2018 Company Mergers & Acquisitions - Part II

List of company mergers and acquisitions that took place in the UK in 2018: July to December

Unilever buys The Vegetarian Butcher

Thu, 20/12/2018 Unilever has agreed to buy The Vegetarian Butcher, a producer of plant-based meat-imitation foods, for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2007 by ninth-generation meat farmer turned vegetarian Jaap Kortewag, The Vegetarian Butcher employs c. 90 people and sells its products in over 4,000 outlets in 17 countries worldwide.

Dechra Pharmaceuticals expands in South America

Thu, 20/12/2018 Dechra Pharmaceuticals has increased its presence in the South American market with the acquisition of Laboratorios Vencofarma do Brasil (Venco), a manufacturer of vaccines and related products. The £37.5m deal, initially announced in October, gives Dechra access to a portfolio of over 200 product registrations.

Speedy seals deal for training provider Geason

Thu, 20/12/2018 UK tools, equipment and plant hire services company Speedy has agreed to buy Geason Holdings for £9m in cash with a further £26m available depending on performance three years post-acquisition. Headquartered in Glasgow, Geason provides construction and professional services training across the UK, with more than 1,100 apprentices and 500 NVQ learners currently on programmes. It reported revenue of £8.3m in the 12 months to October 2018.

Ossett Brewery sells 50% stake to private investor

Thu, 20/12/2018 Ossett Brewery has sold a 50% stake to a private investor. The brewer and pub company operator has 26 retail sites, including 19 traditional pubs and restaurants and four live music bars trading as The HOP. The deal sees software entrepreneur Mark Hunter become co-owner of the company. Hunter will take a seat on its board but play no part in its day-to-day operations.

Limerston Capital buys Prism Medical

Thu, 20/12/2018 Limerston Capital has bought Prism Medical from the private equity firm LDC. Prism manufactures moving, handling and bathing equipment for the elderly and disabled. It has seen revenues increase by 50% since LDC backed a management buyout in 2014.

Volex seals deal for electronics manufacturer GTK

Thu, 20/12/2018 Cable assembly supplier Volex has acquired GTK, a UK electronics manufacturer, for £14.3m. Headquartered in Basingstoke, GTK produces cable assemblies, displays and connectors and has operations in the UK, Romania and Taiwan. It has more than 300 active customers and has seen revenue improve by nearly 50% in the last three years. The deal sees the return of a Volex manufacturing operation to the UK after a hiatus of more than 10 years. Volex also bought Silcotec Europe in May.

Fishawack Group acquires Blue Latitude Health

Fri, 14/12/2018 Healthcare communications specialist Fishawack Group has bought creative consultancy Blue Latitude Health. With offices in London and New York, Blue Latitude offers business insight, strategy, customer experience and creative solutions to pharma and biotech clients. The deal is Fishawack's third acquisition in just over a year. LDC backed its management team in a buyout in January 2017.

Marshalls buys brick manufacturer Edenhall

Fri, 14/12/2018 Landscaping manufacturer Marshalls plc has bought concrete brick manufacturer Edenhall Holdings for £11.8m. The acquisition is in line with Marshalls' new build strategy, enabling it to offer a greater product choice with access to Edenhall's spectrum of coloured and textured facing bricks and specials. Edenhall employs approximately 250 people, turns over £33m and has 10 manufacturing facilities nationwide.

Sodexo strengthens UK education business

Fri, 14/12/2018 French food services giant Sodexo has strengthened its UK education business with the acquisition of Alliance in Partnership. AiP is an education caterer which includes The Contract Dining Company and Class Catering Services. It has a client base of 418 schools and employs 1,500 people. Turnover for the 2017-18 financial year grew 17.4% to £25.9m.

MJ Hudson acquires Amaces

Thu, 13/12/2018 London-based asset management consultancy MJ Hudson has bought Amaces, a data and analytics firm. The acquisition expands its client base to over 700 managers, pension funds and other asset owners that collectively manage more than £7.8tn of assets. It provides MJ Hudson with an established operational and commercial presence in the US and Canadian markets, while also broadening its service offering. Amaces provides a subscription-led data and analytics service to more than 100 fund managers, pension funds and endowments.

Manchester law firm Glaisyers bought by consortium

Fri, 07/12/2018 Manchester law firm Glaisyers is set to become a multi-disciplinary practice for SMEs after being bought by a consortium of professional service specialists led by ETL Global. Its new owners are ETL, David Jones and David Marlor, who become head of litigation and head of property respectively. Nick Johnson remains managing partner. The firm will be opening a second office in Mayfair to support growth.

Seneca Partners sells Foodpack to IPS

Fri, 07/12/2018 Integrated Packaging Solutions (IPS) has acquired a food manufacturing and packaging business from Seneca Partners. Based in St Helens, Foodpack turns over £14m and employs 150 people. It was bought out of administration by Seneca Partners for £7.5m three years ago.

AFH Financial Group seals £10m deal for CTL Three

Fri, 07/12/2018 AFH Financial Group's acquisition streak has continued with a £10m deal for CTL Three, its biggest yet. CTL Three trades as Insurance Partnership Financial Services, Kirk Ella Investments, PCWM, IFA Professional Planning and Hallgarth Wealth Planning and has offices in Hull, Scunthorpe and York. The acquisition boosts AFH's advisor count to 250 and its funds under management to more than £5bn, as well providing four additional offices in Yorkshire.

260 jobs saved in Canburg acquisition

Wed, 05/12/2018 US real estate developer Gary Barnett has saved 260 jobs at Canburg, the owner of luxury furniture brands Brookmans, Mark Wilkinson and Smallbone. The acquisition has been made via a new entity Sapphire 700. Canburg's existing management team will remain in place at its Devizes head office.

Simpson Millar back on acquisition trail

Wed, 05/12/2018 Lancashire law firm Simpson Millar has sealed a second deal in three months with its takeover of JWK. The acquisition forms part of a £50m investment strategy that has seen it recently launch a new website and corporate identity. JWK has 50 staff based in three offices in Lancaster, Morecambe and Southport.

CRG Healthcare takes over Allied Healthcare contracts

Wed, 05/12/2018 One of Britain’s largest home care providers has been sold after nearly going bankrupt. Allied Healthcare, which provides services to 13,500 people across 150 local authorities, as well as out-of-hours GP services for the NHS, has been bought by Health Care Resourcing Group, which trades as CRG Healthcare. On 5 November, Allied Healthcare issued a warning to local authorities that it could not guarantee to deliver services past the end of the month. Since then, many local authorities have sought to transfer services to other providers, meaning it is unclear exactly what CRG takes over with this deal. Allied Healthcare employs 8,700 people. It had to agree an emergency rescue plan with creditors in May, with local authority budget cuts, April's minimum wage rise and staffing issues cited as factors.

Tango Networks seals deal for Simetric Telecom

Wed, 05/12/2018 Tango Networks has acquired Simetric Telecom, a leading UK provider of mobile services and telecommunications solutions. The deal broadens Simetric’s market reach and solutions proposition for enterprise mobile communications.

Palatine Private Equity backs CET UK

Wed, 05/12/2018 Palatine Private Equity has completed a secondary buyout of CET UK, a specialist provider of infrastructure and property assurance services. Established in 1989, CET is headquartered in Castle Donington and employs more than 470 people. With Palatine taking a majority stake, it aims to use investment to develop new technology to streamline its claims management and investigation division. It also plans to roll out additional material testing laboratories across the UK and advance its buy-and-build strategy with the extra support.

Prodis completes MBO

Tue, 04/12/2018 Prodis, a leading UK supplier to the catering and hospitality sector, has completed a management buyout led by MD Anthony Faulkner. Based in Stoke-on-Trent, Prodis provides own-brand refrigeration equipment for bar, storage and display, as well as ice-makers, glasswashers, dishwashers and other catering equipment. It is also a supplier for brands such as Icematic, Samsung and Whirlpool.

William Jackson Food Group acquires Belazu

Tue, 04/12/2018 William Jackson Food Group, which sold Aunt Bessie’s earlier this year, has snapped up Belazu Ingredient Company. Starting out as the Fresh Olive Company, Belazu has expanded to become a specialist in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food, providing a range of antipasti, grains, pastes and vinegars. Belazu employs c. 150 people and reported turnover of £31.4m in 2017. It is William Jackson’s second acquisition in the premium ingredients segment this year, following Wellocks in June.

Solotech agrees deal for SSE Audio Group

Tue, 04/12/2018 North American AV and entertainment technology company Solotech has agreed to buy SSE Audio Group. The group will continue to be headed by founder John Penn in the UK, and its brands SSE Audio, Capital Sound, Wigwam and Sigma Products will be retained. The deal will allow Solotech to accelerate expansion in Europe with a comprehensive service including sales, rentals and integration.

Cisco to buy UK software firm Ensoft

Tue, 04/12/2018 Network technology giant Cisco has agreed to acquire software solutions provider Ensoft. The takeover seeks to help Cisco simplify service provider networks through automation and programmability. Ensoft employs 71 people and turned over £10.1m in the last financial year.

OVO Energy appointed to take over Spark Energy

Tue, 04/12/2018 OVO Energy has been appointed by Ofgem to take over Spark Energy’s 290,000 customer accounts. Spark Energy ceased trading after it was handed a £14m bill by the energy regulator for non-payment of its renewable power obligation. It is the seventh energy supplier to go bust this year, with smaller challenger firms under pressure amid rising wholesale costs and competition. OVO Energy has entered into a conditional agreement to buy the business, and has committed to protecting its operations and teams in Edinburgh, Horsham and Selkirk. Spark Energy employs around 400 staff.

Edenred acquires UK fuelcard firm

Mon, 03/12/2018 French mobility and fleet solutions provider Edenred has acquired The Right Fuelcard Company, the UK’s fourth largest fuelcard program manager, for £95m. TRFC has a portfolio of 27,000 corporate clients covering 150,000 cardholders. Its users are able to fill up at 90% of UK service stations. The company expects to generate EBITDA of £11m in 2018.

dnata acquires AI specialist bd4travel

Mon, 03/12/2018 Big Data for Travel (bd4travel) has been acquired by air services provider dnata. bd4travel is a tech firm that provides AI-driven IT solutions to online travel agencies. Based in Germany and the UK, its services allow agencies to engage with anonymous customers and personalise their experience in real-time. The firm runs more than 40 separate sites, serving leading players in 17 markets. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Atlas North Holdings announces double acquisition

Mon, 03/12/2018 Atlas North Holdings, the owner of Pneumatic and Hydraulic Couplings (PHC), has completed a double acquisition for AirCat and Special Air Services. Based in Hull, AirCat owns distribution rights to products from fluid power manufacturer IMI Precision Engineering. Special Air Services in Long Eaton, meanwhile, maintains and services the equipment the companies sell, allowing the group to provide a comprehensive service.

North West Roofing Group acquires Cumbrian firm

Mon, 03/12/2018 Cumbrian business Solway Slate & Tile has been bought by North West Roofing Group for an undisclosed sum. Solway is an owner-operated merchant of roofing supplies and materials covering the North of England and Southern Scotland. The deal is projected to boost North West Roofing’s turnover past £22m.

November 2018

Venture Stream takes over Flow Digital

Thu, 29/11/2018 Newcastle web development and digital marketing agency Venture Stream has acquired Flow Digital for an undisclosed sum. The deal boosts its headcount to 25 and annual billings past £1.3m.

Ineos to buy composites business for £860m

Thu, 29/11/2018 Chemicals giant Ineos has agreed to acquire the composites business of Ashland Global Holdings for $1.1bn (£860m). Ashland is a global leader in unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins and gel coats, which are used to build boats. The deal includes businesses generating a total $1.1bn of sales each year, employing 1,300 people across 20 sites worldwide. Ineos is owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is the UK’s richest man with an estimated fortune of £21bn.

Portman Dental Care acquires Scottish practice

Thu, 29/11/2018 Portman Dental Care has acquired Caledonian Dental Care, one of Scotland’s largest privately-owned dental businesses. Caledonian consists of two dental practices with 19 surgeries in Perth and has c. 40,000 registered patients. The acquisition marks Portman’s sixth in Scotland this year so far. The group increased turnover by 42% to £43.7m in 2017.

BDO in merger talks to become UK's fifth largest auditor

Wed, 28/11/2018 BDO has revealed it is in advanced talks with Moore Stephens over a potential merger. The deal, which would boost BDO up a spot to become the fifth largest auditor in the UK, would create a firm with 5,000 employees and £560m in revenues. BDO aims to be the market leading advisor to mid-sized and AIM businesses while also challenging its larger competitors for more complex work. While this deal would add c. £180m in revenue to BDO's balance sheet, it would still leave it some way off the so-called ‘Big Four’, the smallest of which, KPMG, turns over around £2bn in the UK.

