480MW expected to come online by 2019. UKPR’s assets help supplement renewable power supplies and add resilience to the national grid by providing high-value rapid response ancillary services to balance the system, which is increasingly in-demand due to closures of older thermal plants and the growing reliance on more intermittent renewable energy sources. Sembcorp UK currently has 210MW of generation capacity at Wilton International Industrial site in Teesside, and is also seeking planning approval to develop two combined cycle gas turbine units of up to 1,700MW.

Montagu Group acquires Cambridge Vending

Mon, 04/06/2018 Montagu Group, the sister company of snack manufacturer Tayto, has purchased Cambridge Vending for an undisclosed sum. Cambridge Vending has a turnover of £3m and around 1,500 vending machines located across the Cambridgeshire area. The deal comes in tandem with Montagu's acquisition of Uvenco UK's vending businesses – Uvenco, Snack in a Box and Drinkmaster

Uvenco UK subsidiaries bailed out of administration

Mon, 04/06/2018 Blackburn-headquartered vending machine operators Uvenco, Snack in a Box and Drinkmaster have been sold out of administration, saving 169 jobs. All three companies are subsidiaries of Uvenco UK, which has not itself entered administration. All assets and 169 employees have been transferred to the companies' new owner Montagu Group, another vending solutions provider

May 2018

New home for JNC Construction Software

Thu, 31/05/2018 Construction, contracting and housebuilding software firm Eque2 has bought JNC Construction Software. Based in Birmingham, JNC provides construction accounting and job costing software products to over 400 businesses. The acquisition is Eque2's second in six months since completing an MBO backed by LDC. With this latest deal Eque2 now employs more than 135 people and serves over 1,600 clients nationwide.

People 1st taken over by the Workforce Development Trust

Thu, 31/05/2018 The Workforce Development Trust has acquired strategic elements of skills and talent management firm People 1st, which went into administration in April. People 1st specialises in the hospitality, retail, passenger transport, travel and tourism sectors in the UK. With this deal it will continue to lead development work on new apprenticeship standards and act as an external quality assurance (EQA) body. The Workforce Development Trust owns similar not-for-profits such as Skills for Health, The National Skills Academy and Skills for Justice.

Crown Paints owner acquires German counterpart

Thu, 31/05/2018 Crown Paints owner Hempel Group has agreed to purchase a 65% stake in leading German paint manufacturer JW Ostendorf. Hempel has a strong presence in the coatings sector worldwide and will incorporate JWO into its decorating segment, aiming to bring it to parity with its Marine and Protective business areas. Hempel has described JWO as Europe's 'most modern paint manufacturer' due to its eco-friendly water-based paints and highly automated production facilities.

Seneca exits Premier Technical Services Group

Thu, 31/05/2018 Seneca Partners has sold Premier Technical Services Group for a 3.6x return. Based in Castleford, PTSG operates in three segments: access and safety, electrical services, and high level cleaning. Its services include facade access equipment, lightning protection and electrical testing, and fire solutions. As of the end of 2017, the company had revenues of £53m and an adjusted EBITDA of £12.3m.

Kester Capital purchases pet retailer Jollyes

Wed, 30/05/2018 The UK's second largest pet retailer Jollyes has been bought by mid-market private equity firm Kester Capital. Founded in 1935, Jollyes manages a portfolio of more than 70 UK superstores and concessions, housing a range of pet products including its own K9 and Lifestage brands.

Sandton Capital buys VVB Engineering

Wed, 30/05/2018 VVB Engineering, a specialist mechanical and electrical contractor, has been bought by Sandton Capital Partners for an undisclosed sum. Headquartered in Essex, VVB is a major contractor in the construction and maintenance of tunnels for the rail, road, airport, power and utilities sectors. The company employs more than 250 people and turns over £75m.

NorthEdge Capital backs Cutwel MBO

Wed, 30/05/2018 NorthEdge Capital has backed an MBO of engineering tooling supplier Cutwel. The firm has announced plans to double its headcount over the next four years and drive sales in the SME market. Founded in 1996, Cutwel operates from a 24,000 sq ft distribution facility in Cleckheaton and supplies precision cutting tools and machine accessories to the engineering sector across the UK and Ireland.

Sale Sharks owner acquires Cotton Traders

Wed, 30/05/2018 CorpAcq, the owner of Sale Sharks rugby club, has acquired Cotton Traders. The retailer plans to use investment to bolster its online business, expand overseas and launch new clothing and homeware ranges. Now 30 years old, Cotton Traders was founded by former England rugby players Fran Cotton and Steve Smith. In 2017, it recorded its best ever results with turnover at £86.7m (up 5.5%) and operating profit at £8.1m (up 5.2%). Cotton Traders delivers to over 25 countries and has over 120 stores in the UK.

Livingbridge checks in on largest ever deal for online travel agency

Tue, 29/05/2018 Private equity firm Livingbridge has acquired Loveholidays in a £180m deal, the largest ever for an online travel agency. Headquartered in London, Loveholidays offers short-haul beach holidays through a bespoke 'discovery search' web tool, allowing consumers to filter by attributes that matter most to them rather than necessarily starting with where and when. Founded in 2012, Loveholidays now employs 140 people and is the sixth largest ATOL holder. Livingbridge is an experienced investor in the sector with previous acquisitions including Enigma Travel, On the Beach and Travel Jigsaw.

ExamWorks UK acquires Kindertons Group

Tue, 29/05/2018 ExamWorks UK, a provider of medical report and rehabilitation services to the insurance and legal sectors, has agreed to buy Kindertons Group. The Cheshire-based business is a market leader in accident management and mobility. Its acquisition will create one of the largest and most diverse service providers to the insurance and legal sectors. The ExamWorks group has operations in the UK, US, Canada and Australia, 4,800 employees and global revenues of $1.2bn.

Wigan Athletic agrees £22m deal with Chinese firm

Tue, 29/05/2018 Hong Kong-based International Entertainment Corporation has agreed to buy League One champions Wigan Athletic for £22m. IEC has confirmed that it plans to invest in the playing staff and that it will seek to appoint two UK-based individuals with experience of the English league to help run the club.

RockRose Energy doubles production with Dyas B.V. deal

Tue, 29/05/2018 RockRose Energy has agreed to buy Dyas B.V. for €107m (£93.6m), taking ownership of its Dutch non-operated gas and condensate producing assets. The deal adds 13 million barrels of oil equivalents (MMBOE) net developed reserves and 5,000 barrels of oil equivalents per day (BOEPD) to the group. Altogether, RockRose estimates it has reserves of 23 MMBOE and produces over 10,000 BOEPD. The group’s production is split 60/40 between gas and oil respectively. With this divestment, Dyas will pursue other investment opportunities in the UK, Denmark, Norway and Malaysia.

Pret A Manger sold to JAB in £1.5bn deal

Tue, 29/05/2018 Ready-to-eat food retailer Pret A Manger has been sold for more than £1.5bn to JAB, the German investment firm that owns Krispy Kreme donuts. Founded in London in 1986, Pret offers freshly prepared sandwiches, salads and wraps, including an array of vegetarian and vegan options. Pret operates 530 stores worldwide and generates revenues of £879m. It currently boasts nine consecutive years of like-for-like sales growth and has opened 50 new stores in the last year alone.

Reliance Worldwide buys John Guest for £687.5m

Fri, 25/05/2018 Australian plumbing components manufacturer Reliance Worldwide Corporation has agreed to buy John Guest for $919.6m (£687.5m). RWC has said that the purchase price reflects a multiple over 12 times John Guest’s 2017 calendar year earnings, and that the deal will create synergies of around A$20m a year.

Oxford Metrics sells Yotta Surveying to Ginger Group

Fri, 25/05/2018 Oxford Metrics has completed the sale of Yotta Surveying to French civil engineering firm Ginger Group. Yotta Surveying provides highways surveying services to government agencies, local government and infrastructure contractors. The £1m deal will see Yotta Surveying rebrand as Ginger Lehmann. Oxford Metrics will retain ownership of the software and service business Yotta Limited however.

Dreamlines enters UK market with Cruise 1st acquisition

Fri, 25/05/2018 Fast-growing German travel agency and tour operator Dreamlines has entered the UK market with the acquisition of Cruise 1st. Headquartered in Salford, Cruise 1st also has operations in Australia and Singapore, and employs 180 people. The deal brings Dreamlines’ workforce to almost 600 people and makes it market leader in Australia and Singapore, in addition to its eminence in Germany.

Wesfarmers sells Homebase for £1

Fri, 25/05/2018 The Australian owner of Homebase has sold the DIY chain for £1 to restructuring specialist Hilco. Wesfarmers bought Homebase from Home Retail Group for £340m in 2016. Wesfarmers has described the investment as ‘disappointing’, citing poor execution of its post-acquisition plans compounded by the wider deterioration of the UK retail sector. With the disposal 24 Bunnings pilot schemes will end, seeing the stores revert to the Homebase brand. The restructuring is expected to result in closures and job losses for some of Homebase’s 250 stores and 11,000 staff.

Electrocomponents seals £88m deal for IESA

Thu, 24/05/2018 Global distribution business Electrocomponents has agreed to buy IESA for £88m. IESA is a Warrington-based provider of outsourcing services to industrial customers. The deal expands Electrocomponents' capacity to serve corporate customers that choose to outsource their maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), and other indirect purchases and inventory management. IESA will be run as a separate business within Electrocomponents, stewarded by existing CEO Glenn Timms.

NewRiver acquires 298 pubs in Hawthorn Leisure deal

Thu, 24/05/2018 Property investment company NewRiver has completed the purchase of UK pub chain Hawthorn Leisure for £106.8m. The acquisition includes a portfolio of 298 community pubs and an established brand and pub management platform. NewRiver sees the deal as offering low-risk, diversified cash returns as well as various development opportunities in surplus land adjacent to the pubs. NewRiver previously bought 202 pubs from Marston's in 2013 and 158 pubs from Punch Taverns in 2015. This move brings its portfolio to 629 pubs.

TalkTalk to sell b2b customers to Daisy Group for £175m

Thu, 24/05/2018 Telecoms and internet business Daisy Group has agreed a £175m deal to buy the b2b customer base of rival firm TalkTalk. This would see 80,000 SoHo, SME and large enterprise clients, representing just under 20% of TalkTalk's b2b revenues, directly transfer to Daisy. Daisy is an existing strategic partner of TalkTalk, meaning all customers would continue to be served by the TalkTalk network. TalkTalk has had a difficult year, with its share price over 90 pence lower than at the beginning of November.

IHS Markit to buy Ipreo for $1.86bn

Thu, 24/05/2018 Data firm IHS Markit has announced its intent to acquire Ipreo, a global capital markets software solutions and data provider. IHS Markit has agreed to pay $1.86bn (£1.39bn) to Blackstone Group and Goldman Sachs for the company, which will be funded through debt financing from HSBC. The valuation of Ipreo has almost doubled since it was bought in April 2014 for around $975m. IHS Markit considers Ipreo's alternative investment business, which includes private equity, hedge funds, real estate and commodities, a rapidly growing sector. IHS Markit has also announced plans to sell its derivatives processing business MarkitSERV.

The Translation People acquires Cicero Translations

Thu, 24/05/2018 Manchester-based language services provider The Translation People has bought South-East counterpart Cicero Translations. Cicero has four staff and revenue of £0.55m. The deal allows The Translation People to expand its expertise into other specialist areas and brings its headcount to 40 people.

Vantage Holdings gets breath of fresh air

Thu, 24/05/2018 NSM Insurance Group has announced that its UK arm Vantage Holdings has taken over Fresh Insurance Services Group. Based in Redditch, Fresh Insurance is a broker specialising in non-standard personal lines products, motor trade, van, and travel insurance. This is Vantage’s second acquisition since it was acquired by NSM Insurance Group in late 2016.

BayWa r.e. expands O&S presence with Becon acquisition

Thu, 24/05/2018 German renewables firm BayWa r.e. has expanded its operations and services capabilities with the acquisition of Becon Consultancy. Becon provides high voltage maintenance and switching services, landscape maintenance and civil groundworks for renewable energy schemes in the UK. The Scottish firm's serviced portfolio includes over 1,000 MW of utility-scale wind and solar projects.

Biscuit International acquires Northumbrian Fine Foods

Thu, 24/05/2018 Biscuit International has acquired Northumbrian Fine Foods from CriSeren Foods. NFF is the UK's largest gluten-free and milk-free sweet biscuit producer, with an annual turnover of £27m. The deal allows Biscuit International keep up with the growing preference among consumers for organic and free-from products, as well as bolstering its presence in the UK market.

US tech firm Boxlight Corporation buys Cohuba

Thu, 24/05/2018 US tech firm Boxlight Corporation has acquired Cohuba, a developer of touch display technology for the education, business and government sectors. The $1.8m deal provides Boxlight with an experienced sales and operational team, as well as a network of reseller partners in the UK. Cohuba will immediately begin distributing Boxlight's interactive classroom products to the UK market.

M&S announces new wave of store closures

Tue, 22/05/2018 Marks & Spencer has announced a new wave of store closures as it works to take a third of its sales online. The company has confirmed that a further 14 stores have been proposed for closure and that only 25 Simply Food stores are to open this year, down from 40. M&S plans for over 100 stores to close by 2022, having already shut 21 so far.

Sony acquires controlling stake in EMI Music Publishing

Tue, 22/05/2018 Sony Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding to acquire Mubadala Investment Company’s stake in EMI Music Publishing. The $2.3bn (£1.7bn) deal takes Sony’s stake from 30% to 90%, with Michael Jackson’s estate owning the remaining 10%. The acquisition forms part of Sony’s strategy to strengthen content IP; EMI controls over 2 million songs including releases by Alicia Keys, Calvin Harris, Drake, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, P!nk and Sia. EMI generated revenue of $663m in the last financial year.

Civica UK acquires Nationwide Retail Systems

Tue, 22/05/2018 Barnsley-based payment systems firm Nationwide Retail Systems has been acquired by Civica UK, the business-critical software and digital solutions provider. NRS's cashless catering and EPOS solutions expands Civica's payment systems business, which is already used by 15 million citizens across the UK. NRS specialises in the education sector where it has over 2,000 installations with local authority, school and college customers, covering 1 million students. Civica employs 4,400 people and provides services to more than 3,000 major organisations across 10 countries.

Baywater Healthcare completes takeover of Surrey sleep business

Mon, 21/05/2018 Baywater Healthcare has completed the acquisition of online sleep disorder business Intus Healthcare. Baywater, which was bought by French business Bastide Group in January, provides private patients and NHS sleep clinics with equipment and therapies for obstructive sleep apnoea. The acquisition signals the company's ambition to expand into online private healthcare and other sleep markets

LoopUp acquires conferencing services business MeetingZone

Mon, 21/05/2018 Remote meetings firm LoopUp has acquired conferencing services provider MeetingZone from GMT Communications. The £61.4m reverse takeover has been funded with a £50m share placement on top of a £17m loan. The acquisition allows LoopUp to migrate MeetingZone's audio conferencing solutions to its own product platform.

KP Snacks to buy Tyrrells from Hershey

Mon, 21/05/2018 Intersnack Group's subsidiary KP Snacks is to buy Tyrrells for an undisclosed sum. The deal includes a head office and two manufacturing sites in the UK, along with US manufacturing capabilities and two sister crisps brands in Germany and Australia. Founded in 2002, Tyrrells has grown through international acquisitions and diversifying product lines into other snacks including popcorn, tortilla chips and vegetable crisps. The deal makes KP Snacks Tyrrells' third owner in two years, having been acquired by Amplify Snack Brands for £300m in 2016, which was then itself bought by Hershey for £1.2 billion the year after.

Proserv completes restructuring deal

Mon, 21/05/2018 Energy services company Proserv has been acquired by its lenders in a debt-for-equity exchange. KKR and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management have become its new owners. As part of the deal, $50m will be injected into Proserv and CEO David Lamont has stepped down. David Currie, previously CEO of JDR Cable Systems and UK President of Aker Solutions, replaces him.