Secret Escapes acquires TravelBird

Wed, 28/11/2018 Shortly after filing for bankruptcy, Amsterdam-based agency TravelBird has been taken over by the Secret Escapes Group, acquiring its IP, IT platform and customer base. With brands including Secret Escapes, Travelist and Slevomat, the group is the world’s leading online travel deals company with over 62 million users worldwide.

CTI Digital completes management buyout

Wed, 28/11/2018 CTI Digital has completed an MBO from its umbrella company Paperhat Group, buying back the 54% share that Paperhat acquired in 2015. CTI Digital has 75 staff and serves a wide range of clients such as McGaw-Hill Education, Merlin Entertainments and the Royal Navy. The deal closely follows in the footsteps of Paperhat Communications, which was also sold by Paperhat Group days earlier to Paragon Group in a pre-pack deal.

Langlands Garden Centre completes MBO

Mon, 26/11/2018 Family-owned firm Langlands Garden Centre has been acquired by its founder’s grandson for an undisclosed sum. With sites in Leeds, Sheffield and York, Langlands employs over 180 staff and has a turnover of c. £7.5m. The business sells plants and garden furniture, as well as diversifying into giftware, farm shops, café bars and eating outlets in recent years.

Hotelbeds to buy HolidayTaxis Group

Mon, 26/11/2018 Hotelbeds has agreed to acquire HolidayTaxis Group for an undisclosed sum. HolidayTaxis is a leading provider of taxi and shuttle solutions, primarily for airport to city and resort transfers. Founded in 2002, it operates 21,000 transfer routes spanning 150 countries. The deal complements Hotelbeds’ ancillary business unit ‘Beyond the Bed’, which provides transfers, activities, tickets, car hire, travel insurance and specialist tours.

Seattle pet-sitting startup acquires European rival

Mon, 26/11/2018 Pet-sitting platform Rover.com has bought London-based competitor DogBuddy, a dog boarding, day care and walking business with 25,000 registered sitters. Coming only five months after its entry into the UK, the deal accelerates Rover’s growth in Europe.

First Response Group passes £25m turnover with Apardion deal

Mon, 26/11/2018 Security and facilities business First Response Group has completed a deal for Aberdeen’s Apardion. The move expands FRG’s capabilities in the corporate security sector and boosts turnover past £25m.

Credit Karma acquires Noddle

Fri, 23/11/2018 US fintech firm Credit Karma has acquired Noddle, a UK-based credit reporting service with four million users. Noddle was the first business to offer free credit information in the UK. It has offices in London and Leeds and employs 35 people. Credit Karma recently received $500m of secondary investment, which saw the company's valuation reach $4bn. It plans to double its UK workforce in the next 12 months.

Constructel buys MJ Quinn for €35m

Fri, 23/11/2018 UK telecom services group MJ Quinn has been sold by Palatine Funds to Constructel for €35m. Constructel is a French firm, owned by Portugal's Visabeira Group, that is active in telecommunications and energy network engineering services in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and Italy. MJ Quinn employs c. 400 people and provides managed services for telecoms, transport, safety and other networks. It reported revenues of £102.9m in the year ended 31 May 2017.

Prime Accountants Group acquires Birmingham firm

Fri, 23/11/2018 Prime Accountants Group has revealed it completed the acquisition of Rochesters Chartered Accountants in October. The Birmingham-based firm provides Prime its third office and expands its workforce to over 100 staff, including 12 directors and two consultants. Rochesters has rebranded as Prime Rochesters.

Boston Scientific to buy BTG for £3.3bn

Fri, 23/11/2018 British life sciences firm BTG has received a £3.3bn all-cash offer from US medical devices company Boston Scientific. Born out of British post-war industrial policy in 1948, BTG specialises in products used to target cancer and vascular diseases. The firm has had a rocky year, with stock dropping 40% between January and mid-July as it failed to secure regulatory approval for one its lead devices, a lung coil for emphysema. Since then it has seen shares partly recover with the news of a 12% increase in sales to $495.7m in the six months to September and gross adjusted profits up 39% to $178.5m

GVC strengthens in Australia with Neds takeover

Thu, 22/11/2018 GVC Holdings, the owner of Ladbrokes and Foxy Bingo, has agreed to acquire Australian sports betting firm Neds International for up to £52m. Launched just last year, Neds is already on track to reach A$1bn of wagers and gross gaming revenue of A$100m in 2018. GVC expects the deal to generate annual cost synergies of around A$16m by the end of 2021.

Northfield Agricultural Services bought by Peacock & Binnington

Thu, 22/11/2018 Northfield Agricultural Services has been acquired by agriculture machinery dealer Peacock & Binnington. The deal pushes Peacock’s turnover past £60m, and has been financed with funding facilities from Barclays. Peacock has a presence with outlets posted across Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, as well as Corringham, Essex. This deal expands the firm into East Yorkshire and takes its workforce to 135 people.

Omar Group seals deal for UK Sundecks

Thu, 22/11/2018 Park and leisure home manufacturer Omar Group has struck a deal for decking specialist UK Sundecks. Backed by Rutland Partners, Omar has a portfolio of brands that includes Omar Park & Leisure Homes, Wessex Unique Lodges & Park Homes, Omar Park Development Services, Omar Refurbishment Services and Boutique Lodges. Complementing Omar’s existing offering, the acquisition of Sundecks allows the group to take on contracts for large-scale greenfield lodge sites.

EPAM Systems buys digital agency TH_NK

Thu, 22/11/2018 EPAM Systems, a leading global provider of digital platform engineering and software development services, has bought digital agency TH_NK. With offices in London, Liverpool and Newcastle, TH_NK will strengthen EPAM’s digital and organisational consulting capabilities in the UK and Western European markets.

BGC Partners to buy Ed Broking

Thu, 22/11/2018 Global reinsurance, wholesale and specialty broker Ed has accepted an offer from a subsidiary of BGC Partners, a global brokerage and financial technology company. Headquartered in London, Ed Broking has operations in UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Miami and China. The deal also includes its German marine broking arm Junge, as well as its MGA operations Cooper Gay France, Epsilon in Australia, and Globe Underwriting in the UK. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and terms have not been disclosed.

Young Innovations acquires Astek Innovations

Thu, 22/11/2018 Global dental products supplier Young Innovations has announced a deal for Astek Innovations. A producer of quality dental products, Astek enhances Young’s ability to deliver clinical value in the UK, Europe and beyond. Operations will continue under the same management at Astek’s Altrincham base.

CHS Healthcare acquires BroadCare

Tue, 20/11/2018 CHS Healthcare has acquired BroadCare, a widely commissioned database for NHS funded Continuing Healthcare information, for £4.4m. Complementing its existing product Caretrack, the deal means that CHS's data management services now account for c. 75% of all provision to CCGs across England. BroadCare’s structure and staff will remain intact following the deal. It will continue to be developed as an individual product.

Yearsley Group bought by Lineage Logistics

Tue, 20/11/2018 Lineage Logistics Holdings, a US supplier of temperature-controlled supply chain solutions, has acquired £200m-turnover counterpart Yearsley for an undisclosed sum. Headquartered in Heywood, Yearsley Group provides cold storage, frozen food and logistics services to customers across the retail, food service, food manufacturing and export channels. The group operates a fleet of 300 vehicles and 12 cold stores across the UK.

Clydesdale Bank backs MBO at MI Glass

Tue, 20/11/2018 Key Capital Partners has sold its interest in MI Glass (MIG) to its management team. MIG has 75 years’ experience providing glass processing solutions to sectors including retail interiors, catering equipment and office design. The multimillion-pound MBO sees KCP make a return on its investment, having enabled MIG to recently open a new 25,000 sq ft factory in Birmingham to add to its existing 55,000 sq ft manufacturing space in Smethwick. Clydesdale Bank has backed the MBO but terms have not been disclosed.

Ebbon-Dacs acquires Licence Check

Tue, 20/11/2018 Oxford-based online solutions provider Ebbon-Dacs has acquired fleet driver licence and compliance specialist Licence Check for an undisclosed sum. Carrying out hundreds of thousands of checks every year, Licence Check works with public and private sector clients including end user fleet and rental suppliers, transport and logistics companies and bus and coach operators. Its acquisition complements Ebbon-Dacs’ business providing web-based technology solutions to the automotive contract hire and leasing community.

AO World rings up £32.5m deal for phone e-tailer

Tue, 20/11/2018 Bolton-based online retailer AO World has agreed to pay £32.5m for Mobile Phones Direct. The Reading firm is the UK’s leading online-only retailer of mobile phones and operates through two brands, Mobile Phones Direct and Smart Phone Company. It generated revenues of £121.7m and EBITDA of £5.5m in the last financial year.

Acumen strikes deal for fellow Lancashire IFA

Mon, 19/11/2018 Burscough-based IFA Acumen Financial Partnership is expanding further north with the acquisition of Wyre Investment and Financial Management. The deal sees it take on two staff, 400 active clients and assets under management of around £40m.

Broadcom acquires CA Technologies for $18.9bn

Mon, 19/11/2018 Broadcom, the global technology group that specialises in semiconductor and infrastructure software solutions, has completed its $18.9bn acquisition of CA Technologies. The deal will see CA Technologies delist from NASDAQ and operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Broadcom, which aims to become one of the world’s leading infrastructure technology companies. Following its failed takeover of Qualcomm earlier in the year, CA allows Broadcom to expand its mission critical technology portfolio. Mainframe solutions made up $2.2bn of CA’s income in 2017-18, followed by enterprise solutions at $1.75bn and services at $311m. The acquisition is expected to drive Broadcom’s long-term adjusted EBITDA margins above 55%.

Johnston Press rescued by newly formed JPIMedia

Mon, 19/11/2018 Johnston Press, the owner of over 200 titles including the i newpaper, Yorkshire Post and Scotsman, has been bailed out of administration. The transaction sees the creation of a new company called JPIMedia, which has taken over the group's newspapers while shedding its debts and pension fund. An ‘assessment period’ has been triggered for the employees on its defined benefits pension scheme. Creditors have agreed to inject £35m of new money into the business and reduce its net debt level by £135m. Johnston Press has suffered from the same issues of dwindling circulation and advertising revenues
that have afflicted legacy publishers for the last decade. The company has particularly suffered from a host of acquisitions made immediately prior to the digital media boom in the early to mid-noughties.

AdEPT Technology Group acquires ETS Communications

Mon, 19/11/2018 AdEPT Technology Group has agreed to acquire ETS Communications in a £2.5m deal. Based in Wakefield, ETS provides unified communications services to business customers particularly in the public sector, managing and supporting cloud-based telephony systems for more than 200 GP surgeries. The acquisition is expected to increase AdEPT’s group revenues by approximately 5%. ETS reported turnover of £16.4m for the last financial year.

WH Smith to buy US airport concessions chain for £155m

Mon, 19/11/2018 WH Smith has agreed to buy travel retailer InMotion for £155m. A significant boost to WH Smith’s international growth plans, InMotion is a market leading retailer of digital accessories in US airports. Established in 1998, it operates a concession portfolio of 114 stores across 43 US airports, including 22 of the top 25 busiest and nine of the top 10.

IDHL Group announces Statement acquisition

Fri, 16/11/2018 IDHL Group has announced the purchase of Statement, a fast-growing Shopify Plus partner. The addition of the e-commerce specialist broadens IDHL's web development platform options in the UK, where Shopify has invested significant resources in recent years.

Science in Sport acquires PhD Nutrition

Fri, 16/11/2018 Nutrition firm Science in Sport has proposed a share placement worth approximately £29m to fund its acquisition of PhD Nutrition. The £32m deal doubles the size of SiS’s business and accelerates its ambition of becoming a global force in performance nutrition. PhD employs 24 people and reported revenue of £20.8m and EBITDA of £2.8m in the last financial year.

Radius Payment Solutions buys Adams Phones

Thu, 15/11/2018 Radius Payment Solutions has acquired mobile and fixed line communications specialist Adams Phones. With 30 years’ experience, Adams Phones is licensed to sell and support all three major mobile networks. The deal enables Radius to establish a telecoms division, complementing its existing telematics products.

Confections saves liquorice maker from administration

Thu, 15/11/2018 Confections Ltd, the owner of Stockley’s Sweets and Chocley’s, has created a new firm called The Super Flyers Factory to accommodate its purchase of liquorice maker Maxilin. Maxilin’s brands include Magic Wands, Super Reds and Flyers. Its purchase from administration saves 58 jobs in Astley Bridge, near Bolton.

ENGIE acquires Smart Buildings

Thu, 15/11/2018 Global energy and facilities services group ENGIE has announced a deal for Smart Buildings, a Leeds-based firm that develops IoT technology for applications in building management. With previous clients including Barclays, Lookers and JCT600, the acquisition opens opportunities for ENGIE in the nascent smart buildings market.

Cairngorm Capital creates The National Timber Group

Thu, 15/11/2018 Cairngorm Capital has acquired timber merchant Arnold Laver & Co, almost doubling the investment firm's turnover in this market. The deal sees the creation of the largest independent timber business in the UK, to be known as The National Timber Group, with revenues approaching £250m. Cairngorm’s existing timber brands are North Yorkshire Timber, Thornbridge, and Rembrand, which it bought in July earlier this year.

SCC acquires audio-visual solutions provider avsnet

Thu, 15/11/2018 £1.8bn turnover IT group SCC has acquired communications and collaboration solutions provider avsnet. The Leatherhead-based AV specialist employs 60 people and will merge with SCC AVS.

Grainger acquires £696m homes portfolio from APG

Wed, 14/11/2018 Grainger, the UK's largest residential landlord, has agreed a £396m deal for the outstanding share capital of GRIP REIT. A joint venture split 25/75 between Grainger and APG respectively, GRIP comprises 35 private rented sector assets (c. 1,700 units) across London and the South East, with a gross asset value of £696m. The deal increases Grainger's PRS investment pipeline to £1.37bn and provides £32.5m of gross rents per annum.

PTG unlocks turnover milestone with Keytech deal

Wed, 14/11/2018 Pure Technology Group (PTG) has announced a deal for Keytech Managed Solutions. The self-financed acquisition adds over £2m to the group's revenues, pushing it over the £30m mark for the first time. It builds on PTG's takeover of Servatech earlier in the year, and adds a site in Wigan to existing offices in Leeds and Wakefield.

NSM buys Xpekt and launches new brand

Wed, 14/11/2018 NSM, the owner of Vantage Insurance Holdings, has bought Xpekt, a UK motor managing general agent. The deal provides NSM with a service-led underwriting business and will see Mark Bacon, who joins from ERS, take the helm as managing director. Building on this acquisition, NSM has also announced it will launch a second underwriting brand called First Specialty to the market. First Specialty will offer a broad range of niche motor insurance products while Xpekt will continue to focus on local community business.

EG Group arrives in Australia with £960m deal

Wed, 14/11/2018 EG Group, the owner of Euro Garages, has expanded again, this time in Australia with the acquisition of Woolworths Petrol. The £960m deal includes a network of 540 sites, as well as a workforce of c. 4,000 people. In the year to 30 June 2018, Woolworths generated A$4.8bn in revenues and sold 3.6 billion litres of fuel. As part of the transaction, EG Group has entered into a 15-year commercial alliance with Woolworths Group covering loyalty, discount redemptions and a new wholesale food supply agreement. In 2018 EG Group has already spent nearly £2bn on acquisitions in the US.

SAP SE announces $8bn deal for Qualtrics

Wed, 14/11/2018 German software group SAP SE has sealed an $8bn deal to acquire Qualtrics, a global pioneer of experience management (XM) software. Producing intelligence for customer, employee, product and brand experience, its software captures and analyses real-time data from social media and email. The firm expects its 2018 revenues to exceed $400m and its growth rate 40% after that. SAP has secured financing in the region of $7.9bn to fund this deal. It predicts that its 413,000 customers and 15,000-strong salesforce will allow Qualtrics to scale at pace.

Brayleys Motor Group bought by Dubai conglomerate

Wed, 14/11/2018 Dubai-based conglomerate AW Rostamani has announced its first UK acquisition, buying a majority stake in Brayleys Motor Group. Founded in 2003, Brayleys has grown to 12 dealerships, hitting revenues of just under £120m last year. Its franchises include Honda, Kia, Mazda and Renault/Dacia.

Gordon Dadds and Ince & Co to merge

Tue, 13/11/2018 Gordon Dadds and Ince & Co have agreed to merge, creating the UK’s largest listed law firm. Gordon Dadds will pay £43m for Ince & Co, which has an international reach and expertise in energy and infrastructure, insurance, trade and transport. The deal extends the group’s international presence to nine countries.

Ultra Electronics sells Airport Systems for £22m

Tue, 13/11/2018 Ultra Electronics has sold its Airport Systems business to ADB SAFEGATE for £22m. Ultra Airport Systems is a provider of IT solutions that aim to enhance the operational performance of airports and airlines. Its software is installed in approximately 150 airports and active in 100 airlines worldwide. The takeover is expected to complete by 31 January 2019.

PepsiCo to buy Pipers Crisps

Tue, 13/11/2018 PepsiCo has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire Pipers Crisps. The kettle chips brand will join PepsiCo's extensive savoury snacks portfolio, which already includes Doritos and Walkers, and continue to be marketed as a gourmet product to the OOH (Out of Home) sector. Based in Lincolnshire, the fast-growing snack maker employs 75 people and turned over £11.4m for the year to the end of January 2018.

Windsor Materials Handling acquires Geolift

Tue, 13/11/2018 Windsor Materials Handling has bought Southampton equipment supplier Geolift after securing £3.3m in funding from Santander Corporate & Commercial. Geolift specialises in the hire and sale of new and reconditioned forklift trucks and sideloaders. The deal sees Windsor open its 13th branch in the UK.

Avison Young to buy GVA in 'transformational' deal

Thu, 08/11/2018 Canadian commercial real estate services group Avison Young has entered into an agreement to acquire UK firm GVA from Apleona. The deal, which is reportedly worth more than £250m, adds 1,500 people and 15 offices to Avison Young’s existing headcount of 2,700 people worldwide. The Canadian firm currently has five UK offices, but will take that tally to 19, with 1,600 employees, with this acquisition. Avison Young secured £145m of investment from fund manager CDPQ to accelerate its growth plan in July.

Hague Group completes deal for Venture Business Forms

Thu, 08/11/2018 Hague Group has completed a deal for £6m turnover print management company Venture Business Forms. Venture is based in the Midlands and employs 30 staff. Its acquisition marks Hague Group’s second of the year, following its purchase of Contrac in January.

Fat Media buys Reading Room for £1

Thu, 08/11/2018 Fat Media has acquired full-service digital agency Reading Room from Idox for a nominal sum. Established in 1996, Reading Room has offices in Liverpool and London and delivers creative digital solutions for clients across Europe. Its services include brand communications, consulting, search and advertising, and website design.

IoT firm CoreRFID completes MBO

Thu, 08/11/2018 Electronic tracking systems designer CoreRFID has completed a six-figure MBO. The deal sees the exit of The Coalfields Enterprise Fund and allows the management team to take full control of the business. CoreRFID is based in Skelmersdale and employs nine people.

Apple Leisure Group buys Funway Holidays

Thu, 08/11/2018 Funway Holidays has been acquired by US travel, hospitality and leisure company Apple Leisure Group for an undisclosed sum. It will join a roster of existing brands with properties across Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and soon Spain. Funway will serve as a companion to London-based tour operator Travel Impressions International in particular.

EMIS Group acquires blockchain developer Dovetail Digital

Wed, 07/11/2018 Healthtech specialist EMIS Group has completed a £2.5m deal for Dovetail Digital, an early stage blockchain software developer for the healthcare sector. EMIS has also announced the acquisition of the outstanding minority stake in its subsidiary firm Rx, which trades as EMIS Health Community Pharmacy, for £8m.

Enviroload acquires Sheffield waste management firm

Wed, 07/11/2018 Sheffield-based waste management business Airload Environmental has been bought by Enviroload Waste Services after entering liquidation. Airload had struggled with cashflow problems since UK Coal, one of its largest contracts, ceased trading in December 2015.

Gallagher buys Portmore Insurance Brokers

Wed, 07/11/2018 Arthur J Gallagher, the global insurance broker, risk management and consulting firm, has announced the takeover of Portmore. Established in 2006, Portmore is a commercial insurance broker focusing on the mid-market. With offices in Chichester and Southampton and a team of around 40 insurance professionals, Portmore will join Gallagher’s retail branch network, which serves customers from over 50 sites nationwide.

Pitchero completes trio of acquisitions

Wed, 07/11/2018 Sports club website startup Pitchero has bought rivals Teamer, Club Website and Fixtures Live. The acquisitions grow Pitchero’s active club membership to over 22,000, including 160,000 teams and over two million members of both grassroots and semi-professional teams. Pitchero offers club website, club app, match video and team management tools. The expanded group will now have operations in Ireland and Australia.

Christeyns acquires Clover Chemicals

Wed, 07/11/2018 International chemicals manufacturer Christeyns has completed a deal for Clover Chemicals. Based in Derbyshire, Clover Chemicals produces over 200 hygiene and cleaning products and turns over £8.5m. The acquisition expands Christeyns' Professional Hygiene division to include floorcare, washroom and skincare products, housekeeping, hard surface and dishwashing products, and a range of dosing equipment options. Headquartered in Belgium, Christeyns recorded turnover in excess of €350m in 2018.

3T Energy Group buys training provider Survivex

Mon, 05/11/2018 Offshore training company Survivex has been acquired by 3T Energy Group. Formed from the amalgamation of AIS Training and Drilling Systems earlier in 2018, 3T is a global technology and training organisation. With this deal it becomes the UK's largest training provider to the energy sector. It grows to more than 300 personnel and expects to hit revenues of £50m in 2019.

PKA Legal acquires DBS Law in pre-pack deal

Mon, 05/11/2018 DBS Law, the Midlands-based law firm that owns the nationwide brand Claim Today Solicitors, has been acquired by US firm PKA Legal in a pre-pack deal. DBS Law entered into administration after personal injury claim reforms impacted its core business. PKA Legal will retain the DBS and Claim Today brands, but aims to push into other personal law products such as residential property and family law.

Maven Capital backs MBO at healthcare staffing agency

Mon, 05/11/2018 Maven Capital Partners has a led a management buyout of Acton Banks, a UK healthcare staffing business. Operating a 24/7 service, Acton Banks places registered nurses and other healthcare professionals across the Midlands and North West. Maven has invested £9.6m as part of the MBO, in addition to a 'significant' input from the firm's management team. Due to the NHS staffing crisis, Acton Banks' services have seen increased demand. It aims to expand into a nationwide business in the coming years.

The Character Group acquires Danish toy distributor

Mon, 05/11/2018 The Character Group has announced the purchase of a 55% shareholding in Danish toy distributor OVG-PROXY. Character has paid an initial £300,000 with a further £3m earnout payable depending on performance.

GB Group acquires Australian counterpart

Fri, 02/11/2018 Chester-based data firm GB Group has acquired Vix Verify Global, an Australian identity verification and location intelligence software provider. The £21.2m deal adds scale to GBG's own IDV solutions in Australia and New Zealand, building on its existing fraud detection offering.

Evans Cycles to close half its stores following acquisition

Fri, 02/11/2018 Sports Direct is to close at least half of Evans Cycles' stores following its pre-pack purchase of the chain from administration. Evans Cycles has 62 branches across the UK and employs 1,300 people. Sports Direct has bought the firm for around £8m, around £2m of which will fund its October payroll. The cycle shop business has been looking for new ownership and a £10m cash injection since September.

Communications group hits £20m turnover with Arden acquisition

Fri, 02/11/2018 LDC-backed cloud communications firm babble has doubled its revenue with the acquisition of Arden Group. The deal gives babble its first office outside of London and increases its client list to more than 1,200 customers. It follows its takeover of Direct Response Plus earlier in the year.

Cursor Controls bought for £19m

Fri, 02/11/2018 The Cursor Controls Group has been bought by discoverIE, a customised electronics manufacturer, for £19m. The deal, which includes a further £4m payable on the condition of meeting certain targets, complements discoverIE's business as a designer and producer of human-to-machine interface products for medical, industrial and transportation applications.

Learning Curve acquires Profound Group

Fri, 02/11/2018 Learning Curve Group has strengthened its education and training capabilities with the acquisition of Profound Group. Based in County Durham, Profound provides work-based learning and employability programmes for accountancy, beauty, construction, education and more. The deal also includes Northern Care Training, which Profound bought in 2011 to make inroads into the health and social care sector. The takeover adds 90 employees and around 5,500 annual learners to Learning Curve's books.

Coast axes 24 stores with acquisition

Thu, 01/11/2018 Upon falling into administration, certain assets of womenswear business Coast have been bought by Karen Millen. The brand will primarily trade online and in UK concessions, with Karen Millen continuing to work with existing wholesale and franchise partners. The acquisition preserves around 600 jobs, but will see the closure of 24 stores.

Interactive Investor seals £40m deal for ATS

Thu, 01/11/2018 Alliance Trust has agreed to sell Alliance Trust Savings to Interactive Investor, the parent company of Moneywise, for £40m. The deal brings together the UK's two biggest fixed price investment platforms, almost doubling II's assets under management to £35bn.

Handystaff gets leg up from Think Services Group

Thu, 01/11/2018 Think Services Group has acquired blue collar recruitment firm HandyStaff. Led by COO Bradley Gough, a former HandyStaff employee, the deal will see Adam Innocent join Think Services as chief development officer and Robert Appleby as chief commercial officer.