Volex to buy Silcotec Europe for £15.8m

Thu, 17/05/2018 Warrington-based cables company Volex has announced a proposed takeover of Silcotec Europe for £15.8m. Silcotec is a manufacturer and distributor of cable harnesses and electronic sub-assemblies for the medical, telecommunications and computer industries. The company employs 160 people at its plant in Slovakia and has customer service and finance personnel in Ireland. Volex will fund the deal with a share placement that will raise around £36m.

Ascential sells exhibitions business for £300m

Thu, 17/05/2018 Ascential has announced that it has agreed to sell its Exhibitions business to ITE Group for £300m. The company hopes to streamline its businesses with a focus on services related to the digital economy. Ascential Exhibitions is comprised of Spring and Autumn Fair, Bett (including The Education Show), CWIEME, Pure, Glee and BVE.

Livingbridge backs Coversure MBO

Thu, 17/05/2018 Coversure Insurance Services Group has been acquired in a management buyout led by CEO Bob Darling with private equity backers Livingbridge. CISG will use the investment to improve its IT systems, people and franchise infrastructure. Xavier Woodward joins the company's board from Livingbridge and Tim Wright joins from Willis Towers Watson as chairman.

First Response Group acquires Robinsons M & E

Thu, 17/05/2018 Integrated security services provider First Response Group has taken over Robinsons M & E (RME) to create a £25m turnover group. RME is a Harrogate-based boiler, air conditioning and electrical installation firm that has recently completed contracts including a £1.3m care home for The Fisher Care Group and a £1.7m work for The University of Leeds via Sewell Construction and Henry Boot. FRG has eight branches nationwide and a turnover of £15m.

Petards seals £1.5m deal for RTS Solutions

Tue, 15/05/2018 Transportation software engineering company RTS Solutions has been acquired by AIM-listed software developer Petards. Based in Leeds, RTS Solutions delivers web-based, real-time safety critical applications primarily for Network Rail and its Tier 1 contractors.

HgCapital sells JLA to Cinven

Tue, 15/05/2018 International private equity firm Cinven has announced that it is buying JLA, a leading critical asset supply and services business in the UK. Headquartered in Ripponden, JLA provides commercial laundry, catering and heating solutions to more than 25,000 SMEs. Founded in 1973, the company employs around 900 people, including roughly 300 engineers. HgCapital has made a five-fold return with its sale.

Newbury Investments acquires EU Fire & Security

Tue, 15/05/2018 EU Fire & Security has been sold to Newbury Investments, a Berkshire-based holding company with a turnover of roughly £600m. Founded 15 years ago, the fire alarm distributor is based in Rochdale, employs 25 people and turns over more than £12m.

Uniguest buys UK digital signage business Onelan

Tue, 15/05/2018 UK digital signage business Onelan has been bought by US cybersecurity technology business Uniguest. Uniguest specialises in the secure operating system space, offering solutions to drive consumer engagement in the hospitality, office retail and community living industries. The deal will strengthen Onelan's US presence with the support of Uniguest's 180-strong team and 75-person call centre while in return broadening Uniguest's product portfolio. Onelan will continue to operate from its Reading headquarters for the foreseeable future.

Arthur J. Gallagher acquires Risk Services (NW)

Mon, 14/05/2018 Arthur J. Gallagher has acquired Risk Services (NW), a regional insurance broker catering to corporate and commercial clients. The business will continue to operate from its current location in Chester overseen by Stephen Penketh, Regional MD for Gallagher's North-West UK retail property/casualty brokerage operations.

Hill & Smith buys WAPCO for £31m

Mon, 14/05/2018 Hill & Smith has acquired American safety products manufacturer Work Area Protection Corp (WAPCO) for £31m. Based in Shirley, Hill & Smith is a global provider of infrastructure products and galvanising services with a number of major road infrastructure contracts. WAPCO produces a wide range of products including variable message signs, smart work zone systems and traffic control products such as cones.

Yorkshire property consultancies agree merger

Mon, 14/05/2018 Property consultancies Hanson Chartered Surveyors and Walker Singleton have agreed to merge. The deal brings together 66 employees and over 160 years’ experience of developments across Yorkshire.

Groupon takes over Vouchercloud and Giftcloud

Mon, 14/05/2018 Deals and discounts website Groupon has acquired Cloud Savings Company, the owner of Vouchercloud and Giftcloud. The deal, with an enterprise value of $65m, allows Groupon to expand its international online discount code and loyalty programs. Cloud Savings Company operates in 11 countries, primarily the UK, and has more than 5 million subscribers. Based in Bristol, the business employs more than 100 people.

Lexon UK acquires 11 pharmacies with Vittoria takeover

Thu, 10/05/2018 Pharmaceutical wholesaler Lexon UK has purchased retail pharmacy chain Vittoria Healthcare. The deal adds 11 pharmacies to Lexon’s portfolio, allowing the wholesaler to extend its reach to the North West and Wales. With this acquisition the business now owns 67 pharmacies across the UK. Lexon supplies to over 1,800 independent pharmacies across the UK and Ireland.

Renew Holdings buys Scottish rail contractor for £80m

Thu, 10/05/2018 Engineering services group Renew Holdings has acquired QTS Group for £80m. Renew sees the Scotland-based rail contractor as strategically positioned to benefit from scheduled renewal and maintenance spending by Network Rail. The deal has been funded through a £45m share placement as well as a new £35m four-year loan from HSBC.

Accenture acquires Oracle Cloud specialist Certus Solutions

Thu, 10/05/2018 Accenture has moved to expand its Oracle Cloud digital transformation capabilities with the acquisition of Certus Solutions. The two companies have worked together previously on a large-scale Oracle Cloud rollout for the UK Home Office. Certus has won several big contracts with the UK Government, including for the Office for National Statistics and the Treasury. It employs 85 consultants and has headquarters in Guildford as well as operations in India.

BGF backs NWC and High Access merger

Thu, 10/05/2018 Nationwide Window Cleaning and High Access Maintenance have merged to create a £30m FM services business. Both companies are backed by the Business Growth Fund, which has injected a further £5.5m into the combined company to support the deal. Since receiving BGF investment in 2014, NWC Group has increased revenue by £10m, quadrupled profits and grown its workforce to 320 people. High Access meanwhile has expanded in recent years to cover events maintenance at major sporting venues.

BT to leave London HQ and axe 13,000 jobs

Thu, 10/05/2018 BT has announced plans to close its London headquarters of 144 years and axe around 13,000 jobs in a bid to make savings of £1.5bn. The new strategy is to focus on delivering new customer experiences and driving loyalty by converging product offerings and accelerating the rollout of superfast broadband and 5G. The company has allocated an increased £3.7bn a year for FTTP and mobile infrastructure investment, and expects to hire around 6,000 new staff primarily in customer service and engineering. Two-thirds of the 13,000 redundancies will be for UK staff, mostly in back office and middle management roles. BT has had a difficult 18 months following an accounting scandal which cost over half a billion pounds to clean up. The telecoms giant reported profits of £7.5bn, down 2%, and revenue down 1% to £23bn in the last financial year.

Ancala acquires Kelda MoD contract

Wed, 09/05/2018 Kelda Water Services Defence has rebranded as Ancala Water Services following its takeover by infrastructure investor Ancala. Ancala Water Services will work in partnership with the Ministry of Defence on a £1bn 25-year public private partnership (PPP) contract to provide water and wastewater services to nearly 1,100 defence sites across England and Wales.

PKF Cooper Parry syncs with Midlands creative agency

Wed, 09/05/2018 Accountancy firm PKF Cooper Parry has acquired West Midlands-based creative agency Sync Interactive. Sync specialises in mobile and business apps, as well as designing and developing UI and UX, games, illustration, packaging and brands. In the past three years, the company has grown rapidly to take its turnover from £1.5m to £8m, and workforce from 18 to just under 70 people. Its clients have included the BBC, Channel 4, the NHS, Peugeot and Unilever. Sync’s staff will move to PKF's Park View office in Solihull following the deal.

Liberty Global sells cable networks to Vodafone for £16.1bn

Wed, 09/05/2018 Vodafone has sealed a £16.1bn (€18.4bn) deal to take over Liberty Global’s cable networks in Germany, Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic. The acquisition allows Vodafone to expand its operations across Europe; the telecoms group currently only offers mobile services in the latter three countries. Liberty Global is the owner of Virgin Media in the UK and Ireland, which it has no plans to sell.

Starbucks and Nestlé agree £5.2bn licensing deal

Wed, 09/05/2018 Starbucks has announced that it is to form a 'global coffee alliance' with Nestlé to bring its packaged coffee to single serve capsule systems such as Nespresso and Nescafé Dolce Gusto. The £5.2bn licensing agreement also gives the world's biggest food and drinks company the right to market Starbucks coffee at retail outlets outside the chain's own cafés.

Calvetron Brands goes into administration

Tue, 08/05/2018 Jacques Vert and Precis owner Calvetron Brands has slumped into administration, putting 1,000 jobs at risk. Restructuring firm Duff & Phelps has been appointed administrator and begun the search for a buyer. The fashion group's brands also include Dash, Eastex and Windsmoor, and are sold via 300 outlets including Debenhams and House of Fraser.

Paragon Bank confirms talks with Titlestone

Tue, 08/05/2018 Mirroring CYBG's announcement of its bid for Virgin Money, challenger bank Paragon has confirmed it is in talks to acquire residential development finance lender Titlestone. Launched in 2012, Titlestone has committed over £2bn across 300 developments in its first six years. Although no terms have yet been decided, Paragon Banking Group has stated that the potential acquisition forms a core part of its growth strategy, building upon its recent reorganisation and rebrand.

Blink Group acquires CIC Creative

Tue, 08/05/2018 CIC Creative has been acquired by Blink Group, a Chorley-based commercial photography business with 50 staff. Made up of Blink Photo and sister company Blink MCR, the combined business has a turnover exceeding £4m. CIC is a full service creative agency which provides CGI, branding, video production, product design and digital services to clients such as Morphy Richards, RKW and Wrights Food Group. Its acquisition sees the transfer of 36 employees and £2.2m in revenues to Blink.

CYBG offers £1.6bn for Virgin Money

Tue, 08/05/2018 CYBG, the owner of Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank, has made a £1.6bn offer for Virgin Money. The deal would create the largest 'challenger bank' to the UK's biggest lenders, with a balance sheet of between £60bn and £70bn, over 240 branches and six million customers. Virgin Money, which bought the remnants of Northern Rock in 2011, would retain its brand.

£46bn bid made for Adderall maker Shire

Tue, 08/05/2018 London-listed Shire, a producer of treatments for ADHD and other rare diseases, has agreed a £46bn bid from Japanese pharma giant Takeda, in what would be the largest deal in the sector since 2000. After a series of rebuffs in March, the agreed bid would see Shire investors receive equivalent to £49.01 per share. Shares in the FTSE 100 company rose by 5% in early trading, but remain well below the offer price with concerns that the move may overstretch Takeda's finances. Shire is most famously the owner of Adderall, a market-leading treatment for ADHD.

Clearway raises £23m for acquisitive growth

Tue, 08/05/2018 Following the receipt of a £23m funding package from BGF and Santander, the Clearway Group has acquired Cerberus Security and Monitoring Services. Clearway is a vacant property services business based in Dartford which provides technology-led solutions such as alarms and CCTV.

YO! Sushi buys supermarket supplier Taiko Foods

Fri, 04/05/2018 YO! Sushi has made a first move into the UK retail sector with the acquisition of Taiko Foods, a supplier to Costco, Pret a Manger and Waitrose. Founded in 1997, Taiko was the first sushi manufacturer for the UK supermarket industry. The company employs 220 at its factory in West London and will retain its management team and brand following the deal. The acquisition builds upon a landmark two and a half years for YO! Sushi with Mayfair Equity Partners, during which it recently made a first significant step into the North American market.

Pentag to join BG Engineering in Chesterfield

Fri, 04/05/2018 Chesterfield-based manufacturer BG Engineering has bought Pentag Gears and Oilfield Equipment (Pentag), a pattern, wheel and gear manufacturing company based in Sheffield. Founded in 1988, BG Engineering is a precision sub-contractor specialising in CNC machining. Pentag will continue to be managed by Martin Wragg and Andrew Larkin but will relocate to BG Engineering's 40,000 sq ft facility in Chesterfield.

Gresham House offers £25m for FIM Services

Fri, 04/05/2018 Gresham House has announced a proposed £25m deal for FIM Services, an alternative investment fund manager that specialises in UK real assets including sustainable forestry and renewable energy investments. The deal would combine two leading firms in UK commercial forestry management and renewables, growing the portfolio and expertise of Gresham House Forestry and Gresham House New Energy in particular. The company intends to raise £15m in new equity to fund the upfront payment for the business.

McClarrons acquires Chapmans Insurance Consultants

Fri, 04/05/2018 Insurance broker McClarrons has acquired Chapmans Insurance Consultants, adding a third premises in Whitby to its existing bases in Malton and Richmond. In the last year McClarrons has hired 12 new people and launched a specialist agricultural motor trade product called AgriTrade.

Bradford & Bingley sale returns £5.3bn to the taxpayer

Thu, 03/05/2018 UK Asset Resolution has agreed to sell two of Bradford & Bingley's mortgage divisions for £5.3bn to an investor group led by Barclays Bank. The purchaser will acquire around 45,000 Bradford & Bingley and Mortgage Express mortgages. Having been bought by the taxpayer during the financial crisis, the deal enables full repayment of the remaining £4.7bn of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme loan B&B received in 2008. The full loan was £15.65bn, borrowed by the FSCS from the Treasury.

Elcograf acquires Harry Potter printer Clays

Thu, 03/05/2018 Italian book producer Elcograf, a part of Pozzoni Group, has acquired Clays, a Suffolk-based printing company known for producing the Harry Potter series. Established over 200 years ago, Clays has gross assets of £34.9m and prints around 150m books a year. Elcograf has paid £23.8m for the business, leaving a total consideration of £20m after costs.

Patron-backed Vine buys Laine pub chain

Thu, 03/05/2018 Vine Acquisitions has acquired Laine Pub Company for an undisclosed sum. Vine Acquisitions is an investment vehicle for May Capital and Patron Capital, which backed Punch Taverns in a £402.7m deal in 2017. Laine currently manages 21 independent pubs in London, 33 in Brighton and four Mash Inns in partnership with Ei Group. The business will continue to be run by its existing management team.

EG Group enters US with £1.53bn acquisition

Thu, 03/05/2018 Independent forecourt operator EG Group has acquired 762 convenience stores in the US from Kroger Co. The £1.53bn deal includes 66 franchise operations across 18 states, with some 11,000 employees. EG Group will establish North American headquarters in Cincinatti, Ohio, using this acquisition as a platform to implement and adapt its retail brand partner commercial approach and expand across the continent.

Purina Petcare buys dog food subscription startup Tails.com

Wed, 02/05/2018 Nestlé Purina Petcare has acquired Tails.com, a direct-to-consumer bespoke dog food subscription service based in the UK. Launched in 2014, Tails.com's mix of tailored pet nutrition, strong customer engagement and home-delivery subscription model has seen the business grow quickly to reach sales of over £20m and a customer base of over 100,000 dogs. The company currently prepares and delivers around four million bespoke meals a month. It will remain a standalone entity led by current CEO James Davidson following the deal.

LDC backs Mandata in £20m deal

Wed, 02/05/2018 Lloyds Banking Group's LDC has backed a secondary buyout of Mandata in a £20m deal. Mandata is a transport management software provider that supports the UK haulage sector, managing over 10,000 vehicles and employing 60 people at offices in Cramlington and Leeds. The deal sees a 8x return for exiting investor Synova Capital

Goldman-backed consortium buys Cityfibre for £538m

Wed, 02/05/2018 A Goldman Sachs-backed consortium of funds called Connect Infrastructure Bidco is buying Cityfibre. The £537.8m deal aims to create a fibre infrastructure provider with the resources to compete with BT Openreach, which has dominated the sector. Cityfibre's goal is to provide FttP connections for 20% of the UK market, having met only a fifth of this target so far.