Endless sells Affinity Workforce to CRG

Thu, 01/11/2018 Castlerock Recruitment Group has acquired Affinity Workforce, a provider of education, health and social care staffing, from Endless. Affinity will join forces with CER, Monarch Education, Medicare First and Team24, creating a division with £100m turnover and 400 staff. This is CRG's first acquisition since its takeover of HCL in February.

MBO completed at Senior Architectural Systems

Thu, 01/11/2018 Senior Architectural Systems, a fenestration systems manufacturer, has announced an MBO by its current board of directors. Led by managing director Mark Wadsworth along with three other board members, the deal has been funded by Tosca Debt Capital. Senior employs 160 people and recorded turnover of £30.9m for the year ending June 2017.

Polypipe pays £52m for Manthorpe Building Solutions

Thu, 01/11/2018 Polypipe Group has completed a deal for Manthorpe Building Products and associated assets for £52m. Manthorpe is a leading designer and manufacturer of moulded and extruded plastic and metal products in the UK and Ireland. It generated revenue of £16.4m and adjusted EBITDA of £6.3m for the last financial year. With end users and routes to market in common, the deal complements Polypipe's plastic piping and ventilation systems business. Manthorpe will be integrated into its Residential Systems segment.

ITE Group purchases Cape Town mining conference

Thu, 01/11/2018 Conference organiser ITE Group has bought Mining Indaba for £30.1m. Hosted in Cape Town, Mining Indaba is an annual event for mining and investment targeted to leading figures from across the African continent's mining value chain. ITE already operates in Cape Town, managing the Africa Oil Week (AOW) event for the energy sector.

Curium Solutions buys Anne Clews Consulting

Thu, 01/11/2018 Business transformation consultancy Curium Solutions has acquired Anne Clews Consulting, a people change specialist. The deal gives Curium access to one of the UK's leading practitioners of the TetraMap personality assessment tool, and adds the likes of the BBC, Lidl and O2 to its client list.

ICF acquires We are Vista

Thu, 01/11/2018 Leeds and London-based creative communications agency We are Vista has joined $1.2bn digital services giant ICF. The 100-person firm specialises in communications strategy, research, digital engagement, content development, design and art direction. It reported turnover of £16.4m and pre-tax profits of £2.1m last year.

The Restaurant Group to buy Wagamama for £357m

Thu, 01/11/2018 The Restaurant Group, owner of brands such as Chiquito, Frankie & Benny's and Garfunkel's, has agreed to pay £357m for Mabel Topco, the holding company of Wagamama. The deal values the chain at £559m and provides TRG with a highly differentiated proposition, with Wagamama's pan-Asian theme and healthy food offering. TRG has flagged some of its sites for conversion to the Wagamama brand to accelerate its rollout, will work on delivery and food-to-go options and explore international growth opportunities.

Securitas acquires Oxfordshire security services firms

Thu, 01/11/2018 Securitas Services Holding UK has acquired R&R Frontline Services and R&R Frontline Services UK. Together the R&R businesses employ more than 70 people and provide static and mobile security services across Oxfordshire. The deal strengthens Securitas's electronic alarm surveillance services and mobile security services, and will see the transfer of the R&R businesses to its brand in 2019. Securitas also announced the acquisition of MK Group Security last month.

Vacation Rentals UK acquires Mulberry Cottages

Thu, 01/11/2018 Vacation Rentals UK has expanded its self-catering holiday portfolio with the acquisition of Mulberry Cottages. The agency's roster already includes English Country Cottages, Salcombe & Dartmouth Holiday Homes, Cumbrian Cottages and Blue Chip Holidays.

Furniture designer Alphason acquired by Dorel Industries

Thu, 01/11/2018 UK home office and audio-visual furniture designer and distributor Alphason has been acquired by Dorel Industries' European home furnishings division. The deal provides Dorel with a new base in the UK, as well as a distribution hub to serve its growing European business.

October 2018

Travel company PGL bought in £467m deal

Mon, 29/10/2018 HB Education, the holding company of children's adventure holiday business PGL, has been offloaded by Cox & Kings for £467m. Midlothian Capital Partners and a consortium of investors has bought the group with Ares Management financing the deal. This company is the third consumer business MCP has moved for in the last two years, after its purchases of Dobbies Garden Centres in 2016 and Park Leisure last year. HB Education owns 26 regional activity centres in the UK, France, Spain and Australia and generated £160.6m in revenue in 2017. As well as PGL, the deal also includes Travelworks and Studylink.

Phillips 66 adds four filling stations to roster

Mon, 29/10/2018 Multinational energy firm Phillips 66, the owner of the JET trademark, has added four sites in the North of England to its portfolio with the acquisition of NJB Services. The deal also sees the operation of a filling station in Immingham transfer to the firm. All five sites are already JET supplied and branded, and in close proximity to Phillips 66's Humber Refinery.

Oka Direct makes first acquisition

Mon, 29/10/2018 Dallas furniture and home decor retailer Wisteria has been bought by UK-based lifestyle brand Oka Direct. Both companies started as catalogue order businesses; Wisteria has two sites while Oka now has 14 stores and a design services arm. Oka, which was co-founded by Lady Astor, was acquired by Italian private equity firm Investindustrial in January. This takeover is the first in its 20-year history.

Crest Process Engineering joins AxFlow

Mon, 29/10/2018 AxFlow has acquired Crest Process Engineering, a supplier of pumps, spares, systems, equipment, service and repairs in South West England and South Wales. Its expertise in fluid handling and service support complements AxFlow's four service and repair centres in Aberdeen, Durham, Huddersfield and Slough. The deal means AxFlow now employs 95 people, including 30 service and workshop staff.

Ceuta Group acquires Click Consult

Mon, 29/10/2018 Search marketing agency Click Consult has been bought by Ceuta Group, an £88m-turnover consumer brand services specialist. The deal expands its SEO and digital marketing capabilities and provides the group with cross-selling opportunities.

US firm buys Communisis for £154m

Mon, 29/10/2018 Listed Leeds-based marketing services business Communisis has been bought by OSG Bidco, an independent provider of outsourced omnichannel billing, critical communications and payment solutions, for £153.8m. The combination with the private equity-owned firm provides Communisis with scale, a global presence and enhanced digital technology capabilities.

eBay buys Motors.co.uk to take on Autotrader

Fri, 26/10/2018 eBay has announced the takeover of Motors.co.uk from Cox Automotive. Motors.co.uk is a leading classifieds site for buying and selling used cars. It will be integrated into Gumtree UK once the deal closes. The acquisition means eBay overtakes the UK market leader Autotrader in terms of listings, with more than 620,000 across eBay Motors UK, Gumtree UK and now Motors.co.uk.

CB Chartered Accountants merges with Haines Watts

Fri, 26/10/2018 CB Chartered Accountants has merged with Haines Watts as the national accountancy firm progresses its expansion plans. The deal sees managing partner John Painter join the group along with his team of ten. CB's Worcester and Tewkesbury offices will be rebranded with the latter becoming Haines Watts' first permanent base in Gloucestershire.

B&M acquires French retailer Babou

Fri, 26/10/2018 Liverpool-headquartered discount retailer B&M has announced the acquisition of Babou, a discount general merchandise retailer with a chain of 95 stores in France. In the last financial year, Babou Stores Group generated revenues of €347.1m and EBITDA of €24.7m. Generally operating in out of town sites, Babou averages around 27,000 sq ft of retail space per store compared to B&M’s UK average of 19,500 sq ft. The deal has been sealed for €91.2m, which includes the debt of the Babou Stores Group refinanced by B&M.

The Carlyle Group buys EnerMech Group

Fri, 26/10/2018 Lime Rock Partners has sold EnerMech Group to alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group. Headquartered in Aberdeen, EnerMech is a mechanical and electrical services specialist that employs over 3,500 staff worldwide. The firm works on projects across the oil and gas, LNG, renewables, defence, power, infrastructure and petrochemicals sectors. Its 2018 revenues are forecast to reach £430m with profits of around £59m.

TLT acquires Scottish practice Leslie Wolfson

Tue, 23/10/2018 Commercial law firm TLT has expanded in Scotland with the purchase of real estate specialist Leslie Wolfson & Co. The deal bolsters TLT’s 200-strong real estate practice, in particular in its work with retailers and leisure operators.

Aston Barclay buys The Car Buying Group

Mon, 22/10/2018 Car auctioning business Aston Barclay has acquired The Car Buying Group, a fast-growing consumer vehicle buying business. TCBG has developed its own online vehicle pricing tool and helps sell over 10,000 vehicles in the UK each year. It will continue to operate under the stewardship of current CEO Tom Marley, moving its 30-strong team to Aston Barclay's new Wakefield site when it opens later this year.

LadBible confirms takeover of rival Unilad

Mon, 22/10/2018 After weeks of upheaval, viral publisher LadBible has confirmed it is buying rival Unilad out of administration. Unilad entered administration earlier in October with debts of around £10m, half of which was owed to departed founder Alex Partridge who had sold his debt to LadBible, making it Unilad’s primary creditor. The final acquisition has been agreed for an undisclosed sum and secures the immediate future of over 200 staff. The deal makes LadBible ‘the largest social video publisher ever’ with 120 million followers across platforms.

DYWIDAG-Systems International acquires Datum Group

Mon, 22/10/2018 Engineering giant DYWIDAG-Systems International has acquired UK-based monitoring firm Datum Group. Founded in 1999, Datum employs 100 people and provides monitoring services to the mining, rail and construction sectors. It will join DSI's global services division to capitalise on opportunities presented by projects such as HS2.

PTSG seals £12m deal for Guardian Electrical Compliance

Mon, 22/10/2018 Premier Technical Services Group has acquired Guardian Electrical Compliance for £12m. With a further £4m payable over the next three years, the acquisition has been funded through a £20m share placement. PTSG was sold by Seneca Partners to an unnamed buyer earlier in the year. PTSG's £3.5m deal for M&P Fire Protection, announced in July, is set to complete later this year.

Inverleith completes Planet Organic acquisition

Mon, 22/10/2018 Scottish private equity firm Inverleith has completed its acquisition of London health food chain Planet Organic. The £15m deal sees Inverleith CFO Stella Morse, who previously worked with Edinburgh's Genius Foods, join Planet Organic's board.

Roc Technologies boosted by Esteem Systems deal

Thu, 18/10/2018 Digital transformation firm Roc Technologies has taken over data centre, cloud and managed service provider Esteem Systems. With 30 years' experience serving private and public sector clients in local government, retail, higher education, legal, health and energy, Esteem is projected to boost Roc's 2019 revenues to £80m and its headcount to 350 employees.

First 10 Digital finds new home

Thu, 18/10/2018 Leeds marketing agency Home has agreed to buy First 10 Digital, sealing a second deal in three months following its purchase of Fusion Learning in July. First 10 employs 32 staff and specialises in digital experience design. Its clients include PUMA, Tilda and Boots Hearingcare. First 10 will rebrand as Home, with MD Chris Soames and creative director Danyl Bosomworth joining Home's board.

Worcester Warriors announces new owners

Thu, 18/10/2018 Premiership rugby club Worcester Warriors has been sold to a four-man consortium led by financier Errol Pope. The group has committed to investing and keeping the club at its Sixways ground. Its other members are Swindon Town chairman Jed McCrory, ex-player Dave Seymour and financial consultant Scott Priestnall. Worcester Warriors posted a loss of over £8m last year.

Flamerite Fires completes MBO

Thu, 18/10/2018 Flamerite Fires has completed a multi-million pound MBO which sees control of the company transfer from David Watts to his brother John. Based in Lichfield, Flamerite designs, assembles and manufactures high-end electrical stoves, fires and suites.

Donnelly Group opens ninth outlet in Northern Ireland

Thu, 18/10/2018 Northern Irish new and used car-seller Donnelly Group has acquired Shaws Citroën in Bangor. The deal secures Donnelly Group its ninth outlet in Northern Ireland and first in Bangor. The group has also announced it will open a Honda dealership and introduce Donnelly Motorstore to North Down. Altogether Donnelly Group employs 750 employees and represents 18 manufacturers.

Dechra Pharmaceuticals acquires Caledonian Holdings

Thu, 18/10/2018 Dechra Pharmaceuticals has announced it has bought Caledonian Holdings for £4.4m. The bolt-on acquisition is an equine pharmaceutical supplier in Australia and New Zealand.

Deep Sea Electronics bought in £162m deal

Tue, 16/10/2018 Scarborough-based manufacturer Deep Sea Electronics has been acquired by Caledonia Investments in a deal that values it at £162m. DSE designs and makes controllers for diesel-powered electricity generators and intelligent battery chargers. The firm employs over 170 people and sells to over 150 countries.

Element Power sells wind assets to Norwegian group Statkraft

Tue, 16/10/2018 Norwegian energy giant Statkraft has acquired the UK&I wind development businesses of Element Power Group. The deal provides Statkraft with a large wind development pipeline of around 1.3GW in Ireland and strengthens its position in the UK with c. 250MW. Statkraft is Europe's largest producer of renewable energy and already owns 11 wind farms in the UK and Nordics with an installed capacity of just under 1GW.

Endless saves American Golf from administration

Tue, 16/10/2018 American Golf has been rescued from administration by private equity firm Endless in a deal that secures the immediate future of 900 jobs. Endless has form in the retail sector, buying both jeweller Theo Fennell and Jones Bootmaker out from administration in 2017, the latter of which it sold this year. 20 of American Golf's 132 UK stores are to close.

Dentsu Aegis Network acquires B2B International

Tue, 16/10/2018 B2B International is to become a part of Gyro, Dentsu Aegis's global full-service offering for b2b marketing. Bought for an undisclosed sum, B2B International serves over 600 clients and has offices worldwide in Manchester, London, Düsseldorf, New York, Chicago, Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore. Gyro has 17 offices across the globe and has a client base that includes Danone, eBay, Google and Vodafone.

Sterling Corporate Finance and Murray Harcourt to merge

Tue, 16/10/2018 Leeds-based professional services businesses Sterling Corporate Finance and Murray Harcourt have agreed to merge. Sterling is a firm of corporate financiers and advisors that specialises in management buyouts and mergers and acquisitions. It will be incorporated into the Murray Harcourt brand.

Blackstone buys NEC Group for £800m

Tue, 16/10/2018 Private equity firm Blackstone has acquired the National Exhibition Centre Group from private equity firm LDC for around £800m, just three years after Birmingham City Council sold it for £307m. Founded in 1976, NEC is a leading events venue operator that manages the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre, Arena Birmingham and the Genting Arena, among others. It hosts over 750 events attracting more than 7 million visitors every year, including Crufts and the Spring Fair, and in 2022 will host nine sports in the Commonwealth Games. It also owns the catering business Amadeus and national ticketing agency The Ticket Factory.

Purplebricks moves into German market with Homeday stake

Mon, 15/10/2018 German tech-based real estate broker Homeday has sold 25.9% of its business to NewCo, a joint venture between Purplebricks and Axel Springer. The investment is split 50/50 between the two businesses, and provides an option to acquire a further 28.5% stake in August 2019. In addition to this, Homeday has secured €20m of investment from Purplebricks, Axel Springer and venture capital firm Project A. Founded in 2015, Homeday has brokered real estate deals worth in excess of €1bn.

Cairngorm Capital Partners cuts deal for Helix Tool Company

Mon, 15/10/2018 Private equity firm Cairngorm Capital Partners has bought Helix Tool Company, a leading cutting tools specialist in the North of England. Helix employs 17 staff and is headquartered in Leeds. The acquisition forms part of Cairngorm's plan to create a national full-service maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) distribution business. The new firm will provide engineering components, specialist ancillary services and in-depth technical expertise to industrial clients

CTS and Qlouder join forces

Mon, 15/10/2018 NorthEdge-backed tech firm Cloud Technology Solutions (CTS) has merged with app development and machine learning specialist Qlouder. The combination with the Dutch business aims to kickstart an international expansion drive as well as boosting CTS's workforce to a 150-strong team. With offices in the UK and Netherlands, the combined firm will offer a unique end-to-end service for Google Cloud, including app development, machine learning, big data analytics, cloud migration and IT infrastructure.

Knights expands East Midlands presence

Mon, 15/10/2018 AIM-listed law firm Knights has expanded its presence in the East Midlands with the acquisition of Spearing Waite. Complementing Knights' existing office in Derby, Spearing Waite is Leicester's largest independent law firm, catering to a mix of SME and blue chip clients. Knights is one of the UK's fastest growing regional legal and professional services businesses; the group made its IPO in June and was valued at over £100m.

Morris & Spottiswood acquires Livingston Mechanical Services

Mon, 15/10/2018 The management team of Morris & Spottiswood has acquired Livingston Mechanical Services, a provider of heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and plumbing services in Scotland. The deal strengthens the mechanical team in Morris & Spottiswood's M&E division, which reported turnover of £20m in 2017. The group aims to drive revenues past £100m in the coming years.

LKAB Minerals doubles UK business

Thu, 11/10/2018 Swedish industrial group LKAB Minerals has taken over Francis Flower, a provider of powdered minerals with sites in Scunthorpe, Wicken, Gurney Slade and Runcorn. The UK firm employs 130 people and is worth around £70m. The deal almost doubles the size of LKAB Minerals' UK operations, which also has four sites and employs 160 people.

Birchwood Price Tools joins Toolstream

Thu, 11/10/2018 Travis Perkins has sold Birchwood Price Tools to supplier and distributor Toolstream for an undisclosed sum. BPT is a designer, manufacturer and wholesaler of workwear, power tools, hand tools and site equipment. Based in Warrington, it has a range of exclusive brands such as Scruffs workwear, Defender lighting and power distribution, and Rhino heating and cooling products. It employs 80 people and will continue to run as a standalone business.

AAG announces double acquisition

Thu, 11/10/2018 Distribution firm Alliance Automotive Group (AAG), a subsidiary of Genuine Parts Company, has completed the acquisitions of two automotive businesses, Platinum International Group and TMS Motor Spares. Headquartered in Manchester, Platinum is a leading value-added battery distributor for a range of sectors with nine sites in the UK (and one in the Netherlands). Its acquisition is expected to generate annual revenues of $75m for AAG. TMS Motor Spares meanwhile is headquartered in Carlisle and is an automotive parts distributor with 24 locations across England and Scotland.

Gamma Communications buys Dean One for £24m

Thu, 11/10/2018 UK telecoms group Gamma Communications has acquired Dutch business Dean One for £24m. Dean One is a channel-led business with a similar product range to Gamma. It employs approximately 60 people and generated revenue of €15.8m (£13.8m) in 2017. Gamma recorded revenue of £238.4m in 2017 with gross profit of £113m. The UK firm aims to replicate its UK success in the Netherlands, using this acquisition as a platform.

Endless sells travel media business Ink

Thu, 11/10/2018 Mid-market private equity investor Endless has sold travel media company Ink to an affiliate of the Stagwell Group. The deal secures a 7.7x return for Endless, which backed an MBO at the firm in 2015. Ink creates digital, video, print and experiential branded content for the world’s largest travel companies. It is headquartered in London and has a global network of content creators and sales executives in Abu Dhabi, Miami, New York, São Paulo and Singapore.

Staffline buys Passionate About People

Tue, 09/10/2018 Staffline Group has announced the acquisition of Passionate About People Group and its subsidiaries Omega Resource Group and Datum RPO. Staffline is the UK's largest provider of blue-collar workers. It acquired apprenticeships specialist LDA from Learndirect earlier this year. Omega Resource Group is a leading provider of blue-collar staffing solutions to the aerospace, automotive, construction, energy, logistics and manufacturing sectors in the South West, while Datum RPO is a recruiter for blue-chip clients. Passionate About People recorded turnover of £72m in 2017, up 36% on the previous year.

Mitie seals £14m deal for Vision Security Group

Tue, 09/10/2018 Mitie has agreed to buy Vision Security Group, a leading security services provider, from Compass Group for £14m. VSG offers integrated security systems, manned guarding and keyholding services. It employs approximately 6,000 people and reported revenue of £192.1m in the year to September 2017. It will be integrated into Mitie's Total Security Management division (Mitie TSM) on completion.

BRICKLIVE acquires Bright Bricks

Tue, 09/10/2018 AIM-listed business BRICKLIVE has bought Bright Bricks, a professional LEGO brick building company, for £8.5m. BRICKLIVE is an events and entertainment business that partners with LEGO to demonstrate its educational value in interactive shows. It delivers events worldwide.

Linley & Simpson strengthens Yorkshire portfolio

Mon, 08/10/2018 Yorkshire estate agency Linley & Simpson has strengthened its regional presence with the acquisition of Angus Roberts letting agency. The takeover of the Ilkley firm sees its portfolio of 240 homes transfer to Linley & Simpson's own branch in Ilkley town centre. Altogether Linley & Simpson has 11 offices across North and West Yorkshire. It received £10m of investment from LDC earlier in the year.

Healthcare 21's Aquilant takeover approved

Mon, 08/10/2018 Healthcare 21 has received approval for its takeover of Aquilant from H2 Equity Partners. The Irish healthcare group already has a sales and marketing office in Leeds, and with this deal doubles its turnover to €150m and its headcount to more than 450 staff worldwide. Aquilant provides a range of healthcare and scientific products and services, including outsourced sales, marketing, distribution and engineering.

Thai packaging group wraps up £13m deal for Intelipac

Mon, 08/10/2018 Thai plastic bag maker TPBI has acquired Intelipac, a northern manufacturer of paper and cardboard packaging products, for £13m. TPBI has completed the deal in response to a growing global demand for eco-friendly products.

IT Lab acquires Content and Code

Mon, 08/10/2018 IT Lab has acquired Content and Code, creating a £60m-turnover digital transformation firm with more than 700 clients. The deal grows IT Lab's workforce to more than 550 employees across offices in London, Manchester and Cape Town.

KW Wealth acquires East Yorkshire-based IFA

Fri, 05/10/2018 KW Wealth has announced the acquisition of East Yorkshire-based IFA Marchant McKechnie for up to £4m. Marchant McKechnie serves around 700 clients and has around £200m of assets under advice. It generated EBITDA of £855k in 2017 and profit after tax of just under £500k.

Biotech firm Benchmark buys Videntis

Fri, 05/10/2018 AIM-listed biotech firm Benchmark Holdings has agreed to buy Norwegian business Videntis, a provider of data technology to aquaculture and agriculture producers, for up to £300,000.

Computacenter buys FusionStorm for $90m

Fri, 05/10/2018 Computacenter has acquired FusionStorm, a $600m-turnover IT solutions provider, for up to $90m. The deal will see the group integrate its existing US managed services businesses with FusionStorm's technology sourcing and professional services capabilities, increasing its headcount in the Americas by roughly 50%. The acquisition has been agreed for an initial $70m with a deferred $20m payable on the condition of meeting certain EBITDA and profit targets.

Aldi exceeds £10bn in sales for the first time

Fri, 05/10/2018 Aldi has revealed it acquired more than a million new customers last year, as it hit sales exceeding £10bn for the first time. Profits at the German supermarket chain grew to £265m in 2017 while sales grew again with the opening of 70 more stores. Aldi has been steadily eating into Tesco's massive market share over the last ten years, prompting it to launch a rival low-price brand called Jack's in September. Aldi has plans to open 130 more UK stores in the next two years, creating 5,000 jobs.

WPP merges VML and Y&R to create new agency

Thu, 04/10/2018 Communications giant WPP has announced the creation of VMLY&R, a new media agency formed from a merger of digital agency VML and advertising agency Y&R. Founded in 1923, Y&R is a big name in the industry, responsible for creating the proprietary brand management tool BrandAsset Valuator. VML meanwhile is a global full-service marketing agency that has been named entertainment agency of the year at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for two years in a row. Set to be operational from early 2019, VMLY&R will be an agency of some 7,000 people. 

Richmond Group bails Bestival out of administration

Thu, 04/10/2018 The company behind Bestival and Camp Bestival has been bought only days after falling into administration by entrepreneur James Benamor. Benamor's company Richmond Group has acquired Bestival Group's assets and brand for £1.1m having already lent it £1.6m in February. Benamor is the founder of Amigo Loans, which floated on the stock exchange in July at more than £1bn. Richmond Group has a 61% stake in Amigo.

Seabrook Crisps acquired by Japanese food company

Thu, 04/10/2018 Japanese snack food manufacturer Calbee has bought Seabrook Crisps. Founded in 1945, the Bradford-based food firm employs over 130 people and recorded revenue of £24.5m in 2017. The deal sees an exit for LDC, which backed an £35m MBO at the snack maker in 2015.

Clinigen Group announces double acquisition

Wed, 03/10/2018 Global pharmaceutical group Clinigen has agreed to buy CSM Parent, a provider of packaging, labelling, warehousing and distribution services based in Europe and the US. Clinigen will pay an initial £114m for the firm with another £69m payable on the condition of it meeting certain targets. In tandem with this announcement, Clinigen has also revealed the acquisition of Swiss-based pharma firm iQone Healthcare, a specialist in oncology, immunology and bones & tissues, for £6.7m.

Covéa Group sells Swinton Insurance for £165m

Wed, 03/10/2018 Covéa Group has sold Manchester insurance firm Swinton Group to personal lines broker the Ardonagh Group for £165m. Covéa intends to refocus on underwriting with the sale, aligning its UK business model more closely with its operations in France and elsewhere. Swinton is the UK's largest personal lines broker, with a focus on motor and home insurance. Its turnover exceeded £220m in 2016.