AB InBev acquires spirits specialist Atom Group

Wed, 02/05/2018 Spirits, e-commerce and imports business Atom Group has been acquired by AB InBev's 'global growth and innovation' arm ZX Ventures. The Atom Group describes itself as a disruptive global drinks business encompassing the full life-cycle of spirits – from inception, prototyping, production and branding with Atom Brands to import and distribution via Maverick Drinks and retail with Master of Malt. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Alibaba-backed startup buys UK genetic testing firm DNAFit

Wed, 02/05/2018 Alibaba-backed startup Prenetics has acquired DNAFit, a consumer genetic testing business based in London. DNAFit produces personalised diet, fitness and nutrition advice for consumers and the corporate wellness arena, with blue-chip clients that include LinkedIn, TalkTalk and Channel 4. According to a report by Arthur D. Little, the expected annual market size for genetic testing will explode to reach $50bn by 2026 due to a new wave of personalised medical treatments.

April 2018

Evolve IP acquires thevoicefactory

Mon, 30/04/2018 US business Evolve IP has bought thevoicefactory, a cloud communications provider based in Cardiff. The acquisition provides Evolve IP with additional distribution channels in the UK and Europe, as well as an expanded client base and penetration into the hospitality, automotive, finance and legal sectors. Founded in 2009, thevoicefactory's services include web-based call management, an advanced omnichannel contact center, single-sign-on identity and access management and a worldwide team of custom application developers. The business has more than 65,000 users in 21 countries via its private label program.

Ellis Short exits with Sunderland relegation

Mon, 30/04/2018 Irish-American businessman Ellis Short has agreed to sell Sunderland AFC to an international consortium of football investors, led by Eastleigh FC chairman Stewart Donald. The news comes with confirmation of the club's relegation from the Championship and the sacking of manager Chris Coleman. The exit of Short ends a decade with the club, predominantly spent in the Premier League until relegation in 2017. Upon leaving Short has cleared Sunderland's debts, believed to be worth over £100m accrued over the course of his tenure.

Asda and Sainsbury's propose supermarket sweep

Mon, 30/04/2018 Asda Group and J Sainsbury plc have announced plans to merge their businesses. The deal would create one of the UK's largest grocery, general merchandise and clothing retail groups, with revenues of around £51bn for 2017 and a workforce of 330,000 people. The combined company would have a network of over 2,800 Sainsbury's, Asda and Argos stores and several of the UK's most visited retail websites, amounting altogether to 47 million customer transactions each week. This new entity would receive nearly £1 in every £3 spent on groceries nationwide, beating even Tesco by market share.

LDC backs Precision Micro MBO

Thu, 26/04/2018 Precision Micro has been spun out from Meggitt, shortly following the engineering group's entry into the FTSE 250. Mid-market private equity investor LDC has injected £13m into Precision Micro in support of a £22.5m management buyout led by managing director Ian McMurray. Precision Micro is a photo-chemical etching company with offices in Erdington, Birmingham as well as Germany and the Netherlands. The company manufactures more than 50 million high-precision metal components for global customers each year, with around 75% of sales coming from overseas.

Acceleris steals the Limelight

Thu, 26/04/2018 Harrogate-headquartered communications agency Acceleris has completed a deal for London and Dubai-based PR firm Limelight. The acquisition propels Acceleris to the top 20 of UK agencies with a HQ outside of London. Limelight has a team of 25 professionals, including former print and broadcast journalists and social, video and content specialists. The agency will retain its name and offices.

Sky Betting & Gaming acquired in £2.5bn deal

Thu, 26/04/2018 Canadian gambling giant Stars Group, the owner of PokerStars, has agreed to take over Sky Betting & Gaming (SBG) from CVC Capital Partners and Sky. The £2.5bn ($4.7bn) deal will create the world's largest publicly listed online gaming company. SBG controls one of the world's fastest growing sportsbooks and is one of the UK's leading gaming providers. The business boasts the UK's largest active online player base and is a leader in mobile betting and gaming with over 80% of its revenues coming from mobile devices. The group's turnover was £624m and unaudited adjusted EBITDA £202m in the last calendar year, representing growth of 46% and 51% respectively over the previous two years. SBG's Yorkshire base will become a key hub for the enlarged group.

Waterstones sold to Elliott Advisors

Thu, 26/04/2018 Private equity firm Elliott Advisors has bought a majority stake in Waterstones. Current CEO James Daunt will continue to steward the company he has led since 2011, when HMV Group sold the chain to Alexander Mamut. Mamut's Lynwood Investments will retain a minority stake with this deal, although exact terms have not been disclosed. Waterstones has 283 stores and employs 3,000 people across the UK, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands. Under Lynwood in 2016, the bookshop chain returned to profitability for the first time in five years. Its new owner, Elliott Advisors, is an activist investor which also intervened in the British high street last week with the purchase of a 6% stake in Whitbread to nudge the company into a demerger of Costa Coffee. The firm's plans for Waterstones have not been disclosed.

Whitbread to spin off Costa Coffee

Wed, 25/04/2018 Whitbread has revealed that it plans to demerge Costa Coffee from the wider group over the next 24 months. The announcement puts a timescale to existing plans to allow Costa and Premier Inn to operate as 'distinct, focused and market-leading businesses.' In the last three years Whitbread has laid the foundations for international growth with acquisitions for Premier Inn in Germany and Costa in China. Costa Coffee is the top coffee chain in the UK and second largest globally, with 2,400 shops in the UK and over 1,400 abroad.

Rutland exits as Pizza Hut completes MBO

Wed, 25/04/2018 Rutland Partners has sold Pizza Hut Restaurants UK to its management team, led by CEO Jens Hofma. The reported £100m exit concludes a five-and-a-half year stint for Rutland, which bought the chain from Yum! Restaurants for a nominal £1 in 2012. Pizza Hut's 260 UK restaurants have since undergone a £60m American-inspired re-imaging as the private equity firm sought to change the fortunes of the then loss-making business. The new owners will receive financial support from Pricoa Capital and Rutland will also retain an investment in the firm.

NorthEdge Capital backs Prohire MBO

Wed, 25/04/2018 NorthEdge Capital has backed Prohire MD Dave Barlow in a management buyout. The Stoke-headquartered fleet management business employs 70 people and turned over £40m in the most recent financial year. Investment will be used to expand Prohire's sales function and develop its ProVision technology platform. NorthEdge will also support the pursuit of a buy-and-build strategy.

Assystem Technologies acquires Stirling Dynamics

Wed, 25/04/2018 Fast-growing exporter Stirling Dynamics has been acquired by Assystem Technologies. Stirling is a provider of specialist engineering services and products for commercial and defence customers in the aerospace and marine markets. The Bristol-based business employs 90 staff and supports nine navies worldwide. Assystem Technologies operates in sectors including aerospace, defence, energy and transport, employing 1,400 people in the UK and 12,000 people globally.

Cancom Group acquires Ocean Intelligent Communications

Mon, 23/04/2018 Cancom Group has returned to the UK market with the acquisition of Ocean Intelligent Communications, a consultancy, infrastructure and managed service provider. Cancom is a Cisco partner specialising in digital transformation, employing 2,900 people and with revenues exceeding £1bn.

Fulcrum completes second bolt-on deal for 2018

Mon, 23/04/2018 Sheffield-based infrastructure services provider Fulcrum has completed a £1.4m deal for CDS Pipe Services. CDS is a specialist engineering subcontractor and will strengthen Fulcrum's direct delivery capabilities, bringing services in-house. The acquisition is the second in as many months for Fulcrum, following its takeover of Dunamis Group.

80 jobs saved as Transflex Vehicle Rental finds buyer

Mon, 23/04/2018 Dawsongroup has taken over Transflex Vehicle Rental, a subsidiary of TOM Vehicle Rental which went into administration in March. The deal saves 80 jobs and sees Dawsongroup grow its fleet by more than 3,600 vehicles.

Hammerson withdraws interest in Intu takeover

Fri, 20/04/2018 Hammerson has withdrawn its interest in pursuing a £3.4bn takeover of rival property operator Intu. Hammerson, which owns the Bullring in Birmingham, stated that the proposed acquisition was no longer in the best interests of shareholders, pointing to the weakness of the UK retail sector. The £18.5bn deal for the owner of Westfield Shopping Centres, announced at the same time as the Intu takeover, is still expected to close this quarter.

Callcredit Information Group bought for £1bn

Fri, 20/04/2018 Callcredit Information Group has been acquired by NYSE-listed corporate TransUnion for £1bn. Founded in 2000, Callcredit Information Group provides data, analytics and technology solutions to businesses and consumers alike. It is the second largest and fastest growing consumer credit bureau in the UK. TransUnion sees the growth of fintech as driving demand for credit reporting services worldwide.

MFH Group changes ownership

Fri, 20/04/2018 Engineering firm MFH Group has changed ownership following a £3.4m funding deal. Rob Harmston and Steve Parker has bought the business with a combined finance package from Natwest and RBS Invoice Finance. MFH Group employs 48 people across sites in Leeds, Leicester and Sheffield and has an annual turnover of £7.5m.

Xtremepush acquires Emailcenter

Fri, 20/04/2018 Irish-owned multi-channel analytics and engagement firm Xtremepush has completed the acquisition of Emailcenter. The deal immediately doubles the size of the tech firm, which also has plans to grow its 20-strong Dublin team by another 20 staff in the next 18 months.

Augean sells AIS to Regen Devco

Fri, 20/04/2018 Specialist waste management business Augean has sold AIS to Regen Devco. The £3.8m deal sees the transfer of 35 employees and the signing of a three-year exclusive supply agreement for AIS to use Augean for hazardous waste disposal and treatment. Augean will also retain the East Kent High Temperature Incinerator.

Huddersfield firm Leach bought by French group Chargeurs

Wed, 18/04/2018 127 year old graphic display business Leach has been acquired by French manufacturing and services group Chargeurs. Chargeurs is a €533m turnover business with specialisms in temporary surface protection, garment interlinings, technical substrates and combed wool. Chargeurs has been a client of Leach for seven years, using the company's lightboxes. Leach will receive investment to grow from a 16-hour to a 24-hour operation with this deal.

Wavestone acquires Xceed Group

Wed, 18/04/2018 Global consultancy Wavestone has acquired Xceed Group, a technology consultancy specialising in large IT transformation programmes for financial services organisations. The company's expertise covers banking platforms, IT infrastructure, cards engagement platforms, digital transformation and sourcing strategies. Founded in 2003, Xceed employs 60 people across offices in London and New York and turned over £13.3m in the last financial year.

Breedon Group completes two acquisitions

Wed, 18/04/2018 Breedon Southern has bought Staffs Concrete, a mini mix concrete operator based in Stoke-on-Trent, in a bolt-on deal that extends its reach to the north of Birmingham. Breedon Group has also confirmed that it has bought Northern Irish construction group Lagan for £455m.

Equistone seals deal for BOAL Group

Wed, 18/04/2018 BOAL Group, a designer of aluminium roofs and walls for greenhouses, has been bought by private quity firm Equistone. Headquartered in the Netherlands and with a base in Shepshed, Leicestershire, BOAL employs around 370 people and turned over €155m in 2017.

XLMedia acquires WhichBingo

Wed, 18/04/2018 Leeds-based bingo comparison site WhichBingo has been acquired by XLMedia, a Jersey-based digital marketing agency. Established in 2000, WhichBingo provides information on the UK bingo market, publishing thousands of player reviews as well as opinion pieces. More recently the business has expanded to cover additional gambling content such as online slots and casinos.

Wavenet acquires APR Telecoms

Mon, 16/04/2018 Following its acquisitions of Swains and Talk Internet in 2017, Wavenet has expanded further with the takeover of APR Telecoms, a Norfolk-based provider of business communication solutions including cloud, data, telephony and VoIP. The acquisition is a natural progression on APR Telecoms' position as Wavenet's primary supplier, with APR already billing customers on its behalf. The deal brings a number of qualified engineers into Wavenet to enhance its technical support offering while giving APR Telecoms' customers enhanced access to Wavenet's unified communication and IT services.

Co-op Energy makes offer for Flow Energy

Mon, 16/04/2018 Co-op Energy, part of The Midcounties Co-operative, has made an offer for Flow Energy. The £9.75m deal would see Co-op Energy gain around 130,000 customers, growing what is already the largest member-owned supplier in the UK energy market.

Ramsdens Solicitors buys Burn & Co

Mon, 16/04/2018 Ramsdens Solicitors has acquired Burn & Co Solicitors, a private client and commercial practice firm with offices in York and Easingwold, North Yorkshire. The company specialises in conveyancing, wills and probate, family law, civil litigation and commercial property. The deal boosts Ramsdens' headcount to 270 and makes it one of the largest full practice law firms in Yorkshire, with 14 offices.

JRI Orthopaedics acquired by China's AK Medical

Mon, 16/04/2018 Healthcare company JRI Orthopaedics has been acquired by China's leading orthopaedic implant company AK Medical. With this £16.7m deal, JRI becomes part of one of the world's largest 3D-printed orthopaedic implant manufacturers. On top of receiving regulatory approval to sell its own hip products in China, JRI has also been sub-manufacturing AK Medical implants at its plant in Sheffield, where further investment is now planned.

RSK Group seals double deal for CWA and NDT Services

Thu, 12/04/2018 Environmental and engineering services company RSK Group has acquired Non Destructive Testing (NDT) Services and Copeland Wedge Associates (CWA). NDT is an independent pile testing engineering business based in Nottingham while CWA are consultant civil and structural engineers based in central Birmingham. NDT employs 20 people and has provided testing services on several high-profile projects, including various Airbus facilities, London Olympic Park and Wembley Stadium. CWA employs 39 people and provides services to projects ranging from multimillion-pound developments to bespoke architectural designs. Both companies will join RSK's geosciences and engineering division headed by director George Tuckwell. The deals form part of a planned spree of around 10 acquisitions for the group, having secured a £140m funding package from Permira Debt Managers in 2017.

The Mission boosts London presence with Krow takeover

Thu, 12/04/2018 Full service marketing agency The Mission has bought Krow Communications, a creative agency based in Clerkenwell, London. Established in 2005, Krow employs 65 staff and serves clients including DFS, Fiat, Sky Vegas and Team GB. The acquisition provides The Mission with a high-profile London presence, adding to the 15 agencies it already owns across the UK. The deal has been sealed for an initial consideration of £2.75m rising to £14.5m contingent on performance targets being met.

Priori Data purchases appScatter

Thu, 12/04/2018 Berlin-based app store intelligence startup Priori Data has acquired UK-based app management platform appScatter for around €15m. Founded in 2013, Priori Data is a B2B SaaS business that specialises in monetising app market data. Priori employs 16 staff including data scientists, engineers and sales. With this acquisition the company aims to build the world's largest source of mobile data intelligence, bringing together distribution, intelligence, analytics and marketplace features under one roof.

Bestseller acquires Toast

Thu, 12/04/2018 Danish fashion house Bestseller has bought Toast, the French Connection-owned homeware and women's fashion brand. Toast has 13 stores across the UK and will retain its employees and management with the deal.

The AA buys VCars

Thu, 12/04/2018 VCars has been acquired by The AA, cementing the long-standing relationship between the companies in The AA's used cars portal AA Cars. AA Cars has 2,300 dealers on its books and over 130,000 vehicles listed in total. AA Cars will be chaired by AA CFO Martin Clarke.

Entertainment One acquires Whizz Kid Entertainment

Tue, 10/04/2018 Toronto-based production company Entertainment One has acquired UK counterpart Whizz Kid Entertainment, a specialist in non-scripted television formats. The deal expands on the companies' collaboration on the upcoming US version of 'Ex on the Beach', adapted for MTV from Whizz Kid's hit UK show. As well as working on non-scripted shows such as 'Ex on the Beach' and 'Let's Dance', Whizz Kid also works on live events, such as the BAFTAs. The transaction builds on eOne's UK presence and broadens its family and brands business, which includes marquee property 'Peppa Pig'.

Boels Rental acquires Already Hire

Tue, 10/04/2018 Dutch equipment hire business Boels Rental has acquired Already Hire (London). Already Hire has four depots in Slough, Heathrow, Dartford and London City, taking Boels' depot network to a total of 29 locations. Director and owner Jim McKeogh will stay on with the business while fellow owners Trevor Goodwin and Charles Patience retire.

NewBay Media looks to Future

Tue, 10/04/2018 Future Publishing has acquired US content business NewBay Media. NewBay is an information and events business with bases in New York and London. It has a substantial b2b portfolio in verticals including audio visual, television broadcasting and educational technology, thus expanding Future's coverage of sectors.