Vista Engineering buys BPC Building Products

Wed, 03/10/2018 Yorkshire steel business BPC Building Products has been acquired by Vista Engineering, a manufacturer of wall ties, fixings and other products. Based in Derbyshire, Vista Engineering employs more than 60 people and turned over £11.7m in the last financial year.

Ideagen seals £20.5m deal for Morgan Kai Group

Mon, 01/10/2018 UK-based software group Ideagen has acquired Morgan Kai Group for £20.5m. With operations in Leeds and Chicago, Morgan Kai provides audit management software to public and private sector customers. It currently generates £5.3m in revenue with £3.2m recurring, and has over 370 clients. The acquisition is a boost to Ideagen as a net exporter, with 28% of Morgan Kai's customers in the US and 77% of them abroad overall.

SSE picks up rest of offshore wind firm

Mon, 01/10/2018 SSE has taken full ownership of Seagreen Wind Energy, buying the 50% of the business it didn't already own for $155m from Fluor. The Crown Estate recently awarded Seagreen exclusive rights for the Firth of Forth Zone of the UK's Round 3 offshore wind farm development programme. Seagreen is expected to build a wind farm with capacity of up to 1.5GW off the east of Fife, although has only been granted permission for 1.05GW so far. SSE currently has an output of 1.7GW from off and onshore wind projects, which is just under 10% of the UK total.

Digital ID Group acquired by US firm

Mon, 01/10/2018 UK ID card business Digital ID Group has been acquired by US counterpart Alphacard. The deal creates the world's largest ID card company with 360 employees posted across offices in 11 cities worldwide. The partnership is expected to create 40 jobs over the next three years. Established in 1990, Digital ID is headquartered in Stockport with offices in London, Amsterdam and Gothenburg. The fast-growing firm recorded revenues of £17.9m in 2017.

September 2018

AFL Insurance Brokers buys Zodiac Insurance Services

Thu, 27/09/2018 AFL Insurance Brokers has announced the acquisition of Zodiac Insurance Services, a New Jersey-based firm specialising in professional, entertainment and event insurance. A Lloyd's managing general agent, Zodiac underwrites in excess of $10m in casualty lines.

Ayima boosts digital analytics with LeapThree deal

Thu, 27/09/2018 Digital marketing and SEO group Ayima has acquired LeapThree, a specialist in web analytics, data analysis and conversion optimisation. LeapThree and its directors Michael Feiner and Peter O'Neill will join Ayima as their own unit.

Crown Oil seals second September deal

Thu, 27/09/2018 Crown Oil Group has announced a second deal in as many weeks with the purchase of family-run business Beesley Fuels. The deal gives Crown Oil a new presence in the West Midlands and takes the headcount of the wider group to more than 1,500 people.

Apposite Capital acquires Prime Health Diagnostics

Thu, 27/09/2018 Healthcare-focused private equity firm Apposite Capital has acquired Prime Health Diagnostics, building on its purchases of Medical Imaging Partnership in 2016 and Nuada Medical last year. Prime Health operates a diagnostic, treatment and fitness clinic in Weybridge. Its facilities include a 3T MRI scanner, digital x-ray and ultrasound.

BBA Aviation buys Firstmark for $97m

Wed, 26/09/2018 BBA Aviation has announced the acquisition of Firstmark, an aftermarket service provider to the aerospace industry. The $97m deal will see Firstmark join Ontic, BBA Aviation's aftermarket services business, expanding its US presence with two offices along the East Coast and 70 employees.

Carr's Group buys Animax for £8.5m

Wed, 26/09/2018 Agriculture and engineering company Carr’s Group has acquired Animax for £8.5m. Established in 1982, the Suffolk-based firm researches, develops and produces animal health products. The deal also includes Clinimax, a manufacturer of specialist disinfectant products for the medical industry.

Succession Group completes double acquisition

Wed, 26/09/2018 Wealth planning firm Succession Group has acquired two investment businesses, MacKenzie Investments and Warwick Butchart. The deal adds £350m of funds under management to the firm.

Chess ICT makes move for TMS

Wed, 26/09/2018 Technology solutions provider Chess ICT has acquired TMS, a provider of billing, hosted voice and data connectivity solutions for IT and telecoms suppliers. TMS chairman and founder Suzanne Chappell is to retire with this deal with the firm’s existing management team otherwise remaining in place. The fast-growing firm recorded revenue of £49.6m in 2017 and has a stable of relationships with over 100 partners and resellers.

US furniture firm Steelcase buys Orangebox

Tue, 25/09/2018 US office furniture firm Steelcase has acquired UK business Orangebox for up to £63m. Orangebox specialises in the creation of ‘alternative furniture’ for the workplace. The deal broadens the span of postures Steelcase’s portfolio can accommodate, as well as the range between private and open office set-ups. Orangebox employs over 400 people and recorded turnover of £61.3m in 2017.

Vonage to buy cloud contact centre startup for $350m

Tue, 25/09/2018 Communications firm Vonage has agreed to buy contact centre solutions provider NewVoiceMedia for $350m. The acquisition combines with Vonage's unified communications (UCaaS) and communications platform (CPaaS) capabilities to create an end-to-end cloud communications service with a focus on mid-market and enterprise customers

DC Thomson buys magazine publisher Aceville

Tue, 25/09/2018 DC Thomson Media has bought Aceville Publications, a publishing house based in Colchester. Headquartered in Dundee, DC Thomson Media has been publishing for over 100 years and has a portfolio of over 20 magazines, including The Beano. The acquisition adds over 40 titles to its list, including craft, food, gardening and health brands.

Prager Metis expands UK presence

Tue, 25/09/2018 Accounting and advisory firm Prager Metis International has acquired the media and entertainment business of UK accountancy and taxation practice Ling Phipp. The deal sees Ling Phipp partner Paul Turner join the US firm.

Adobe to buy Marketo for $4.75bn

Tue, 25/09/2018 Adobe has agreed to acquire Marketo, a market-leading cloud platform for B2B marketing engagement, for $4.75bn (£3.61bn). With nearly 5,000 customers, Marketo provides planning, engagement and measurement capabilities in one integrated platform. It will combine with Adobe Experience Cloud to help rejuvenate Adobe's CX software offering and deepen its move into cloud and subscription-based services. The addition is a boost for Adobe's automation capabilities in particular, bringing it closer to competing with the likes of Oracle and Salesforce.

American investors buy Dagenham & Redbridge FC

Mon, 24/09/2018 A consortium of American investors has acquired a majority stake in Dagenham & Redbridge FC. Victoria Road Football, led by Peter Freund and Craig Unger and with input from former Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard, has secured a 58% stake in the club. The outfit already has experience launching the US second division soccer team Memphis 901 FC.

Global creates outdoor ads proposition with double acquisition

Mon, 24/09/2018 British broadcasting business Global has completed a double swoop for Outdoor Plus and Primesight. The deal sees the creation of Global Outdoor, Global's entry into the out of home (OOH) advertising sector. Outdoor Plus has developed some of the highest profile digital advertising sites in the UK, in London especially. Founded by Jonathan Lewis in 2006, it has over 100 premium sites across the UK including a network of digital bridges in partnership with TfL. Primesight meanwhile has an advertising estate of more than 35,000 sites nationwide including roadside billboards and display panels.

Comcast beats Fox in battle for Sky

Mon, 24/09/2018 The bidding war for Sky has finally ended with Comcast offering over £30bn for the media firm. Rupert Murdoch's Fox had been set to buy the shares in Sky it didn't already own until Comcast topped its offer in February. The battle concluded this month with a blind auction set up by the UK's Takeover Panel, which resulted in Sky's directors unanimously recommending the Comcast offer to shareholders. The final deal represents a 125% premium on Sky's value before Fox's initial bid nearly two years ago. 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%. Sky has a total of 23 million paying subscribers in Europe, meaning Comcast will provide TV services to 52 million customers in the US, UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany and Austria with this deal.

Siemens acquires Lightwork Design

Mon, 24/09/2018 Siemens has agreed to acquire Lightwork Design, a computer software and technology licensing company based in Sheffield. The deal will boost Siemens PLM Software business with enhanced 3D data visualisation, high-end rendering and VR capabilities. Siemens' product lifecycle management components are already integrated into 350 commercial applications by more than 240 companies, with a reach of some six million end users.

Lookers buys Jennings Motor Group

Fri, 21/09/2018 National automotive retailer Lookers has acquired Jennings Motor Group, a car seller with a strong presence across the North East. Jennings was one of the first UK dealerships to sell Ford cars, with other brands in its portfolio including Kia, Mazda and Seat. The deal builds on Lookers' acquisition of 30 outlets across the North of England and Scotland when it bought Benfield Motor Group in 2015.

BBR Services seals deal for Scottish recruiter

Thu, 20/09/2018 Construction and residential property recruiter BBR Services has bought Scottish counterpart Star Placement for an undisclosed sum. With a strong portfolio of clients in the Central Belt and North East of Scotland, Star Placement employs three people and turned over £500,000 last year.

Arrow Global targets expansion in Italy

Thu, 20/09/2018 Arrow Global has completed a £55m takeover of Europa Investimenti, a leading originator and manager of distressed debt investments in Italy. The deal builds on its existing Italian presence represented by Parr Credit, which it bought in March earlier this year. Arrow Global has over €53bn of total assets under management.

Speedy Fuels acquires Birlem Oil

Thu, 20/09/2018 Crown Oil subsidiary Speedy Fuels and Lubricants has improved its coverage of the South East with the acquisition of Birlem Oil. Based in Tottenham, Birlem Oil turns over £14m and has been owned by the Buckley family for more than 50 years.

EAD Solicitors bailed out of administration by Simpson Millar

Thu, 20/09/2018 Liverpool-based injury practice EAD Solicitors has been rescued from administration by Simpson Millar, securing the jobs of 70 people. EAD is known for its work in representing trade unions, as well as the fans and families of those killed in the Hillsborough disaster.

Farhad Moshiri increases stake in Everton FC

Thu, 20/09/2018 Iranian billionaire Farhad Moshiri has increased his ownership stake in Everton FC, taking his shareholding from 49.9% to 68.6% of the club. The deal, completed through the vehicle Blue Heaven Holdings for an undisclosed sum, will see this stake increase again to 77.2% no later than July 2019. 75% ownership is effectively the threshold for decision-making control.

Marsh & McLennan to buy Jardine Lloyd Thompson for £4.3bn

Wed, 19/09/2018 FTSE 250 insurance firm Jardine Lloyd Thompson has agreed to a £4.3bn takeover by US financial services giant Marsh & McLennan. The acquisition builds towards MMC's ambition of becoming the leading global provider of advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people. In particular, the deal strengthens its risk broking expertise, expands its global reinsurance business network and improves its position in key growth markets such as Asia and Latin America. JLT employs more than 4,000 people in the UK.

Belmont Instrument buys medical equipment distributor HC Life

Wed, 19/09/2018 Medical device manufacturer Belmont Instrument has acquired HC Life, a Wokingham-headquartered distributor of healthcare equipment. The deal expands Belmont's UK presence and provides a logistics hub to serve its European customers.

BTG acquires Novate Medical for up to $150m

Wed, 19/09/2018 British healthcare firm BTG has bought Irish vascular device producer Novate Medical. BTG has paid $20m in cash for Novate with a further $130m committed depending on its Sentry-brand device hitting certain sales targets. Novate’s technology adds to BTG’s portfolio for managing blood clots in patients at high risk of pulmonary embolism.

Communicate Better seals third summer acquisition

Mon, 17/09/2018 Warrington-based communications provider Communicate Better has completed its third acquisition in as many months by buying sister companies Chilli Telecom and BE IP for an undisclosed sum. The deal opens cross-selling opportunities for the firm and puts it close to hitting £10m turnover. The news follows its acquisitions of Telemaxx in August and business mobile specialist Vision Communications in July.

Canadian cannabis business buys UK pharma distributor

Mon, 17/09/2018 Canadian medical cannabis business Namaste Technologies has agreed to enter the UK market with the acquisition of AF Trading via its subsidiary Namaste Bahamas. Access Fulfilment is a UK licensed pharmaceutical distributor with a 30,000 sq ft warehouse in New Romney, Kent. Namaste operates an e-commerce platform in Canada which it has said it could launch in the UK. Home Secretary Sajid Javid allowed doctors to prescribe cannabis-derived medicines to patients for the first time in July.

SAGE Publishing acquires Lean Library

Mon, 17/09/2018 SAGE Publishing has bought tech startup Lean Library for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2016, Lean Library's software supports researcher accessibility and remote user experience. It has signed up nearly 50 institutions to its services. The deal builds on SAGE's takeover of the education software company Talis in August.