Clarion Events acquires Pennwell Corp

Tue, 10/04/2018 UK-based exhibitions group Clarion Events has bought Pennwell Corp, an events and b2b marketing service company based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded over 100 years ago initially to serve the oil and gas industry, Pennwell today employs 550 people and manages over 40 exhibitions and conferences around the world. The company also publishes over 130 print and online magazines and newsletters offering content and integrated marketing solutions for industries including dental, emergency services, energy and industrial technology. Clarion Events is owned by funds managed by private equity investor Blackstone, having bought the business for around £600m in 2017.

Optionis acquires First Freelance and First Umbrella

Mon, 09/04/2018 Professional services provider Optionis has acquired contractor accountancy firm First Freelance and its sister umbrella company First Umbrella. The acquisition strengthens Optionis' position in the contractor accountancy and umbrella market, in which it currently owns six brands.

Long Blockchain Corp buys DLT developer Hashcove

Mon, 09/04/2018 Nasdaq-listed Long Blockchain Corp (LBCC) has acquired Hashcove Limited, an early stage UK-based technology company that is developing globally scalable distributed ledger technologies. Hashcove is focused on creating a wide range of DLT solutions, including tokenised platforms, crypto-exchanges and wallets, smart contracts for initial coin offerings (ICO), know your customer (KYC) and financial clearing technology.

InterQuest Group takes over finserv staffing firm

Mon, 09/04/2018 Specialist IT staffing firm InterQuest Group has acquired Albany Beck, a London-based banking and financial services staffing and consulting firm. The deal provides InterQuest with new opportunities in the risk, regulatory and compliance markets, while offering a means for Albany Beck to expand via local offices in the UK

PPB acquires NE Plastics

Mon, 09/04/2018 Point-of-sale materials manufacturer and distributor PPB has acquired its rival NE Plastics. Both businesses specialise in fabrication, cutting and other finishing processes of plastics and boards. The deal pushes PPB's turnover past the £30m mark and increases its headcount to almost 100 staff.

Acrisure acquires Beach & Associates

Fri, 06/04/2018 Michigan-based retail consulting and insurance broker Acrisure has completed its acquisition of Beach & Associates. Based in London, Beach is an independent advisory and transactional broking business. It retains its identity and management team post-transaction.

Menzies Aviation takes over Airline Services

Fri, 06/04/2018 Heathrow-headquartered Menzies Aviation has bought Airline Services, a de-icing specialist with a presence in 12 UK airports. The acquisition broadens Menzies' portfolio of services and gives it a presence in four new airport locations. The deal sees 900 employees join the group.

Firwood Paints joins Trimite Group

Fri, 06/04/2018 Coatings specialist Trimite Group has bought Firwood Paints for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition broadens its range of paints for industrial and commercial applications.

Moneysupermarket buys comparison platform Decision Tech

Thu, 05/04/2018 Price comparison platform company Decision Tech has been acquired by Moneysupermarket for £40m. Decision Tech's services lay behind the home communications, broadband and mobile phone price comparison tools offered by the likes of MoneySavingExpert. It also operates its own comparison websites such as BroadbandChoices and comparemymobile.com. It will be run by the same management team following the deal.

FedEx acquires e-commerce specialist P2P Mailing

Thu, 05/04/2018 The Delivery Group, a portfolio company owned by private equity firm Next Wave Partners, has sold P2P Mailing to FedEx for £92m. Based in Laindon, Essex, P2P Mailing is an E2E international e-commerce delivery business. Its solutions include TRAKPAK software, a global tracked delivery system designed to support cross-border e-commerce.

Audiobook publisher Oakhill joins Ulverscroft

Thu, 05/04/2018 The Ulverscroft Group, a publisher of unabridged audio and large print books, has acquired audiobook company Oakhill. Ulverscroft releases 26 audio titles each month under the Isis Audio, Soundings and Story Sound imprints.

NG Bailey makes bid for Freedom

Thu, 05/04/2018 NG Bailey has acquired power engineering services provider Freedom Group. The deal provides NG Bailey with a presence in the electricity distribution network (DNO) market, as well as adding 600 employees and £120m in revenues to the company's books. Freedom Group's existing management team will continue to run the business under the existing brand.

C&C Group to bail Conviviality out of administration

Wed, 04/04/2018 Magners cider owner C&C Group has acquired Matthew Clark and Bibendum owner Conviviality for a nominal sum after investors refused its request for £125m of new money to stave off bankruptcy. Shareholders in the group are likely to receive ‘little-to-nil’ value for their shares, which have been suspended on the junior AIM stock market since mid-March following a string of profit warnings. Conviviality is a major player in the UK drinks industry, supplying over 700 off-licenses and more than 23,000 pubs and restaurants, including JD Wetherspoons, via its brands Bibendum and Matthew Clark. As the largest customer to Matthew Clark, Budweiser brewer AB InBev’s sales have suffered as the distribution company ceased trading, and has thus lent money to C&C Group to fund the deal. The acquisition secures the futures of more than 1,800 jobs. The future of Conviviality’s off-license chains, Bargain Booze and Wine Rack, remains uncertain.

Edina Power Solutions acquired by Anglo-Indian venture EPAL

Wed, 04/04/2018 Manchester's Edina Power Solutions has been bought by EPAL, a joint venture between India's Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) and the UK's EnergyPro Asset Management. Edina supplies, installs and maintains CHP, gas and diesel power generation systems, employing over 200 people. EESL is the world's largest public energy services company, while EnergyPro is a UK business that aims to accelerate investment into energy and resource efficiency. The joint venture EPAL already owns ESCO operations in the UK as well as a share in a grid-scale battery project in Canada. The acquisition of Edina provides it with a platform for further growth in both the UK and overseas.

Mitrefinch makes inroads in US with Advance Systems takeover

Wed, 04/04/2018 Workforce management software provider Mitrefinch has acquired Advance Systems America for an undisclosed sum. A partner of Mitrefinch for eight years, Advanced Systems America provides software for attendance and absence management. Mitrefinch employs 160 people in the UK and 90 people worldwide, serving over 4,000 clients that include L'Oréal, Nestlé and Yearsley Group. Gary Corcoran will become the company's CEO, having previously held the position at Advance Systems.

Scapa Group buys BioMed Laboratories

Wed, 04/04/2018 Scapa Group, an AIM-listed producer of adhesive products for the healthcare and industrial sectors, has acquired US business BioMed Laboratories for £25m. Based in Dallas, BioMed is a leading developer and manufacturer of gels, creams, lotions, liquids, powders and hot filled wax-based products in the OTC, wound care and skincare markets. Based in Ashton-under-Lyne, Scapa aims to become a single source of turn-key skin solutions for its global healthcare clients.

Beauparc Utilities Group acquires Scotwaste

Wed, 04/04/2018 Beauparc Utilities Group has acquired skip hire and waste management business Scotwaste. Based in Bath Gate, West Lothian, Scotwaste collects, treats and recycles waste for customers in the domestic, industrial, commercial and municipal sectors.

Restore places shares to fund TNT takeover

Tue, 03/04/2018 Office services provider Restore has acquired TNT Business Solutions, the record management arm of TNT. The business has five sites across the Midlands and the South, as well as 250 staff who will all transfer to Restore. Restore plans to raise £51.5m through a share placement in order to fund the deal, which has been agreed at £88m.

Harwood buys AE Financial Services

Tue, 03/04/2018 AIM-listed investor Harwood Wealth Management has completed the acquisition of AE Financial Services for £4.6m. AE Financial is based in Southampton and has ‘assets under influence’ of £130m.

GKN shareholders accept Melrose hostile takeover

Tue, 03/04/2018 Melrose has won its controversial bid for UK aerospace giant GKN, effectively ending Dana’s hopes of acquiring the company’s driveline business. GKN's board maintains that the £8bn offer fundamentally undervalues the business. In recent weeks the deal has been criticised by key GKN customers such as Airbus, as well as in the House of Commons. Hundreds of job losses are predicted.

Sabio acquires CX specialist Bright UK

Tue, 03/04/2018 Customer experience specialist Sabio has acquired Bright UK, a customer service data and analysis firm. Bright's bespoke consultancy and SaaS data solutions offer insights to contact centres through a mix of real time customer feedback analysis, comparative benchmarking and employee surveys. The deal forms part of Lyceum Capital's plans for Sabio to broaden its solutions portfolio.

March 2018

Druces merges with Ronaldsons

Thu, 29/03/2018 Druces has announced a merger with London-based law firm Ronaldsons. The deal sees two corporate partners, a commercial litigation partner and a property consultant join Druces' team.

BrewDog takes over Draft House

Thu, 29/03/2018 Scottish craft brewery BrewDog has announced it has acquired multiple-site operator Draft House. The deal furnishes BrewDog with 14 bars located across London and the South East, and sees 213 Draft House staff transfer onto its books.

CGA Group buys CPL Online

Thu, 29/03/2018 CGA Group has completed the acquisition of CPL Online, a provider of e-learning, business solutions and interactive services, from CPL Training. With offices in Chicago and Manchester, CGA is a data and research consultancy specialising in the out-of-home food and drinks market. The acquisition provides opportunities for CGA to develop new products for its core UK hospitality clients.

EET Europarts acquires Pro-Vision Distribution

Thu, 29/03/2018 CCTV and access control equipment specialist Pro-Vision Distribution has been acquired by EET Europarts. Established in 2005, Pro-Vision is an authorised distributor for over 60 brands including Bosch, Idis, Panasonic, Pelco and Hanwha Samsung. The acquisition brings with it a strong sales and support team, as well as expanding EET Europarts' product offering.

Michelin makes £1.2bn offer for Fenner

Wed, 28/03/2018 Tyre manufacturer Michelin has made an all-share offer for engineer Fenner, valuing the British business at approximately £1.2bn. Fenner supplies conveyor technology to the mining industry and is a world leader in reinforced polymer technology. Michelin will use the deal to boost its operations in high-tech materials, aiming to strengthen its position in recovering mining markets.

Castlerock Recruitment buys Health Care Locums

Wed, 28/03/2018 Health and social care specialist Castlerock Recruitment Group (CRG) has taken over London-based recruiter Health Care Locums (HCL). HCL operates across the UK, as well as having presences in India, Italy and Philippines. The deal nearly doubles CRG’s turnover, taking revenues past the £130m mark.

JD Sports enters US with £400m deal for Finish Line

Wed, 28/03/2018 JD Sports Fashion is to acquire Finish Line, one of the largest retailers of athletic footwear, clothing and accessories in the US. Finish Line trades from 556 branded retail stores in addition to a well-established multi-channel offering. The company is also the exclusive retailer of athletic shoes for Macy's, both in-store and online, with 375 branded and 188 unbranded concessions. The transaction will immediately establish JD Sports as a major presence in the US athleisure market. Finish Line had a turnover of £1.3bn in the last financial year and has been valued at £396m with this offer.

Pentland Brands snaps up Endura

Wed, 28/03/2018 Scottish cycling clothing business Endura has been bought by Pentland Brands, the owner of global names including Speedo, Mitre and Berghaus. Established in 1993, Endura produces hard-wearing cycling gear for everything from mountain and road to triathlon and commutes. Endura will continue to operate from its base in Livingston and be managed by Jim McFarlane and Pamela Barclay.

SQS buys Moorhouse Consulting

Fri, 23/03/2018 German consulting giant SQS has agreed to buy Moorhouse Consulting, a business transformation specialist. The two businesses are to combine with Assystem Technologies to form a new group, specialising in transformation and with a particular focus on IoT.

Inflexion invests in Chambers and Partners

Fri, 23/03/2018 Mid-market private equity investor Inflexion has completed a buyout of Chambers and Partners, the global legal directory business. Founded in 1990, Chambers ranks over 80,000 lawyers and law firms by practice area in almost 200 jurisdictions. Inflexion believes the company is primed to profit from the continued growth of the legal services market and rising business development demand.

Inspired Energy completes £5.3m double acquisition

Fri, 23/03/2018 Inspired Energy has acquired two energy management specialists, SystemsLink 2000 Limited and Energy Cost Management Limited, for £3.8m and £1.5m respectively. SystemsLink’s software enables public and private sector clients to monitor and manage their utilities consumption, while ECM provides a range of water management services to corporate customers, including water procurement, bill validation, leak detection and repair and compliance services.

Intercontinental Hotels acquires Regent Hotels

Fri, 23/03/2018 InterContinental Hotels has announced that it is expanding its luxury footprint with the purchase of a 51% stake in Regent Hotels and Resorts. The $39m deal gives IHG control of six hotels, with the right to acquire the remaining 49% of the company in a phased manner from 2026. IHG plans to grow the brand to over 40 hotels in key gateway city and resort locations worldwide. With this news the company has announced that InterContinental Hong Kong will become a Regent Hotel in 2021.

NWF to take over Stellar Diamonds

Thu, 22/03/2018 Stellar Diamonds has agreed to an all-share offer by Australian rival Newfield Resources (NWF), amounting to approximately £7.74m. Stellar Diamonds owns the Tongo-Tonguma kimberlite development situated to the north-east of NWF’s Allotropes diamond project in Sierra Leone.

Legal & General Capital increases stake in Cala Homes

Thu, 22/03/2018 Legal & General Capital has purchased the remaining 52.1% stake in Cala Homes not already owned by the FTSE100 insurer. LGC has spent £315m to buy this stake from property investor Patron Capital, valuing Cala at £605m in total. LGC first acquired a 46.5% stake in the company in 2013. Cala’s revenues have since trebled from £241m to £748m in 2017.

Experian buys ClearScore for £275m

Thu, 22/03/2018 Experian has acquired fintech startup ClearScore for £275m. Launched in 2015, the business provides a free credit score rating and report service which has been used by over six million people in the UK, as well as a further 300,000 customers in South Africa.

Dana and Melrose tussle over GKN

Fri, 16/03/2018 US auto-engineer Dana Inc. has had an offer accepted to combine with the Driveline division of UK business GKN. The deal would give Dana a 52.75% stake in GKN, which it has secured with an offer of $1.6bn in cash as well as the issue of $3.5bn worth of shares to GKN investors and the assumption of $1bn of net pension liabilities. The offer comes as turnaround specialist Melrose continues to bid for the entirety of GKN. The Melrose proposal has been met with opposition from GKN's customers, most notably Airbus which accounts for around 7% of GKN's sales. GKN argues that the Dana offer, meaning splitting the company's aerospace and driveline businesses, may be more beneficial.

If approved, the merger would secure Dana's position as a global leader in vehicle drive systems as well as establishing a strong position in electric propulsion, which it sees as the future of vehicle drivetrains. Dana expects to find $235m of annual cost synergies within three years on top of benefits for its customers in improved global coverage, including in key markets such as China, and an enhanced product portfolio. The Dana deal may scupper Melrose's takeover plans, with GKN dismissing a latest $8.1bn bid.

Swift Group completes management buyout

Fri, 16/03/2018 Swift Group, the owner of motorhome and caravan manufacturer Swift Acquisitions, has completed the second phase of a management buyout, increasing its management’s majority shareholding. Following on from a first transaction in 2012, the MBO has been led by group MD James Turner and group FD Richard Smeaton. The announcement comes as the company reports record sales in the year to August 2017, growing 8% to £273m.

Prudential to split in two

Fri, 16/03/2018 Prudential has announced that it is demerging its US-Asia arm from its UK operations. Prudential plc will be home to the group’s US, Asian and African businesses while M&G Prudential will contain asset management and UK life insurance. The break-up creates two FTSE100 companies, both of which will remain headquartered in London. The move is part of a wider reshaping of the global life insurance industry, as regulatory changes and low interest rates prompt insurers to make hard decisions about where they want to specialise. As part of the restructuring, M&G Prudential has sold a £12bn annuity portfolio to Rothesay Life.

Flowtech splashes £10m on Balu acquisition

Fri, 16/03/2018Flowtech Fluidpower has agreed to buy Balu Group, the owner of Beaumanor and Derek Lane, for £10.2m. Beaumanor is an importer and distributor of fluid power equipment in the UK, while Derek Lane is a supplier of fluid power products and engineered solutions. The deal sees 44 and 28 employees join Flowtech from the respective businesses, and provides Flowtech with an additional logistics centre in Leicester. Flowtech has announced a share placement with the hope of raising £11m to fund the acquisition.

Unilever chooses Rotterdam for its corporate HQ

Thu, 15/03/2018 Unilever is changing its corporate structure to become a single legal entity incorporated in the Netherlands. The maker of the brands Marmite, Dove, Hellmanns and Lynx has been owned through two separately listed companies, a Dutch N.V. and a UK PLC, since its formation in 1930. Unilever says that a single holding company brings greater simplicity and more flexibility to make strategic changes in its portfolio in the future, such as de-mergers or acquisitions. In addition Unilever is splitting its business into three divisions: Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment. Beauty & Personal Care and Home Care divisions will be based in London, while the Foods & Refreshment division will be headquartered in Rotterdam. Unilever will continue to employ 7,300 people in the UK and 3,100 people in the Netherlands, with its shares remaining listed in London, Amsterdam and New York.

Berlin Packaging wraps up deal for Erben

Wed, 14/03/2018 Berlin Packaging has acquired H. Erben, a supplier of closures, packaging and packaging equipment with a particular strength in the food and drinks sectors. Based in Hadleigh, Erben also owns dedicated operations in South Africa, a Californian base with its California Capsules business and thebottlejarstore.co.uk. Berlin Packaging is a $2.6bn global supplier of rigid packaging products and services. Alongside Bruni Glass, which Berlin Packaging acquired in 2016, the strategic acquisition brings together a 200-strong sales team. Bruni Glass has been a long-term supplier of glass packaging to Erben.

Tossed acquires Vital Ingredient

Mon, 12/03/2018 Salad bar group Tossed has bought Vital Ingredient, a restaurant group specialising in made-to-order salads and soups, from FCFM Group for an undisclosed sum. Vital Ingredient has 13 remaining restaurants, having closed seven upon falling into administration in January this year. The combined group will operate from 38 outlets in London, Welcome Break service stations and Dubai.

Bluestones buys recruitment firm Handystaff

Mon, 12/03/2018 Bluestones Investment Group has acquired Handystaff, a Nottingham-headquartered recruiter for the construction and shopfitting sectors. Handystaff has been provided with investment for a new website, new headquarters and extra staff.

Boi Trading saves Joe Bloggs owner from administration

Mon, 12/03/2018 Manchester-based fashion house and distributor Boi Trading has acquired Juice Corporation out of administration for an undisclosed sum. Also headquartered in Manchester, Juice is the owner of Gabicci, Joe Bloggs and Elizabeth Emanuel.

Hills Balfour bought by MMGY Global

Fri, 09/03/2018 Travel and tourism PR agency Hills Balfour has been taken over by US group MMGY Global for an undisclosed sum. The deal includes Hills Balfour's offices in London and Dubai, expanding MMGY's international footprint and taking the company's workforce to more than 400 employees. MMGY claims to be the world's largest integrated marketing company specialising in travel and hospitality. Hills Balfour will continue to trade under the same name.

Channel 4 announces plan to scale down London operations

Fri, 09/03/2018 Channel 4 has announced plans to scale down its London operations. Its '4 All the UK' strategy will see its 'Nations & Regions' content spend for the main channel increase from 35% to 50% by 2023, amounting to over £250m. Channel 4 aims to reduce its London footprint with excess space in its Horseferry Road HQ to be let out to other production companies. In 2019 300 jobs will move to two smaller creative hubs outside of the capital, which Channel 4 hopes to expand over time.

NVM Private Equity invests £9m in Dale Power

Fri, 09/03/2018 Scarborough-based power system supplier Dale Power has completed a management buyout with backing from NVM Private Equity. With 270 staff, Dale Power serves a number of blue-chip clients in the telecoms, healthcare, oil and gas and utilities sectors as well as the power distribution network itself. NVM has invested £9m in the company in exchange for a majority stake.

Metamorph Law acquires Terry Jones Solicitors

Fri, 09/03/2018 Metamorph Law has acquired Shropshire-based practice Terry Jones Solicitors, boosting group turnover past £23m. The deal enhances Metamorph's existing Shrewsbury offering, which trades under the Linder Myers brand, with additional expertise in agricultural and commercial matters, a strong matrimonial, family and childcare team, a well-established crime practice and further residential conveyancing and trust and estates resources. Terry Jones Solicitors turns over roughly £5m per year.

House of Fraser sold on by Chinese owner

Thu, 08/03/2018 Nanjing Xinjiekou Department Store, the controlling shareholder of House of Fraser, has announced that it is selling its 51% stake in the retailer to Wuji Wenhua, a tourism development company. Sanpower, the largest shareholder in Nanjing Xinjiekou, acquired House of Fraser in 2014 for £480m, announcing plans to inject capital into the department store and launch a series of new outlets in Russia and the Middle East as well as 50 stores in China under the name ‘Oriental Fraser’. With consumers turning to online shopping and sales dipping, Sanpower has finally opened only one store in China

EmergeVest buys CM Downton for £75m

Thu, 08/03/2018 International private equity investor EmergeVest has acquired CM Downton (Haulage Contractors) in a £75m deal. Headquartered in Gloucestershire, Downton generates an annual turnover of c. £120m, operating around 600 tractors and 1,800 trailers and employing roughly 1,350 people. The transaction marks EmergeVest's seventh acquisition in the UK logistics sector since its formation in 2013; its portfolio includes Adjuno, Allport Cargo Services, NFT Distribution, NR Evans and Palletforce. The Downton family yield their shareholding but will retain their managerial positions following the deal.

Exertis acquires Hypertec

Thu, 08/03/2018 Technology supply chain specialist Exertis has acquired Hypertec, a distributor of third party and own-brand IT products including accessories, assistive technology, memory and storage. Based in Hungerford, Berkshire, Hypertec employs 50 people and recorded a turnover exceeding £20m in the last financial year. The business has over 400 active customer accounts including many of the UK's largest resellers.

Suttons Tankers buys Bullard

Thu, 08/03/2018 Suttons Tankers has acquired Bullard, a transport company specialising in fuels and chemical waste. As well as Bullard's customers, drivers and equipment, the deal sees founder Simon Bullard join Suttons Group in a key account management role. The combined company will have the largest shared-user chemical fleet in the UK.

Apple reseller Jigsaw24 bought for £95m

Thu, 08/03/2018 Alcuin Capital Partners has acquired Apple reseller Jigsaw24 for £95m. Established in 1992, Jigsaw24 employs more than 220 people across 5 UK offices. The group is the largest B2B Apple reseller in the UK, specialising in integrating Apple, Adobe and Avid products for customers in the enterprise, creative and education sectors.

Newsquest takes over local news publisher CN Group

Wed, 07/03/2018 Local news publisher CN Group has been bought by Newsquest. Newsquest is the owner of over 200 local newspaper brands and magazines, attracting 28 million digital users per month and 6 million readers each week. The deal secures a future for the CN Group's 11 Cumbria and Northumberland focused titles inside a larger, scaled operation. Following this announcement, it has also been reported that Newsquest is interested in local paper publisher Archant, although Archant has denied it is in talks. The trend for consolidation in the sector comes with publishers battling digital giants such as Google and Facebook for advertising revenue.

New Look to close up to 60 stores

Wed, 07/03/2018 The bad news for the UK high street keeps coming with New Look announcing a plan for up to 60 store closures and 980 job losses. The company cites a challenging retail trading environment, driven by weaker consumer confidence, the implications of Brexit and competition from online channels, as necessitating the deal. The proposal, which is set to go to creditors on the 21st March, includes a reduction in rental costs and revised lease terms across 393 stores. New Look currently has 593 UK stores and employs around 15,300 people.

De La Rue sells banknote paper business

Wed, 07/03/2018 Global security and anti-counterfeiting specialist De La Rue has established a strategic partnership with Epiris Fund II to create Portals De La Rue, a new company comprising the group's paper business. The £61m deal gives Epiris a 90% shareholding in Portals De La Rue, which includes the Overton and Bathford paper mills. The venture secures a long term paper supply for De La Rue's print requirements with a ten year contract while limiting the company's exposure to the external paper market and strengthening its balance sheet. This realignment will allow De La Rue to become a less capital intensive company and focus on its core business of providing innovative technology solutions for the currency, identity and brand protection markets.

Skipton Building Society acquires Holmesdale

Wed, 07/03/2018 Holmesdale Building Society has announced that it is merging with Skipton, the UK’s fourth largest building society. Pending approval by its members and confirmation by the Prudential Regulation Authority, the merger is expected to go through in October 2018. Founded in 1855, Holmesdale has one branch in Reigate and employs 26 people. The office will be safeguarded for two years, after which it will be subject to the society’s branch review process.

Trinity Mirror to rebrand as Reach

Tue, 06/03/2018 Trinity Mirror is to change its name to Reach plc following its purchase of Express Newspapers from Northern & Shell. The company says that the new name reflects the larger business and will be ratified at the AGM in May 2018.

Hill Dickinson's insurance business taken over by Keoghs

Tue, 06/03/2018 Law firm Keoghs has acquired Hill Dickinson's insurance business group. Based in Bolton, Keoghs specialises in providing defendant legal services to the insurance sector. The deal sees 17 partners and 311 staff transfer to Keoghs, taking its headcount to 1,740 across 12 offices, as well as giving the firm a presence in Liverpool, which it will sublet from Hill Dickinson as part of the transaction. Keoghs has greatly expanded over the last 18 months with the opening of new offices in London, Southampton, Glasgow and now Liverpool. Altogether the acquisition, which excludes Hill Dickinson’s marine insurance and clinical negligence work, allows Keoghs to focus on strategic areas of growth in its core business areas of commercial, health and marine. Keoghs also adds expertise in professional indemnity, abuse and dispute resolution services for major corporates to its already large array of specialities.

Servest hits £1bn turnover with Aktrion acquisition

Tue, 06/03/2018 International facilities management provider Servest has acquired Aktrion Group, a move that boosts its turnover past the £1bn mark for the first time. Aktrion is a £90m-turnover outsourcing firm, providing international business and manufacturing support services to blue chip clients in the printing, automotive, food and transport sectors. Servest expects to benefit from the acquisition of Aktrion’s dedicated automotive business in particular, which complements its joint venture with Atalian and its stake in technology business Getronics. 

Begbies Traynor Group acquires Springboard Corporate Finance

Tue, 06/03/2018 Begbies Traynor Group has announced a £2.75m acquisition of Springboard Corporate Finance, shortly following its takeover of CJM Asset Management early last month. Springboard will continue to trade under its own brand from its Birmingham, London and Nottingham branches, with more offices expected to be added in the coming months.

Advanced buys Science Warehouse for £16.9m

Tue, 06/03/2018 National investment group Mercia Technologies has sold Science Warehouse for £16.9m. Spun out from the University of Leeds in 2000, Science Warehouse is a provider of spend management and e-marketplace systems to commercial, government, higher education, NHS and housing clients. It has been bought by Advanced Business Software and Solutions, the UK’s third largest enterprise software and IT services provider.

Fidessa accepts £1.4bn Temenos bid

Fri, 02/03/2018 Fidessa has received a takeover bid from Swiss banking software group Temenos. Fidessa provides marketing data and trade processing technology to investment banks and fund managers. The offer of £35.67 in cash per share values Fidessa at approximately £1.4bn. The company’s board are to unanimously back the bid.

Advent offers £1.2bn for Laird

Fri, 02/03/2018 British electronics and technology business Laird plc has accepted an offer from private equity firm Advent International. Laird specialises in solving electromagnetic interference challenges as well as providing state-of-the-art wireless communication and smart system solutions. Advent’s £1.2bn offer represents a notable 73% premium on Laird’s share price. With shares still up following this news there is speculation that another offer for the business is forthcoming.

Endless exits Jones Bootmaker after a year

Fri, 02/03/2018 Mid-market private equity investor Endless has sold Jones Bootmaker just a year after buying it out of administration. Family-owned footwear business Pavers has acquired 42 of 47 remaining stores and 389 staff, with 36 store staff and 50 head office staff to lose their jobs.

Motor Fuel Group acquires MRH for £1.2bn

Fri, 02/03/2018 Motor Fuel Group has agreed to take over MRH, the UK’s largest petrol station and convenience retail operator, for £1.2bn. The deal creates the largest forecourt operator in the UK by number of sites, and the number two by fuel volume. A culmination of a proactive M&A policy in the last few years, MFG will now have 900 sites – more than double the number owned at the time of its half-a-billion pound MBO in 2015.

February 2018

Granarolo acquires Midland Food Group

Wed, 28/02/2018 Italian-owned agro-industrial business Granarolo has acquired Midland Food Group, a chilled, ambient and frozen food distributor in the UK. The company operates from two sites: a manufacturing and packaging warehouse in Willenhall and a strategic distribution hub in Basingstoke. As well as a dairy segment accounting for 30% of its sales, Midland Food Group has a manufacturing arm that produces cooked meats, pasties and sandwich fillings that it distributes via a fleet of 50 vehicles. The company also operates an e-commerce portal called iDeli. Midland Food Group has an expected turnover of £62m and employs 244 staff.

Phoenix Group on cusp of FTSE100 with latest takeover

Wed, 28/02/2018 Phoenix Group has announced that it is to acquire the majority of Standard Life Assurance Limited and Vebnet Limited together for £2.9bn, as well as expanding its strategic partnership with Standard Life Aberdeen. Altogether, the deal encompasses all of SLA's UK and European life insurance business, leaving Standard Life's retail platforms and advice business intact. The deal makes Phoenix the preeminent closed life fund consolidator in Europe, giving the enlarged group £240bn in legacy assets and 10.4 million policyholders. The acquisition is expected to create £5.5bn of additional aggregate cashflows, £1bn of which will be earned between 2018 and 2022. The news extends a trend of consolidation in the sector that has seen Abbey Life, AXA Sunlife and Key Retirement Group all join Phoenix in the last few years. This latest move puts the group on the cusp of the FTSE100.

Maplin falls into administration

Wed, 28/02/2018 Consumer electronics retailer Maplin has gone into administration, raising the prospect of 217 store closures and job losses for 2,335 people. The business has faced a slump in the pound, weak consumer confidence and a withdrawal of credit insurance which has made it 'impossible' to raise capital, according to CEO Graham Harris. Maplin will continue to trade as normal while it attempts to find a buyer.

3,200 jobs at risk at Toys "R" Us

Wed, 28/02/2018 Toys "R" Us has failed to find a buyer and administrators have been appointed to oversee 'an orderly wind-down' of the retailer's operations. Toys "R" Us has recently struggled with the operating costs of its large warehouse-style stores, and after poor trading over Christmas found itself unable to pay a £15m tax bill. The company has been in trouble for a while, announcing plans in December to close 26 of its UK outlets to focus on smaller, more interactive stores and its website. This latest development puts 3,200 jobs at risk. The company's 105 UK stores are to remain open until further notice.

Comcast challenges Fox with £22.1bn offer for Sky

Wed, 28/02/2018 American media giant Comcast has swooped in with a £22.1bn offer for Sky, trumping 21st Century Fox's protracted takeover bid for the European broadcaster. Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox had already agreed an £18.5bn deal to buy the 61% of Sky it doesn't already own. Comcast's proposal represents a premium of 16% on Fox's offer. Following news of its £39bn takeover by Disney, Fox insisted that it would continue to pursue its takeover of Sky despite referral to the Competition and Markets Authority. The CMA found in January that the Fox deal would not be in the public interest, to which Fox

to which Fox responded by assuring that Sky News would continue to run for 10 years with a fully independent board. The CMA is to send a final report to culture secretary Matt Hancock by 1 May. Comcast has emphasised its commitment to 'high broadcasting standards and news impartiality in the UK' in the announcement of its bid.

Comcast is a US international media and telecommunications giant which owns cable TV company NBCUniversal as well as film giant Universal Pictures. Comcast will use the deal as a platform for expansion in Europe, increasing international revenues from 9% to 25%. Earlier this month, Sky won the lion's share of Premier League TV rights for the football seasons between 2019 and 2022. Commentators have speculated that Comcast's bid has also been positioned to derail the Fox-Disney merger, which includes Sky.