Scapa Group seals £31m deal for wound care business

Mon, 17/09/2018 Scapa Group, an AIM-listed producer of adhesive products for the healthcare and industrial sectors, has acquired assets of Systagenix Wound Management from Acelity for £31m. The deal includes Systagenix's manufacturing operations, sterilisation services, warehouse facilities and R&D and regulatory support functions, but sees Systagenix Wound Management and its brand remain part of Acelity. Scapa has however entered into an exclusive five-year manufacturing and supply agreement with Acelity for Systagenix's advanced wound care products.

Produce Investments accepts £53m takeover

Fri, 14/09/2018 UK potato supplier Produce Investments has agreed to an acquisition by April 1983 Bidco, a Jersey company owned and controlled by funds managed by Promethean Investments. Headquartered in Cambridgeshire, Produce Investments has operations throughout the UK in seed production, growing and packing. The £52.9m deal will result in the company delisting from the Alternative Investment Market.

British healthtech startup Medopad buys Silicon Valley rival

Fri, 14/09/2018 British healthtech startup Medopad has acquired Silicon Valley health data firm Sherbit. Founded in 2011, Medopad provides an app that allows hospitals and patients track long-term conditions. Its clients include NHS trusts, HCA, Bayer, global pharmaceutical companies, governments, charities, sports clubs and brands. The Sherbit team will focus on introducing Medopad's technology to US teaching hospitals.

Fast-growing filtration business snapped up by US firm

Fri, 14/09/2018 US filtration company Donaldson has agreed to buy BOFA International for £79m. Based in Poole, BOFA manufactures and supplies fume extraction systems to OEM customers, distributors and end users, with an after-sales business in replacement filters. The fast-growing company employs approximately 250 people and generated revenue of £23.1m in 2017, up 32% on the year before.

Bridgestone acquires Exhaust Tyres and Batteries

Fri, 14/09/2018 Bridgestone Corporation, the world's largest rubber and tyre company, has acquired automotive service provider Exhaust Tyres and Batteries as it moves to strengthen its retail footprint in the UK. Based in Worcester, ETB runs a network of 32 service shops in the South West under the Exhaust Tyres Batteries and Britannia Tyres brands. It employs 265 people.

Thimba Media acquires sports betting comparison website

Fri, 14/09/2018 Waterford-headquartered digital agency Thimba Media has entered the UK with the acquisition of Betopin.com, a sports betting opinion website, from RJBCO. The domain will allow Thimba Media to increase its presence in the increasingly regulated iGaming industry.

Sold! Historic auction house Bonhams acquired by Epiris

Wed, 12/09/2018 Private equity group Epiris has bought historic auction house Bonhams. Founded in 1793, Bonhams is a renowned auctioneer of antiques and fine art, jewellery and motor cars. The company hosts more than 250 events a year at antique salesrooms in London, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong. It sold more than 50,000 lots in 2017, generating over £450m in hammer sales.

Investors complete carve-up of steakhouse chain Gaucho

Wed, 12/09/2018 Steak restaurant chain Gaucho has been bailed out of administration by a consortium of the business's lenders. A vehicle created by banking groups Investec and SC Lowy, known as Lomo Bidco, has won an auction for the casual dining chain. Whether all of Gaucho's 16 outlets and 750 jobs will be saved is unclear. 540 jobs were lost when the group went into administration in July, which saw its chain of 22 Cau restaurants close.

Racing Post bets on Leeds content agency

Wed, 12/09/2018 Racing Post has acquired multimedia content and digital marketing agency ICS Media Group. The acquisition aims to broaden the racing and sports betting newspaper's B2B operation and diversify the business. ICS Media will continue to be run from Leeds by its current directors.

Pochin's buys Crewe Business Park sites

Wed, 12/09/2018 North West and North Wales property specialist Pochin's has completed two acquisitions at the Crewe Business Park. It has bought Europa House, 10,000 sq ft of occupied office space, as well as the remaining 1.8 acres of undeveloped land in the park.

Boels Rental continues UK expansion

Wed, 12/09/2018 Boels Rental has expanded in the UK again with the acquisitions of Artisan Hire Centre and sister company SAS (Survey & Safety Equipment Hire and Sales). The two companies operate from nine depots across south-west England. The deal brings the total number of Boels branches in the UK to 38, building on its takeovers of Supply UK Hire Shops in 2017 and Already Hire earlier this year.

MRM buys finance media specialist CCM

Mon, 10/09/2018 Communications consultancy MRM has acquired Capital City Media. Founded in 1990, CCM was the first media agency to specialise in media planning and buying for the financial services sector.

Polypipe Group seals £16.5m deal for Permavoid

Mon, 10/09/2018 Polypipe Group, the UK’s largest manufacturer of plastic piping systems by revenue, has acquired Permavoid, a specialist designer and supplier of surface water management solutions. Polypipe has paid an initial £4m with a further deferred £12.5m available on meeting certain EBITDA targets. Permavoid has worked on such projects as the installation of a water management system below the surface of the pitch at Anfield stadium for Liverpool FC.

Wavenet acquires Solar Communications

Mon, 10/09/2018 Beech Tree-backed Wavenet has moved to bolster its cloud unified communications offering with the acquisition of Solar Communications Group for an undisclosed sum. Solar employs around 100 people and has offices in Salford, Cardiff, Chippenham and Harlow. The takeover continues Wavenet’s buy and build strategy, which has seen the acquisitions of APR Telecoms in April and Talk Internet in 2017. With this latest deal the group will service nearly 10,000 UK business customers.

Maven Capital backs £20m management buyout at UAP

Mon, 10/09/2018 Maven Capital Partners has backed door and window hardware supplier UAP in a £20m management buyout. The transaction includes an £8.7m equity investment from Maven alongside the reinvestment of UAP's senior management team. UAP offers more than 3,000 product lines and exports to 25 countries.

Kaseya acquires RapidFire Tools

Mon, 10/09/2018 Kaseya, a supplier of IT infrastructure management solutions for managed service providers and internal IT organisations, has bought RapidFire Tools, a provider of IT assessment, internal threat detection and compliance products based in Atlanta, Georgia. The software vendor plans to integrate RapidFire's products into its IT Complete suite.

Boole's Tools comes back under family control

Fri, 07/09/2018 Boole's Tools and Pipe Fittings has completed a management buyout, bringing the business back under family ownership from builders merchants Grafton Group. The deal was led by managing director Terry Seville and fellow director Tracy Seville, née Boole. The company supplies tubes, valves, fittings and allied pipeline products and operates from a 67,000 sq ft office and distribution centre in Stockport.

Ascential buys Brand View for up to £38m

Fri, 07/09/2018 Business information company Ascential has announced a takeover of Brand View, a provider of pricing and promotion data and analysis for retailers and manufacturers. The company serves over 200 customers and has offices in Reading, Paris and Stamford, Connecticut. Using the capital released from the recent sale of its exhibitions business, Ascential has paid £29.8m for Brand View with a further £8.2m available upon meeting certain targets.

Bakkavor seals sweet deal for desserts maker

Fri, 07/09/2018 Lincolnshire-headquartered food group Bakkavor has acquired Haydens Bakery from Real Good Food for £12m. Established in 1976, Haydens is a leading producer of sweet bakery goods for the UK's major grocery retailers. It operates from two sites in Devizes, Wiltshire, and has around 480 employees. The deal extends Bakkavor's desserts range and in-store bakery offering, as well as improving its distribution network and facilities.

Waterstones buys Foyles

Fri, 07/09/2018 British bookseller Waterstones has bought Foyles from the Foyle family. Waterstones, which was bought by activist investment firm Elliott Advisors in April, acquires the retailer’s flagship Charing Cross Road store, three shops in London, and stores in Birmingham, Bristol and Chelmsford with the deal. Waterstones has 283 stores and employs 3,000 people across the UK, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands. Foyles employs just under 200 people and turns over more than £25m a year. Its brand will be protected.

ABL Health receives £2.5m investment from Foresight Group

Fri, 07/09/2018 Foresight Group has invested £2.5m in a partial buyout of community healthcare and wellbeing provider ABL Health. With sites in Farnworth, Hull, Manchester, Stockport and the Wirral, ABL Health offers programmes for stopping smoking, weight loss and nutrition.

Former F1 owner approaches Premiership Rugby

Thu, 06/09/2018 Premiership Rugby is set to hold a board meeting to discuss a £275m approach from CVC Capital Partners. The former F1 owner is interested in acquiring a 51% share in the business, valuing the league at £550m.

Foresight Group acquires sixth wind farm in 12 months

Thu, 06/09/2018 Investment firm Foresight Group has announced the acquisition of 14.4MW wind farm in North Pickenham, Norfolk. The takeover, from German renewables company ENERTRAG, is Foresight's sixth wind farm acquisition in 12 months, amounting to a total 102MW generating capacity.

Growing DRP Group acquires HMX Corporate Communication

Thu, 06/09/2018 HMX Corporate Communication, a Buckinghamshire-based agency specialising in video, digital media and live events, has been acquired by drp. HMX's clients include the big four accounting firms, major consultancies, law firms and high-tech businesses such as Bosch Siemens Homecare and GE Healthcare. The deal increases drp's staff count to more than 280 people, building on its acquisition of events agency Penguins last year.

Barnsdales buys Bridge Property Management

Thu, 06/09/2018 Chartered surveyors and property consultancy Barnsdales has taken over Bridge Property Management in Swinton, Rotherham. Founded 113 years ago, Barnsdales employs 40 people and adds over 200 fully managed properties to its portfolio with this deal.

Contis secures consumer credit licence with Paze acquisition

Thu, 06/09/2018 Banking and payments solutions specialist Contis has obtained a UK consumer credit licence with the acquisition of Paze Financial. The deal allows Contis' b2b platform clients to offer credit to their customers alongside core banking functionality. Contis also gains access Paze's full suite of technology, which includes a consumer lending system equipped with AI analytics to make real-time affordability decisions.

Finsbury Food Group acquires Ultrapharm

Thu, 06/09/2018 Finsbury Food Group has completed a £17m deal for specialist free-from bakery manufacturer Ultrapharm. Established in 1993, Ultrapharm employs over 240 people in manufacturing sites in the UK and Poland. The deal cements an existing relationship between the companies, with Ultrapharm already a supplier to Finsbury's Lightbody Europe business. Ultrapharm generated revenue of £19.5m in 2017, up 35% from £14.5m the year before.

Immediate Media Co to acquire BBC Good Food

Tue, 04/09/2018 Special interest content and platform company Immediate Media Co has reached a deal to take over BBC Good Food from BBC Studios. Aside from being the UK's most-read food website and magazine, BBC Good Food has the biggest cross-media reach of any UK magazine brand. The deal also includes its digital and live events arm, which attracts 300,000 visitors a year. Immediate Media Co is the owner of some of the UK's best-known media brands, such as Radio Times and Top Gear, and reaches over 22 million consumers each month. The deal is its first under the ownership of Hubert Burda Media.

Search Consultancy acquires tech recruitment firm

Tue, 04/09/2018 Search Consultancy, a leading UK recruitment firm, has acquired technology specialist Henderson Scott. Established in 1999, Henderson Scott employs 50 people at offices in Amersham and London and provides recruitment services for leading players in the tech industry, including NTT Communications and Vodafone. The deal creates a group with turnover of £220m and 750 staff.

EG Group strikes deal for another 225 US sites

Tue, 04/09/2018 Following its £1.5bn entry into the US in April, EG Group, the owner of Euro Garages, has bought a further 225 sites from TravelCenters of America. The $305m (£237m) deal includes 225 Minit Mart branded convenience retail stores and gas stations located across nine Midwest states. It means EG Group now owns close to 1,000 outlets in the US.

The Hut Group buys beauty contract manufacturer

Tue, 04/09/2018 THG, the fast-growing beauty and wellbeing group, has acquired Acheson & Acheson, a British beauty contract manufacturer and product developer. Established in 1992, Acheson & Acheson has grown to employ 380 people, including more than 50 staff that work exclusively on product development and innovation. The company's end-to-end service covers everything from packaging design to manufacturing and distribution. Acheson & Acheson has two sites in Trowbridge along with a 78,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Frome, Somerset. The deal also includes its own Ameliorate skincare brand. In July this year it was revealed that THG had increased its banking facilities from £600m to £795m to fund an acquisition spree. It has earmarked £50m for replicating Acheson & Acheson in Europe and the US.

NorthEdge Capital backs MBO at Orbis Protect

Tue, 04/09/2018 Orbis Protect, a provider of vacant property management and lone worker protection services, has completed a management buyout with backing from NorthEdge Capital. The deal sees its Midlands-based management team, led by Rob Freer, take a majority stake in the firm. Orbis has revenues of £28m and employs c. 500 people at over 40 offices and depots across the UK.