Breedon aims to cement Lagan deal

Wed, 28/02/2018 Breedon has confirmed that it is in talks to acquire Irish construction group Lagan. Breedon is the UK's largest independent construction materials group, with more than 750m tonnes of mineral reserves and a workforce of 2,300 people. Lagan announced this week that it is placing four of its companies into administration, Lagan Construction Group Holdings Limited, Lagan Construction Group Limited, Lagan Building Contractors Limited and Lagan Water Limited, putting the jobs of 200 people at risk. Lagan's Civils and Building divisions have been affected by a number of factors including delays in the commencement of new projects and protracted contractual disputes. It is assumed Breedon would acquire Lagan's materials business; Lagan Homes is not thought to be a part of the proposed deal.

Morrisons completes takeover of Yorkshire egg business

Mon, 26/02/2018 Morrisons has announced that is has acquired Chippindale Foods, a leading supplier of free range eggs. The deal enables Morrisons to make more of its own fresh food more competitively, and brings forward the date at which all Morrisons eggs will come from non-caged hens from its current target of 2025. Morrisons is already the largest supermarket customer for British farmers and makes most of its own fresh food in its 17 manufacturing sites and 491 stores.

Zonat acquires hosting.co.uk

Mon, 26/02/2018 Swiss domain monetisation business Zonat has bought DI, operating as hosting.co.uk and hosting.uk. Founded in 2012, DI is a well-rated webhosting provider and owner of a portfolio of valuable domains. Zonat hopes to capitalise on the acquisition with the launch of a site builder in the near future, complementing its large existing range of webhosting products.

£2m MBO completed at ProAktive Risk Group

Mon, 26/02/2018 Mercia Fund Managers has backed a £2m management buyout at risk management consultancy ProAktive Risk Group. Based in Doncaster, ProAktive is a commercial insurance broker that also provides consultancy services covering business continuity planning, HR, health and safety and fleet risk management. The deal gives control of the business to its long-serving management team led by Andy Morley and Ian Laycock.

Telesis buys Digital Telecom Airtime

Mon, 26/02/2018 RBS-backed Bolton business Telesis has acquired Manchester's Digital Telecom Airtime. The deal lifts the company's turnover over £9m and its workforce to 52 people. Telesis offers a range of comms solutions including phone systems, calls and lines, mobile services, broadband, call recording, CCTV, VoIP, connectivity and engineering services to businesses in the North West. The company is planning two more acquisitions in 2018 to take revenues past £10m.

Dark Star Brewing bought up by Fuller's

Thu, 22/02/2018 London Pride brewer Fuller's has boosted its craft beer credentials with the acquisition of Dark Star Brewing. Fuller's will provide funds for Dark Star to invest in new markets and increase sales of its beer brands, which include Hophead, APA, Dark Star Original and Revelation. Dark Star will continue to operate as a standalone business with James Cuthbertson at the helm. The company's four-strong pub estate will be operated under a separate vehicle.

Sedulo Group acquires Leeds accountancy firm

Thu, 22/02/2018 Sedulo Group has acquired the Leeds-based accountancy firm Bartfields. The deals grow Sedulo's team from 60 to around 100 members of staff covering accountancy, tax, corporate finance, debt funding and wealth management, as well as forensic accounting with the addition of Bartfields' specialist department.

Hentons merges with Forster Stott & Co

Tue, 20/02/2018 Yorkshire accountancy firm Hentons has merged with York-based practice Forster Stott & Co. The deal has been supported by a multimillion-pound funding package from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Forster Stott's team will be retained and expanded.

Educate Resourcing buys Educate Teacher Training

Tue, 20/02/2018 Welsh firm Educate Resourcing has acquired Educate Teacher Training. Educate Resourcing is based in Wrexham and provides teaching and support staff, bespoke alternative curriculum courses and specialised personal tuition. The businesses will combine under the banner of the Educate Resourcing Group of Companies.

Tobii pens eye-catching deal

Tue, 20/02/2018 Tobii has acquired Acuity ETS and Acuity Intelligence, to be integrated into the Tobii Pro business unit. Acuity ETS specialises in eye-tracking research solutions and is the largest reseller of Tobii Pro's products, while Acuity Intelligence conducts behavioural and cognitive research on behalf of global brands. The deal gives Tobii ownership of analytics software for eye-tracking studies in VR environments as well as its first office in the UK, opening a route for direct sales. The Acuity teams are based in Reading and together employ eight people.

Forbes Media gets The Memo

Tue, 20/02/2018 Forbes Media has acquired The Memo, a British online business news outlet. The Memo will join Forbes Media to become its first full-fledged European Editorial Team, as part of its wider expansion plans across the continent. Following the deal, The Memo's content will be hosted on Forbes.com and its London-based editorial team will move to a new and expanded office space.

Valtech acquires Bristol digital agency

Mon, 19/02/2018 Global digital agency Valtech has acquired UK counterpart True Clarity, a specialist in e-commerce and experience platforms such as Sitecore. The deal adds brands including ASOS, Dyson and EasyJet to the company's client portfolio, and sees the addition of a Bristol site to Valtech's existing offices in London and Manchester.

Grafton Group buys Leyland SDM for £82.4m

Mon, 19/02/2018 Merchanting and DIY group Grafton has bought Leyland SDM for £82.4m. Leyland SDM is a trusted decorating and DIY brand in Central London, selling paint, tools, ironmongery and accessories. The business has a network of 21 mostly high street stores situated in some of London's most prominent locations, such as King's Road Chelsea, High Street Kensington and Shaftesbury Avenue, as well as a distribution centre in Wembley.

Audioboom merges with Triton Digital in £134m deal

Mon, 19/02/2018 Audioboom has been incorporated into Triton Digital following a reverse takeover. Audioboom is a leading spoken word audio on-demand platform for hosting, distributing and monetising content. It has bought Triton Digital for approximately £134m in cash. The group plans to fund the acquisition through a share placement with which it hopes to raise around £155m.

KPMG acquires cybersecurity assets from Cyberinc

Mon, 19/02/2018 Business advisory company KPMG has acquired the Identity and Access Management (IAM) business of Silicon Valley tech firm Cyberinc, which has operations in Wetherby and Scarborough. Cyberinc IAM provides advisory, strategy, implementation and managed services for organisations needing to transform their enterprise or consumer identity capabilities. Cyberinc's staff will merge with KPMG's cybersecurity team in Leeds.

Cairngorm Capital backs Thornbridge and NYTimber merger

Fri, 16/02/2018 Scottish timber processing and distribution company Thornbridge has merged with North Yorkshire Timber with backing from Cairngorm Capital Partners. Established in 1979, NYTimber is one of the largest independent timber merchants in the North East of England. It has a dedicated 120,000 sq ft design, manufacturing and distribution centre in Brompton-on-Swale and is supported by seven branch outlets. In 2017, NYTimber had revenues of over £18m and employed over 200 staff. The deal gives Thornbridge access to NYTimber's specialist roofing solutions division, expanding its product offering. The enlarged group will have 15 branches across the UK, generating revenues of over £50m and employing over 360 people.

Encore Envelopes buys GNE out of administration

Fri, 16/02/2018 Encore Envelopes has acquired Leeds manufacturer Great Northern Envelope Company (GNE) out of administration, protecting 129 jobs. GNE will continue to trade under the same name following the deal.

Croda Europe seals £10m deal for Plant Impact

Fri, 16/02/2018 AIM-listed research and development firm Plant Impact has been bought by Croda Europe in a £10m deal. Croda is a global chemicals and ingredients producer for some of the world's biggest consumer brands. Plant Impact specialises in crop enhancement products that improve crop yield and quality.

Reconomy acquires Waste Check

Fri, 16/02/2018 Reconomy has completed the takeover of waste management broker Waste Check, expanding its national footprint and coverage of sectors. Based in Bromsgrove, Waste Check specialises in the compliant disposal of clinical and chemical waste materials for businesses operating in sectors including healthcare, retail and care homes. Reconomy provides waste management services across housebuilding, commercial construction and infrastructure, managing over 3m tonnes of waste in 2017 with 93% of this directed away from landfill. This latest acquisition follows a flurry of recent M&A activity by the company, which is predicting revenues of £135m by the end of 2018.

800 jobs saved as Berwin & Berwin finds buyer

Fri, 16/02/2018 Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group has acquired men's tailoring business Berwin & Berwin out of administration, securing the jobs of 800 employees. The deal includes the Lambretta, Paul Costelloe and Baumler brands, 36 menswear concessions and outlets, and all existing stock. Berwin & Berwin will open a further five menswear concessions in 2018 and its brands will be stocked in EWM Group’s Days Department Stores and other outlets within the group.

Sky's the limit for Premier League as value of broadcast rights declines

Wed, 14/02/2018 Sky has maintained its position as the main broadcaster of Premier League football in the UK following the announcement that it has won the right to show 128 games per season through to the end of the 2021/22 campaign. Sky will pay £1,193 million per season for the exclusive rights to show live Premier League football in the highest rating slots, including Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday double headers and Monday night football. BT will screen one game per week at Saturday lunchtime, although this might increase when the midweek packages of games are sold. Sky is paying 16% less per game compared to its current arrangement, making it unlikely that the Premier League will raise as much money as it did for the 2016-19 UK rights, although it will hope international rights continue to rise in value.

Next 15 acquires Brandwidth Group

Tue, 13/02/2018 Digital communications specialist Next 15 has announced the acquisition of Brandwidth Group for up to £10.3m. The UK-based 'innovation agency' caters to clients including Apple, Disney, Royal Caribbean, Toyota and Vodafone. Next 15 has cited Brandwidth's expertise in voice-activated marketing, as applied through platforms such as Google Home and Amazon's Alexa, as a particular draw.

Metroline owner ComfortDelGro buys Welsh bus operator

Tue, 13/02/2018 ComfortDelGro Corporation has moved to expand its UK bus and coach operations with the acquisition of New Adventure Travel. NAT Group is a leading bus and coach operator in South Wales, managing a fleet of 117 buses and coaches across four depots in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Pontypridd. The £13.4m acquisition is Comfort's first outside of London, where its subsidiary Metroline operates a fleet of some 1,700 buses.

ASSA ABLOY opens doors with Ossett acquisitions

Tue, 13/02/2018 Swedish lock manufacturer ASSA ABLOY has acquired Progress Venture Group, the owner of Dale Hardware and Excel Architectural Hardware. The deal extends the company's portfolio of architectural hardware products for sale to builder's merchants in the UK and Middle East markets. Established in 1974, Dale Hardware is headquartered near Leeds and employs approximately 70 people.

AmEx Global Business Travel to buy Hogg Robinson

Tue, 13/02/2018 American Express Global Business Travel is to acquire Hogg Robinson Group, a global b2b services company specialising in travel management. HRG recently announced that it is selling Fraedom, its payments technology subsidiary, to Visa for £141.8m. Depending on the outcome of this deal, AmEx is to pay between 110p and 120p for each Hogg Robinson share, which values its British rival at between £375m and £410m. The merger of AmEx GBT and HRG brings together the world's two largest travel management companies. AmEx GBT employs approximately 12,000 employees and has operations in nearly 140 countries.

Duni wraps up deal for Biopac

Tue, 13/02/2018 Swedish food packaging business Duni has acquired a 75% stake in Kindtoo, trading as Biopac, from enterpeneurs Mark Brigden and Eric Graham. Established in 2002, Biopac employs 12 staff in the creation of food packaging and service products using sustainable materials. The company will be incorporated into Duni's Business Area Meal Service.

Trinity Mirror announces £200m deal for Express and Star titles

Mon, 12/02/2018 Trinity Mirror has announced that it is acquiring the publishing assets of Northern & Shell. The deal includes the Daily Express, Sunday Express and Daily Star, the OK!, new! and Star celebrity magazines and a 50% joint interest in the Irish Daily Star. The £126.7m purchase price includes an initial cash payment of £47.7m, deferred cash consideration of £59m payable over 2020-2023, and the balance of £20m in the issue of new shares. Trinity Mirror will also make a one-off cash payment of £41.2m to the Northern & Shell pension schemes, with a further £29.2m agreed through to 2027. The acquisition allows the group to reduce duplication, share content and widen the breadth of coverage between its titles, and is expected to deliver £20m in annualised cost synergies by 2020. Trinity Mirror employs 5,300 people and owns a large portfolio of regional newspapers as well as the Labour-supporting Daily and Sunday Mirror. It had been in talks to take over Northern & Shell's Brexit-supporting papers since autumn.

Insurer Reliance to end 100 years of mutual ownership

Mon, 12/02/2018 Reliance Mutual’s takeover by Life Company Consolidation Group (LCCG) is to be decided by the High Court in a hearing in March. Founded in 1911, Reliance Mutual is owned by around 10,000 members who voted 98% in favour of the sale in December. Based in London, LCCG owns Utmost Wealth Solutions and intends to use the acquisition as a platform to secure more traditional books of life business in the UK.

Arla Foods acquires Yeo Valley Dairies

Mon, 12/02/2018 Arla Foods has bought Yeo Valley Dairies, securing access to the Yeo Valley brand for milk, butter, spreads and cheeses. The Yeo Valley yoghurt, ice cream, cream and desserts business will continue to be run independently through Yeo Valley Group. Arla's ambition is to encourage more customers to switch from standard to organic products. The company believes that organic milk in particular is currently underrepresented in the UK (at only 4% of total market sales) compared to other European countries such as Germany (10%), Sweden (16%) and Denmark (29%). 60% of all growth in the the UK milk market was attributable to organic products in the last 12 months.

Dura-ID Solutions created with UK merger

Mon, 12/02/2018 IML Labels & Systems has completed a merger with Longcombe Labels and Leeds Marque Concepts, creating Dura-ID Solutions. The combined £14m-turnover firm employs 100 people across its five sites in Cambridge, County Durham, Mansfield, Paignton and Sheffield.

360 Chartered Accountants merges with Walsh & Co

Thu, 08/02/2018 360 Chartered Accountants has announced a merger with fellow Yorkshire firm Walsh & Co. The deal expands 360's capacity and resources while giving Walsh & Co full use of 360's offices in Hull, Melton and East Hull, in addition to its own site in Withernsea.

VEO Group seals cool deal for I.C. Electrical

Thu, 08/02/2018 Burton-upon-Trent electrical installations and contracting business I.C. Electrical has been acquired by Finnish technology firm VEO Group. The deal formalises a relationship between the two companies to deliver automation and electrification projects that goes back to 2008, establishing a base for VEO Group's UK operations.

J Murphy & Sons takes over Carillion's UK power business

Thu, 08/02/2018 Engineering and construction group J Murphy & Sons has announced the acquisition of Carillion's UK power framework business. The deal means Murphy takes up Carillion's role working with the National Grid to deliver planned replacement and refurbishment schemes on their 33kV to 400kV transmission network spanning England and Wales. The company also becomes the new joint venture partner of Eltel forming the MEJV on the overhead line and T Pylon framework. Carillion's employees on these projects will join the firm.

Techform Fine Chemicals in its element with Safic-Alcan takeover

Thu, 08/02/2018 Safic-Alcan UK, a major distributor of speciality chemicals, has acquired Techform Fine Chemicals. Techform specialises in chemicals for the construction sector, improving Safic-Alcan's offering in this area.

The Freight Transport Association buys TrainingTeam

Wed, 07/02/2018 The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has acquired TrainingTeam, a provider of dangerous goods and security training for air, road and sea cargo. The move expands upon the FTA's already substantial presence in compliance training for the transport industry, improving its online resources in particular.

New chapter for publishing firm KHL

Wed, 07/02/2018 Specialist publisher KHL has made further inroads into the American market with the takeover of Diesel & Gas Turbine Publications Group (D&GTP). KHL publishes construction magazines and employs 55 staff at its Wadhurst office, with a further 45 employees posted across the US, Latin America, India and China. The deal adds around 20 staff to KHL's books and is expected to create four new jobs.

Bastide Group acquires Baywater Healthcare

Wed, 07/02/2018 Baywater Healthcare has been acquired by Bastide Group, a provider of home medical equipment for rental and purchase in France. Baywater delivers oxygen, sleep apnoea and non-invasive ventilation therapy services to patients in the home. It employs 230 people and provides support to 26,000 patients. The deal generates a five-fold return for the exiting Duke Street and Souter Investments.

Smartsheet buys chatbot startup Converse.AI

Tue, 06/02/2018 Chatbot startup Converse.AI has been acquired by Smartsheet, a fast-growing work execution software company. Converse.AI is a platform that enables customers to build chatbots to automate business processes. Converse.AI will continue to be a standalone product, using Smartsheet's scale to accelerate development. Smartsheet's cloud-based platform is used by more than 70,000 brands across 190 countries, including over half of the Fortune 500.

Begbies Traynor Group acquires CJM Asset Management

Tue, 06/02/2018 Begbies Traynor Group, the Manchester-based business recovery specialist, has acquired Fyrebrand in a deal worth around £580,000. Fyrebrand trades as CJM Asset Management and will become part of Eddisons, Begbies' property services division. The combination creates one of the largest professional industrial auction and valuation businesses in the UK, to operate under the Eddisons CJM banner.

Renew Holdings sells Forefront Utilities to Ferns Group

Tue, 06/02/2018 Renew Holdings has disposed of Forefront, its loss-making engineering services division. Forefront provides low pressure, small diameter gas pipe replacements. The firm made a pre-tax loss of £2.8m in the last financial year, but with a renewed focus on medium pressure activities has been touted to return to profitability in the financial year ending September 2018. It has been sold to Ferns Group for a de-minimis consideration, with Renew bearing no ongoing liability in return.

Hansteen sells UK property portfolio for £116m

Tue, 06/02/2018 UK property investor Hansteen has sold a portfolio of industrial sites for £116m. The Industrial Multi Property Trust portfolio consists of 51 multi-let properties offering around 500 leasable units with a total floor area of approximately 1.65m sq ft and passing rent roll of over £8m per annum. It is being bought by an entity owned by Warehouse REIT.

Block One buys minority stake in fintech firm OMAAT

Tue, 06/02/2018 Block One has agreed to acquire up to 40% of London-based fintech firm OMAAT. OMAAT (standing for One Metre at a Time) is a blockchain-based, patented fintech solution aimed at democratising the purchase and protection of natural capital such as rainforests. OMAAT's innovation allows consumers to purchase one square metre of rainforest in the Cuipo Foundation Rainforest Reserve in Central and South America, represented by a CuipoCoin saved in their name. The land ownership is recorded on a Blockchain ledger for transparency, and this consumer data base creates a large scale social media

Shaw Industries lays groundwork for European growth

Mon, 05/02/2018 Shaw Industries has acquired Scotland-based carpet tile manufacturer Sanquhar Tile Services (STS), which will join Shaw's commercial flooring division. Shaw is the largest carpet tile manufacturer in North America, and this deal expands its footprint in Europe.

Morson Group acquires Canadian technical recruiter Strategic Infusion

Mon, 05/02/2018 Morson Group has acquired the Canadian business Strategic Infusion. SI is a technical recruitment firm specialising in nuclear and telecommunications markets with 400 contractors currently on assignment. Morson Group is the UK's leading technical recruiter, as well as an engineering design and project management company, with a global presence in rail, aerospace defence, nuclear and power, oil and gas, telecoms, infrastructure and IT sectors. The deal strengthens Morson's technical professional services offering across North America.

Arena Group buys furniture hire business GLD Productions

Mon, 05/02/2018 Arena Group, the UK's largest event production supplier, has expanded its product portfolio with the purchase of specialist furniture hire business GLD Productions. The company will be incorporated into the group's Spaceworks Furniture Hire division.

Fulcrum galvanised by £22m Dunamis deal

Mon, 05/02/2018 Sheffield-based infrastructure services provider Fulcrum has completed a £22m takeover of Dunamis Group. Dunamis specialises in the design, construction and ongoing contracted maintenance of power installations and related grid connections. The deal, funded in part through a £10.4m share placement, will improve Fulcrum's capabilities in the electrical infrastructure services market, as well as providing significant cross-selling opportunities between the gas and electrical connections activities of the two businesses.

Connect Managed Services acquires Amazon Connect provider CoolHarbour

Mon, 05/02/2018 LDC-backed contact centre VAR Connect Managed Services has bought next-gen outfit CoolHarbour. CoolHarbour is a specialist customer engagement and unified communications consultancy and systems integrator that is an early adopter of Amazon Connect, Amazon Web Services' attempt to disrupt the contact centre market. It is expected to become the first UK company to gain Amazon Connect accredited reseller status. Connect Managed Services has supplemented this deal with the acquisition of the assets and technical teams of US business UVN. The double swoop adds £1.4m to the company's revenues.

Fairfields Farm Crisps buys successful exporter Ten Acre

Fri, 02/02/2018 Fairfields Farm Crisps has agreed to buy UK brand Ten Acre Crisps from Yumsh Snacks. Based in Colchester, Ten Acre houses a number of small premium brands focused on high quality and 'free-from' attributes. The company has had particular success exporting its products, which now have a presence in around 40 markets. Fairfields has created a range of snacks that include kettle chips, vegetable crisps and 'Heat & Eat', a new microwaveable potato chips and dip product.

VPS acquires Transoil Laboratory

Fri, 02/02/2018 Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS) has announced the acquisition of Manchester's Transoil Laboratory for an undisclosed sum. The deal adds transformer and insulating oils to VPS's fuels and lubricants portfolio, allowing it to to extend its testing and advisory service offering into power industries.

Diversified Communications acquires the London Design Fair

Thu, 01/02/2018 Diversified Communications has acquired Tent Exhibitions, the organiser of the London Design Fair, Tent London and Super Brands London events. The most recent London Design Fair attracted around 500 exhibitors and a total audience of 28,000. Diversified Communications is a trade event organiser and publisher with bases in Brighton, Peterborough and Nailsworth.

Tracsis makes double swoop for delay repay innovators

Thu, 01/02/2018 Transport data software provider Tracsis has announced a double acquisition of Travel Compensation Services (TCS) and its holding company S Dalby Consulting, and Delay Repay Sniper (DRS). TCS is a software provider of enterprise delay repay solutions to the UK rail industry. DRS is a consumer facing web portal that enables rail passengers to quickly and easily submit valid claims under the delay repay scheme. These acquisitions are highly complementary to Tracsis' existing rail offering as the industry seeks to supplant manual delay repay methods that have led to slow response times, incorrect

Sainsbury’s buys Nectar for £60m

Thu, 01/02/2018A £60m deal sees Aimia sell its Nectar loyalty program and related assets to Sainsbury’s. The acquisition enables the supermarket chain to continue its long term strategy of “knowing its customers better than anyone else”.

LSL Property Services buys Personal Touch for £4.8m

Thu, 01/02/2018LSL Property Services has bought Personal Touch Financial Services (PTFS) and Personal Touch Administration Services (PTAS) from Personal Touch Holdings. PTFS is a financial services business specialising in the provision of mortgage and other financial services products via a network of intermediaries. The companies have cost £4.8m plus an acquired intercompany debt of £0.6m.

Equip4Work acquired by German group TAKKT

Thu, 01/02/2018German company TAKKT has acquired Equip4Work, a Dumfries-headquartered etailer of office furniture and business equipment. Under its brands Equip4Work and OfficeFurnitureOnline, the company generated sales of just under £40m in the 2016-17 financial year. The acquisition has been agreed for £35m with a further £10m payable on the condition of meeting certain targets by 2021. TAKKT is a b2b direct marketing specialist in business equipment in Europe and North America.

Dental implant specialist Neoss buys Arc Solutions

Thu, 01/02/2018Neoss, a designer, producer and supplier of dental implants based in Harrogate, has acquired Swedish business Arc Solutions. Arc Solutions is an industrial manufacturer of customised small components for metal and medical products. Leveraging Arc's expertise in computer aided design (CAD), the deal signals the company's plans for expansion in digital dentistry.

NorthEdge Capital sells DW3 Products for £70m

Thu, 01/02/2018DW3 Products, a manufacturer of high quality door and window products, has been sold by NorthEdge Capital to US business Masonite International. The £70m sale represents a 3.5x return for NorthEdge, which acquired DW3 in October 2014. In this time the company has expanded its facilities in Stoke and Gloucester and made three acquisitions. DW3's brands include Solidor, Residor, Nicedor, and Residence. The company recorded net sales of around £45m in 2017.

January 2018

Markerstudy sells insurance businesses to Qatar Re

Wed, 31/01/2018 Markerstudy has agreed to sell its Gibraltar-based insurance businesses to Qatar Insurance Company. Markerstudy, Zenith, St Julians and Ultimate Insurance will all join, seeing the transfer of annual premiums totaling approximately £750m. The transaction provides Qatar Reinsurance with a greater share of low volatility business as well as enabling it to write UK business under any post-Brexit scenario.

Jarell Group kicks off busy 2018 with Midlands acquisition

Wed, 31/01/2018 Birmingham-based recruitment firm Jarell Group has bought Nova Recruitment Services, a specialist in industrial and technical positions across the Midlands. Supported with a new multimillion-pound funding deal from HSBC, the acquisition adds more than 150 new clients to Jarell's portfolio. Combining both recruitment and training services, Nova employs over 200 people and delivers commercial training to hundreds of Midlands-based businesses each year. Jarell Group has hinted that this deal could be the first of up to six in 2018.

Sysco to purchase foodservice wholesaler Kent Frozen Foods

Wed, 31/01/2018 Sysco Corporation has moved to grow its European business with the purchase of Kent Frozen Foods, pending regulatory approval. The £47m deal would see the foodservice distributor join the likes of Brakes, Fresh Direct and M&J Seafood among Sysco's other UK businesses. KFF is headquartered in Kent with distribution facilities in Aylesford and Witney. It would continue to operate as an independent entity.

Spectris completes £163m acquisition of Concept Life Sciences

Wed, 31/01/2018 Spectris has completed a £163m deal for Concept Life Sciences, a UK-based provider of integrated drug discovery, development, analytical testing and environment consultancy services to the pharmaceutical, biotech, agrochemical and environmental sectors. Spectris is a leading supplier of productivity-enhancing instrumentation and controls. The acquisition adds test service capabilities to its Materials Analysis division, where it has strong synergies with Malvern Panalytical. Spectris expects these markets to continue to grow as a result of increasing regulation and the complexity of pharmaceutical R&D and investments in new therapies.

Bright Blue Foods seals sweet deal for Hull cake-making facility

Wed, 31/01/2018 Cake-maker Bright Blue Foods has agreed to buy the Hull-based desserts facility of Greencore. Backed by mid-market private equity firm Endless in 2015, this investment sees BBF grow to a £140m turnover business with over 2,000 staff. The Hull division will trade as BBF (Hull) Ltd and be led by Jonathan Lill as CEO.

ICS Cool Energy bought by Ingersoll-Rand

Wed, 31/01/2018 Ingersoll-Rand, owner of Trane brand chillers, has acquired UK business ICS Cool Energy. ICS is a £50m provider of temperature control hire, service and purchase, and will become part of the company's commercial heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) business.

ThreatMetrix joins LexisNexis Risk Solutions in £580m deal

Wed, 31/01/2018 Digital authentication specialist ThreatMetrix has been bought by RELX Group, the owner of LexisNexis, for £580m. ThreatMetrix's technology analyses over 250 digital factors, including connections among devices, locations, anonymised identity information and threat intelligence, and combines this data with behavioural analytics to identify high-risk behaviour and transactions in real time. Its digital identity network analyses over 100m transactions per day. It will become a part of LexisNexis Risk Solutions.

MVF acquires technology news website Tech.co

Wed, 31/01/2018 US technology news website Tech.co has been taken over by MVF. Based in London and with an additional office in Austin, Texas, MVF is a fast-growing customer acquisition platform with over 400 staff. Founded by ex-AOL colleagues Frank Gruber and Jen Consalvo, Tech.co created the 'Tech Cocktail' event in 2005 for startups and innovators to find amplification, funding, partnerships and support. The company has since earned revenue from consulting, the release of a book and the Tech.co news brand.

Joule Group buys UK cylinder manufacturer

Tue, 30/01/2018 Joule Group has bought the RM Solar group of companies, a Castleford-based producer of water storage solutions for merchants and housebuilders. RM Solar has an aggregate turnover exceeding £30m and employs more than 130 people. The acquisition provides Joule with a cylinder manufacturer in the UK.

Dechra to acquire Dutch firms AST Farma and Le Vet

Tue, 30/01/2018 Dechra Pharmaceuticals has announced that it is buying two Dutch businesses, AST Farma and Le Vet, for a combined €340m. AST Farma is one of the leading companion animal pharmaceutical companies in the Netherlands, focusing on generic and generic plus products. Le Vet concentrates on European markets outside of the Netherlands and has worked with AST Farma to develop its product portfolio and establish a network of marketing partners across Europe, which includes Dechra. Together the companies hold around 90 product registrations. To fund the deal, Dechra has announced a share placing that will raise £100m, with the remaining 75% to be paid in cash.

Sanofi pays $11.6bn for biotech group Bioverativ

Tue, 30/01/2018 French pharma giant Sanofi has agreed an $11.6bn deal for Bioverativ, a biotech company specialising in haemophilia therapies. The deal provides Sanofi with a platform for growth in this and other rare blood disorders, particularly through the advance of Fitusiran. Fitusiran is a factor replacement therapy to which Sanofi has global development and commercialisation rights that is expected to be the standard of care in haemophilia for years to come. Worth around $10bn a year and with 181,000 people affected worldwide, haemophilia is the largest market for rare diseases. In 2016, Bioverativ raised $847m in sales and $41m in royalties.

Arcadis acquires analytics software specialist SEAMS

Mon, 29/01/2018 Global consultancy Arcadis has acquired software and analytics specialist SEAMS as it bids to improve its 'infrastructure performance and resilience' in the UK. SEAMS provides enterprise decision analytics (EDA) software for use in the water, energy and transport sectors. The acquisition allows Arcadis to accelerate the full digitisation of its business, responding to digitally disruptive trends in the utilities and infrastructure sectors.

BidX1 buys in-house auctioneers Andrew & Robertson

Mon, 29/01/2018 BidX1, an Irish-owned online property auction house, has bought UK in-room auctioneers Andrew & Robertson in a move that secures its entry to the British market and makes it the second largest auctioneer in the UK. In six years BidX1 has sold over 6,000 assets in Ireland raising over £1.2bn. Its digital platform boasts a greater volume of bids per lot than traditional means and opens the auction process to interest across the world. The platform has proved popular with private equity houses seeking full transparency of their sales; BidX1 sold around 650 assets for private equity funds in 2016

Houlihan Lokey acquires Quayle Munro

Tue, 23/01/2018 Independent advisory firm Quayle Munro is being bought by Houlihan Lokey, a global independent investment bank with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructuring, valuation, and strategic consulting. Quayle Munro is a London-based data and software advisory firm of 40 professionals, with expertise in financial services, fintech and education.

Royal Armouries' commercial arm bought by government

Tue, 23/01/2018 The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has agreed to acquire Royal Armouries (International) plc, the commercial arm of the museum. The Royal Armoury was established in the 15th century and is the oldest museum in the UK. The RAI assets the government has bought include the cafe and catering arm, events business and car park. The £11.2m acquisition will enable the museum to take ownership of the commercial offer at its site in Leeds, aligning its services with the successful model used at other major DCMS-sponsored national museums.

Franklin Templeton acquires Edinburgh Partners

Mon, 22/01/2018 Franklin Templeton has agreed to acquire Edinburgh Partners, an established global value investment manager. The deal sees the firm welcome back Dr Sandy Nairn, who worked alongside Sir John Templeton and was employed by Franklin Templeton for more than a decade. He will become chairman of Templeton Global Equity Group and remain investment partner and CEO of Edinburgh Partners. Edinburgh Partners' team of 12 manages approximately $10bn in global and emerging markets equities. This is the latest example of Franklin Templeton's strategy of investing in relatively small but experienced asset

Nomad Foods seals £200m deal for GoodFella's Pizza

Mon, 22/01/2018 Nomad Foods, the owner of Birds Eye, has agreed to buy Green Isle Foods for €225m. Green Isle Foods is a subsidiary of 2 Sisters Food Group and the owner of GoodFella's Pizza. Founded in 1993, GoodFella's is Green Isle's top-selling brand, holding the number one and number two market share positions within the frozen pizza category in Ireland and the UK, respectively. The acquisition also includes the San Marco brand and two frozen pizza manufacturing facilities, providing Nomad with a platform for future expansion in the category.

TigerWit buys retail broker Mercor Index

Mon, 22/01/2018 TigerWit has announced that it has acquired Mercor Index, a UK based and FCA regulated broker founded by industry veteran Simon Denham. Mercor Index is the provider of the TimeToTrade platform in the UK, which allows retail investors to invest directly in physical stocks and shares, as well as trade in global financial markets such as indices, FX and commodities via CFDs. The platform offers the facility to test and automate trading strategies before implementing them in live markets. Its acquisition secures TigerWit its entry into the UK market.

Proactis files tender offer for Hubwoo

Thu, 18/01/2018 Proactis has filed a tender offer for the share capital of Hubwoo, the 79%-owned French arm of e-commerce firm Perfect Commerce which Proactis acquired last year. Based in Wetherby, Proactis is a spend control and eprocurement software provider that aims to help organisations streamline and automate their processes. The €5.6m deal would give Proactis access to Hubwoo's own cloud-based spend management and business process automation solutions.

Geometric Results to acquire de Poel Group

Thu, 18/01/2018 Extended workforce solutions provider Geometric Results has announced the takeover of the de Poel group of companies. De Poel Group is based in the UK and provides vendor-neutral MSP programs supported by its own technology platform to more than 120 private and public sector clients. The acquisition broadens GRI's coverage of sectors and expands its presence in Europe.

Informa offers £3.8bn to acquire UBM

Thu, 18/01/2018 Events and business information giants UBM and Informa have announced the terms of a merger deal. Informa has made a share and cash offer of 1.083 shares and 163p in cash for each UBM share, valuing the business at £3.8bn excluding debt. Once a media conglomerate that owned the Daily Express, UBM is now the largest pure-play b2b events organiser in the world, employing over 3,750 people. Informa's businesses include b2b events, business intelligence and academic publishing. It employs more than 7,500 people worldwide and is valued at around £6bn.

LeoVegas grows mobile gaming portfolio in UK

Thu, 18/01/2018 Swedish gametech company LeoVegas has announced that is acquiring the assets of Intellectual Property & Software, along with related assets from European Domain Management and Rocket 9. The £65m deal includes brands 21.co.uk, Slotboss, Bet UK and UK Casino, strengthening the company's position in mobile gaming in the UK. Both IPS and EDM are based in Alderney in the Channel Islands. Based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Rocket 9 is a marketing services business and existing client of IPS that caters to egaming operators. In 2017 LeoVegas became a 'unicorn', a startup valued at more than $1bn.

Vested acquires financial communications agency Templars

Tue, 16/01/2018 New York-based PR agency Vested has announced the acquisition of Templars Communications, a strategic financial communications agency based in London. The deal allows Vested to establish its first office in London, building upon the global ambitions established with its creation of a global fintech PR network in 2016. Templars' four staff will remain at their London office, including CEO and founder Kitty Parry who becomes an advisor.

Google acquires sound technology startup Redux

Tue, 16/01/2018 Google's parent company Alphabet has reportedly acquired sound technology startup Redux. Founded out of Cambridge in 2013, Redux creates technology that uses vibrations to turn the surfaces of phones or tablets into speakers or to provide haptic feedback. On Redux's website, now shut down, the company boasts that it has 177 total patents, 115 of which have been granted. Its acquisition provides another weapon to Google's arsenal as the Pixel battles it out with the iPhone in the smartphone market.

North Shields software firm acquired by Accruent

Tue, 16/01/2018 Accruent, a global provider of software and services that allow companies to manage the lifecycle of their physical resources, has acquired Kykloud. Based in North Shields, Kykloud is a provider of facility and asset surveying and management software to clients including the BBC, CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, and over 30% of all UK surveyors. The acquisition expands Accruent's offering in capital planning.

Lady Astor sells Oka to Investindustrial

Tue, 16/01/2018 Investindustrial, the Italian private equity firm that owns Aston Martin, has bought upmarket furniture retailer Oka for a reported £40m. Oka was founded by Lady Astor - who is Samantha Cameron's mother - along with designers Sue Jones and Lucinda Waterhouse.

PCM Technology Solutions buys Provista UK

Mon, 15/01/2018 Leading technology solutions provider PCM Inc. (PCMI), has announced that UK subsidiary PCM Technology Solutions has acquired Provista UK. Founded in 2006, Provista UK is known for its expertise in a range of technologies and manufacturers including Cisco, Avaya and other leading vendors. It provides cloud networking, cloud video, hyperconvergence, security, collaboration, secure wireless & IP LAN, WAN and data centre network solutions. As well as in these areas, the deal expands PCM's managed services and multilingual global service desk within Europe, and provides it with Cisco Gold

Carillion goes into liquidation

Mon, 15/01/2018 Construction services giant Carillion has gone into liquidation after rescue talks with the government and lenders failed over the weekend. The company had racked up more than £900m in debts and a £587m pension deficit, forcing it to sell off a number of its businesses last year. The Carillion pension scheme will be one of the largest ever taken over by the Pension Protection Fund (PPF). Carillion's collapse will have implications throughout the UK; the company has vast reach into the NHS, education, prison services and the building of infrastructure and new homes, with key contracts including the Aberdeen bypass and a joint venture with Kier to work on the HS2 railway. 43,000 jobs have been put at risk, as well as a number of smaller suppliers and subcontractors. Theresa May has said that she is 'resistant' to the idea of a taxpayer funded bailout, although the government will aim to protect the vital public sector work that the company delivered. Questions have been raised as to why £2bn worth of contracts continued to be awarded to the company after it issued a first profit warning in July.

Bolton Gate Services opens door to Novoferm acquisition

Mon, 15/01/2018 Novoferm Group, a subsidiary of Japanese company Sanwa Holdings, has bought Bolton Gate Services, a provider of maintenance, repairs and servicing for industrial doors and shutters. BGS has 15 depots and employs 120 people in the provision of a 24hr service to customers nationwide. NF Group is Europe's second largest manufacturer and retailer of residential, industrial and garage doors.

Countrywide Farmers sells LPG business to DCC

Thu, 11/01/2018 Countrywide Farmers has sold its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) distribution business to Irish giant DCC for £28.75m. The sale of the business has been prompted by a hold up in the sale of Countrywide's retail business to Mole City Farmers, which is now expected to complete in March. DCC is a £12bn turnover sales, marketing and support services group based in Dublin. The acquired business will join DCC LPG.

Bunzl acquires catering equipment business Aggora Group

Thu, 11/01/2018 International distribution and outsourcing business Bunzl has acquired Aggora Group. Aggora Group designs, supplies, installs and maintains commercial catering equipment for use in a range of end markets in the UK. The company recorded a turnover of £27m in the last financial year.

Salford Red Devils taken over by consortium of supporters

Thu, 11/01/2018 Salford Red Devils, the Super League rugby club, has been taken over by a consortium of its supporters. The deal sees the end of Marwan Koukash's eventful five-year tenure as owner, during which the club's name changed from Salford City Reds. The club's four new board members are Ideal Corporate Solutions owner Andrew Rosler, A-Plant marketing director Asif Latief, Hannah Fendall, senior associate at Williamson & Croft, and Dawn Fidler, the CEO and founder of The Joshua Wilson Brain Tumour Charity. With the change of ownership Salford is considering buying the AJ Bell stadium, which it shares rugby union club Sale Sharks. Opened in 2012 thanks to an initial £22m loan from Salford City Council, the AJ Bell stadium is owned by City of Salford Community Stadium Ltd and was built to replace Salford's previous stadium of 110 years The Willows.

Sytner doubles used car supermarket division with latest deal

Wed, 10/01/2018 Sytner Group, part of Penske Automotive Group, has completed the acquisition of The Car People, a move that nearly doubles its used vehicle supermarket division. The Car People employs just under 600 people and operates from four retail locations in Manchester, Sheffield, Wakefield and Warrington. The business sells approximately 18,000 vehicles generating a turnover of around £225m per year. The deal expands upon Sytner's takeover of CarShop 12 months earlier.

Burts Potato Chips acquires Savoury & Sweet

Wed, 10/01/2018 Popcorn maker Savoury & Sweet has been bought by Burts Potato Chips. Burts has seen significant growth in the last five years, taking revenues of £11.4m to an anticipated £37m post-acquisition. The company has invested over £12m in the last five years, and hopes to make further acquisitions to drive revenues over the £100m mark in the forthcoming five. The deal includes Savoury & Sweet's 6,596m² production facility in Leicester, as well as all 99 of its staff. The business will be rebranded as Burts Snacks.

NEC buys Northgate Public Services for £475m

Wed, 10/01/2018 Northgate Public Services, a leading software and services provider to the public sector in the UK and Australia, has been acquired by Japanese company NEC Corporation. The £475m deal will provide NEC with a platform to sell biometrics and AI technology to the UK public sector, for application in areas such as citizen access and smart cities. NPS has provided services to 95% of public authorities, and is currently completing substantial contracts with Richmond and Wandsworth Councils and West Midlands Police.

Aspall Cyder sold to Molson Coors

Tue, 09/01/2018 US beer giant Molson Coors has acquired Aspall, one of the UK's top-selling premium ciders. Aspall was founded in 1728 by Clement Chevallier and continues to be run by the eighth generation of his family. With this deal, Molson Coors has committed to investing in Aspall's Suffolk operation, from which it has been solely based for nearly 300 years. Cider is a fast-growing category; between 2010 and 2015, the total cider market increased in value by 25%, and the volume of cider sold by Aspall in 2016 increased by a tenth. The UK accounts for 45% of the cider world market. Apart from drinks Aspall also produces leading specialty vinegars.

Moneypenny expands offering with MadeSimple takeover

Tue, 09/01/2018 Answering services provider Moneypenny has expanded its offering with the acquisition of MadeSimple Group, a provider of business products and services to start-ups and small businesses. MadeSimple provides a suite of online solutions that include virtual offices, company formation and website creation, as well as a co-working space in central London. In 15 years MadeSimple has helped form more than 650,000 companies. Its team of 45 will continue to work in London.

Sanderson Group acquires Anisa Holdings

Tue, 09/01/2018 Sanderson Group has bought ERP solutions provider Anisa Holdings for £12m. Anisa employs 90 people in offices in London, Runcorn, Liverpool and Solihull as well as Singapore and Australia, providing round-the-clock supply chain support to over 250 companies. Its acquisition complements Sanderson's enterprise division, as well as allowing it to expand its delivery options with Anisa's managed, hosting and cloud delivery services.

Compre Group buys €300m non-life run-off portfolio from Generali

Tue, 09/01/2018 Independent insurance and reinsurance legacy specialist Compre Group has acquired the UK non-life run-off portfolio of Assicurazioni Generali. The Italian insurance giant has sought to streamline its operations and optimise capital allocation by offloading its UK business in what has been described as a highly competitive tendering process. The portfolio, totaling €300m of liabilities, comprises APH and some UK Employers Liability business, which have been in run-off since the early 2000s. The deal is Compre's eighth and largest acquisition of 2017.

Brenntag completes double acquisition of ingredients suppliers

Fri, 05/01/2018 Brenntag has made a double swoop in the UK food ingredients distribution sector with deals for A1 Cake Mixes and Kluman & Balter. The companies provide value-added services for the bakery supply chain that complement Brenntag's offering, which includes new product development, technical competence and support informed by insight into market requirements and trends. The business is expected to generate total sales of approximately £77.5m in the financial year 2017.

CPM Holdings acquires Proline Engineering

Fri, 05/01/2018 US firm CPM Holdings has acquired Proline Engineering, a supplier of high-speed, high-volume conveyancing solutions, installation and aftermarket services for the metal packaging industry. Proline will continue to operate from Manchester with the same management team while leveraging CPM's global operational base. The deal secures CPM Holdings its fourth facility in the UK.

TRIGO enters UK with Bridge Group acquisition

Fri, 05/01/2018 TRIGO has acquired Bridge Group from its founder Neil Endley. A specialist in supplier turnaround management, training and technical resourcing, Bridge Group will provide TRIGO with a springboard into the automotive, aerospace and heavy transportation industries in the UK. TRIGO is an international provider of quality support and conformity assessment services, employing over 8,000 people worldwide.

TCS Media changes ownership with MBO

Thu, 04/01/2018 Independent planning and buying agency TCS Media has changed ownership with the completion of an MBO. The company's new owners are managing director David Price, digital director Ciaran Deering and finance director Sean Guthrie. The media agency covers channels ranging from programmatic to TV in-house, serving a number of big clients that include AGA Rangemaster, Laura Ashley and Sudocrem.

Connect Group offloads Connect Books to Aurelius

Thu, 04/01/2018 Private equity firm Aurelius has acquired Connect Books, a multi-channel wholesaler, distributor and retailer of books with a projected turnover of around €250m for 2017. Considered a non-core asset by Connect Group as it seeks to refocus on its specialist logistics business, Connect Books will rebrand back to Bertram Group following the deal. The business is comprised of six brands, which are Bertram Books, Wordery, Dawson Books, Erasmus, Houtschild and Bertram Library Services.

Blockchain specialist Black Cactus Global buys World on Wireless

Wed, 03/01/2018 Blockchain development business Black Cactus Global has announced the acquisition of World on Wireless UK, a provider of white label payment systems and services to banks, financial institutions, remittance companies and retail chains. WOW will continue to develop initiatives in cryptocurrency and blockchain with access to Black Cactus' substantial portfolio of blockchain IP. WOW's experienced software development and management team will be retained.

IWG approached by Brookfield and Onex

Wed, 03/01/2018Serviced office provider IWG has confirmed that it has received bids from Canadian private equity firm Onex and Brookfield Asset Management. Since news of these offers reached the press in December IWG's share price has jumped 30%, making up the fall that resulted from the issue of a profit warning in October.

Zurich sells student insurance broker Endsleigh to A-Plan

Wed, 03/01/2018 Insurance giant Zurich has sold student insurance broker Endsleigh to A-Plan Holdings. Endsleigh was established in 1965 by the National Union of Students (NUS). It will continue to operate as a standalone business from its base in Cheltenham.

Cefetra acquires grain trader Premium Crops

Wed, 03/01/2018 German agri supplier BayWa AG has expanded in the UK with the acquisition of Premium Crops, which will be integrated with BayWa's UK subsidiary Cefetra. Premium Crops is a leading specialist crop contracting and supply business focusing on sustainable, traceable and fully risk-managed supply chains for niche oilseeds and grains. The deal enables Cefetra to expand its range of exclusive crop products while demand from the food and feedstuffs industry for specialities is growing. Cefetra supplies over 4 million tonnes of grain and other products to the agriculture sector each year.

Places for People Leisure purchases three Simply Gyms

Tue, 02/01/2018 Places for People Leisure has exchanged contracts to acquire three Simply Gyms in Chesterfield, Hinckley and Telford, to be run under the Places brand. Places for People Leisure is a social enterprise that works with local authorities to improve opportunities for communities to get physically active. Places for People is one of the largest leisure operators in the UK with a portfolio of over 100 facilities nationwide.

Allianz-LV= deal creates UK's third largest general insurer

Tue, 02/01/2018 Allianz has completed the acquisition of a 49% stake in Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society's UK General Insurance business (LV= GI), with a further 20.9% stake lined up to change hands in 2019. Allianz has paid £500m for the initial 49%, with another £213m agreed for the second stage. The Allianz and LV= GI partnership creates the third-largest personal insurer in the UK market, with a large market share in personal home and motor insurance in particular. Altogether, the business will have over £1.7bn annual premium income. The companies hope to profit from the combination of their technical expertise in pricing, underwriting and claims, and accelerated innovation and growth as a result of the combination of their digital capabilities.

Lakelovers given go-ahead on acquisitions drive following MBO

Tue, 02/01/2018 Private equity investor LDC has backed an MBO of Lakelovers, a provider of luxury holiday cottages in the Lake District. Headquartered in Windermere, Lakelovers manages more than 500 properties, providing an end-to-end property management service that includes marketing, maintenance and bookings support through a network of high-street branches. LDC will provide funds to launch an acquisitions drive in order to capitalise on growth in the UK 'staycations' market. CEO Paul Liddell has led the MBO.