Royal Mail snaps up Canadian parcels company for £213m

Mon, 03/09/2018 General Logistics Systems, a subsidiary of Royal Mail, has acquired Canadian parcel delivery company Dicom Canada. Dicom Canada provides b2b parcel services in Ontario and Quebec in particular, which represent 57% of Canada's GDP. The business specialises in ground-based parcel, freight and logistics services utilising a network of 28 depots and partner carriers to provide nationwide services. The £213m deal provides GLS with an established platform in a growing market and further diversifies Royal Mail Group's revenue streams.

French co-op Agrial Group buys UK cider maker Aston Manor

Mon, 03/09/2018 French food group Agrial has sealed a deal for Aston Manor as it seeks to become a 'global force in cider'. Owned by the Ellis family, including former Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis, for 35 years, Aston Manor is the UK's largest independent cider producer. It exports to more than 20 countries, but with the majority of its revenues coming from the UK sale of brands including Frosty Jack's, Kingstone Press and Knights. Agrial is a co-operative owned by 13,000 member farmers and is France's largest cider maker. The £5bn-turnover group has 180 companies and subsidiaries in Africa, Europe and the US.

T&A Footwear acquires Heavenly Feet

Mon, 03/09/2018 T&A Footwear has announced the acquisition of Heavenly Feet, women's footwear brand targeting the over-35s market. T&A's existing brands include General Public, Molly Chance, Shoebaloo and Sloppy Joes.

Coca-Cola to buy Costa Coffee for £3.9bn

Mon, 03/09/2018 Whitbread has agreed to sell Costa Coffee to Coca-Cola. Established in London in 1971, Costa is the UK’s leading coffee chain, with more than 2,400 stores, 900 partners with Costa Express self-service machines, and a growing presence in the Chinese market. The £3.9bn deal gives Coca-Cola ownership of a global coffee brand for the first time. Whitbread plans to focus on expanding the Premier Inn brand in the UK and Germany.

August 2018

Engenuity snapped up by Chinese firm

Thu, 30/08/2018 China Hengrui, known as HRC Group in the UK, has agreed to buy composite design and analysis company Engenuity. The deal means Engenuity enters the Chinese market as part of HRC's professional materials analysis, design and engineering consulting business, participating in its domestic automotive projects. It will otherwise continue to operate independently in the global automotive market.

Severn Trent buys organic waste recycler for £120m

Thu, 30/08/2018 Severn Trent has acquired renewable energy business Agrivert UK for £120m. Agrivert operates five food waste anaerobic digestion (AD) plants between Swansea and Surrey; Severn Trent currently has two in Coleshill and Stourbridge with a third under construction in Derby. These additions boost Severn Trent's green power division with a further 106GWh of energy generation per annum. Agrivert also brings with it five green and commingled waste composting sites located to the south and west of the Severn Trent region. The company generated revenues of £26m and EBITDA of £10m in 2017.

Peach Technologies acquires Taylor Made Computer Solutions

Thu, 30/08/2018 Peach Technologies has announced the acquisition of fellow Southampton business Taylor Made Computer Solutions. The combined firm will have sales of c. £20m, around 200 employees and over 1,000 business customers. The deal combines TMCS's IT services, security, backup and disaster recovery solutions with Peach's existing expertise in connectivity, mobile, IT and telephony services. Peach has hinted that further acquisitions could be imminent.

Design Group wraps up deal for US gift packaging firm

Thu, 30/08/2018 A subsidiary of IG Design Group, a UK firm specialising in the creation of greetings cards and gifts, has bought US rival Impact Innovations. IG Design Group Americas will acquire the gift packaging and seasonal decorations supplier for a total of £56.5m. In conjunction with this, Design Group has also announced a share placement with which it aims to raise £50m before expenses. Impact Innovations recorded revenues of $155.9m and underlying EBITDA of $15m in 2017.

Pest control specialist Pelsis merges with US counterpart

Wed, 29/08/2018 Branded pest control product manufacturer Pelsis has agreed to merge with US counterpart Curtis Gilmour, bringing the combined firm's revenues to €125m. The deal follows LDC's investment in Pelsis in August 2017. The enlarged group will operate from 15 sites worldwide, distributing to over 80 countries and employing more than 420 staff.

Keywords Studios buys Brighton-based game developers for £26m

Wed, 29/08/2018 Irish videogame company Keywords Studios has announced the acquisition of Studio Gobo and Electric Square (together, 'Gobo') for up to £26m. Working from three studios in Brighton and Hove, Gobo provides game development services for developers and publishers around the world. Founded in 2011, it employs 170 software engineers, artists, animators, game designers, QA testers and producers. Over the years it has worked for franchises including Disney Infinity, Ubisoft's For Honor and Microsoft's Miami Street. Building on its purchase of d3t last year, this latest deal takes Keywords' UK game development team to 220 staff and expands its worldwide game development team to 610 people. Gobo's revenues have nearly doubled to £11.6m in the last 12 months to 31 July 2018.

Management buyout completed at The Specialist Works

Wed, 29/08/2018 The leadership team of The Specialist Works has completed an MBO from founder Jim Lewcock. On closing the deal the company has announced a £2.5m future business growth bonus scheme for non-director staff funded by the exiting Lewcock family and shareholders. The MBO comes on the back of a year which saw a 40% rise in gross profit on turnover of £119m. The media agency employs over 200 people and operates across more than 40 countries. It will henceforth be led by CEO Martin Woolley and COO Parry Jones.

RPC sells food packaging business Letica

Wed, 29/08/2018 Plastic products design and engineering group RPC has sold its foodservice business Letica. Considered a non-core business by the group, Letica Foodservice has been sold to Graphic Packaging International for $95m (£74.5m). The deal allows RPC to settle the earn-out associated with its $640m (£495m) acquisition of the company in March 2017. In addition to this disposal, RPC has also marked its Scottish spirits closures business and its European injection moulding automotive business for sale. Finally, RPC has also announced its acquisition of PLASgran for £34.5m. The Cambridgeshire-based company specialises in recycling rigid plastics, and generated £27m in revenue in the last financial year. It will complement the film recycling activities of RPC's British Polythene Industries division, adding a further 50,000 tonnes of rigid recycling to its existing capacity.

SIMEC Infrastructure acquires two UK ports

Tue, 28/08/2018 Commodity business SIMEC Infrastructure has completed the acquisitions of Bird Port and Cargo Services UK. SIMEC is part of Sanjeev Gupta's GFG Alliance, which includes the Liberty House group of companies. With a turnover in excess of £10m, CSUK handles general and bulk cargoes via seaborne traffic at its own private port. Via its subsidiary Ryan Transport, the group offers storage facilities and warehousing as well as further distribution through the UK and Ireland. On the other hand Bird Port, which will be renamed SIMEC Bird Port on completion of the deal, is the busiest dock on the Usk, handling up to 800,000 tonnes of mostly steel and bulk cargo each year.

AFH announces biggest deal yet

Tue, 28/08/2018 AFH has made its 11th and largest acquisition of the financial year, buying HTH Group in a deal worth up to £5.1m. This latest addition includes HTH and its subsidiaries Thomas Heald and Thomas Heald Solutions, adding 26 advisors as well as offices in Chesterfield, Doncaster and Leeds to the group.

On the Beach agrees £20m deal for Classic Collection

Tue, 28/08/2018 LSE-listed On the Beach is to buy luxury travel operator Classic Collection Holidays for £20m. Headquartered in Worthing, Classic Collection reported EBITDA of £2.6m and assets of £18m in the year to October 2017. Building on the acquisition, On the Beach will support the launch of an online booking portal with a portfolio of mainstream beach holidays under a new brand 'Classic Online', which will be available for use by travel agents. OTB has group revenue exceeding £80m a year.

EY buys legal services disruptor Riverview Law

Tue, 28/08/2018 EY has positioned itself as a leading disruptor in the legal managed services sector with the acquisition of Riverview Law. Launched in 2012, the Riverview business is based on securing long term, multi-year subscription-based contracts with large blue-chip clients.

AFH completes tenth acquisition of financial year

Tue, 28/08/2018 Acquisitive wealth management firm AFH has made its 10th acquisition of the financial year with a deal for Harvey Curtis, worth up to £2.6m. The deal adds £80m to AFH's funds under management and expands its presence across the South East and London with some 1,300 clients.

SAGE Publishing acquires Talis

Fri, 24/08/2018The education publisher SAGE Publishing has acquired the education software company Talis. The deal gives SAGE enhanced specialist knowledge of the academic library market. Talis will use SAGE’s global footprint to bring its specialist services to the international market.

Goldman Sachs begins UK rollout of retail bank Marcus

Fri, 24/08/2018 Goldman Sachs has begun the rollout of its mid-market digital banking offering Marcus, with a soft launch for its UK staff. Since its launch in the US in 2016, Marcus has acquired more than $20bn in deposits. In the UK it will be competing with fintech startups such as Atom Bank, Monzo and Tandem, as well as the other big banks. Goldman Sachs has said it may expand through acquisitions or even by buying a traditional lender. Details of its products have not yet been released, but reports of the 1.5% easy access interest rate it has offered to staff would put it at the top of the best buy savings tables.

Gardner Aerospace to buy Northern Aerospace

Fri, 24/08/2018 Gardner Aerospace has announced it is to acquire Northern Aerospace, a precision machined parts manufacturer. With over 33,500 sq metres of manufacturing and distribution space in the UK and Poland, Northern Aerospace supplies components to leading names including Airbus, Boeing and Gulfstream. Gardner, which specialises in aerospace finished components, recently announced the launch of a 45,000 sq metre manufacturing facility in Chengdu, China. It aims to become a top five aerospace detailed parts manufacturer by 2022.

Hendrik Veder Group acquires Universal Inspection UK

Fri, 24/08/2018 Hendrik Veder Group, a global specialist in steel wire and fibre optic rope products and lifting services, has bought lifting products and testing services provider Universal Inspection UK. HVG has sites in five countries across Europe and employs 130 staff. Universal Inspection employs 17 staff at its base in Aberdeen, adding another site to HVG's existing UK office in Sheffield.

FS Cables seals £17m deal for Diploma

Fri, 24/08/2018 FS Cables has been bought by Diploma in a deal worth £17m. FS Cables provides specialist electrical, data and communications cable products and services and will become part of Diploma’s control sectors division upon completion of the deal.

Moonpig owner acquires Dutch rival Greetz

Fri, 24/08/2018 Photobox, owner of Moonpig, has strengthened its position in the European greetings cards market with the acquisition of the Dutch online cards and gifting retailer Greetz.

Syneos Health acquires Kinapse

Wed, 22/08/2018 American biopharmaceutical company Syneos Health has strengthened its position in fast-growing outsourcing sectors with the acquisition of Kinapse. Established in 2005, Kinapse provides a range of services which enable pharmaceutical companies to bring their products to market.

Intertek to buy Alchemy for $480m

Wed, 22/08/2018 Intertek Group has expanded its global assurance business with the acquisition of Alchemy Systems, a provider of SaaS-based people assurance solutions. Founded in 2003, Alchemy employs approximately 270 people at four locations across Canada and the US. With over 1,100 clients in the food industry, Alchemy's technology monitors skills gaps within frontline operations and offers targeted learning solutions in response to improve safety, productivity, operational excellence and customer service. A high-growth, high-margin business, Alchemy has expected billings of $66m and adjusted billings EBITDA of $22m for 2018. It will be acquired for a cash consideration of $480m (£368.8m).

AdEPT buys Shift F7

Wed, 22/08/2018 IT services firm AdEPT has bought Shift F7 for up to £7.9m. The deal boosts AdEPT's revenues past £50m, as well as expanding its IT capabilities and presence in London and the South East. Shift F7's Dorking office and senior management team will be retained post-acquisition. The deal is the latest in a line of recent M&A news involving UK VARs, with Apogee and Brookcourt bought earlier in August.

Beauty concierge app acquires rival startup

Wed, 22/08/2018 London-based beauty concierge app Ruuby has acquired rival startup Perfect 10. Ruuby is an on-demand beauty app that allows customers to book at-home treatments. Apps in this market include Ruuby, Blow LTD and Uber-backed bgX. The acquisition of Perfect 10 gives Ruuby access to an international network of stylists, as well as personal stylists which elite members can book to accompany them worldwide.

Intercept IP buys Control F1

Wed, 22/08/2018 Huddersfield-based software company Control F1 has been bought by tech firm Intercept IP. The deal formalises a relationship begun on the iMotors project, funded by the CCAV and in partnership with the University of Nottingham and Innovate UK, which resulted in a number of new technologies including a worldwide patented software system for driver recognition. With investors including Theo Paphitis and ex-Formula 1 driver Mark Blundell, Intercept IP has also recently announced new partnerships with Silicon Labs, Sony and AC Industrials in the Philippines.

Tekmar Group acquires Subsea Innovation

Tue, 21/08/2018 Tekmar Group, a provider of subsea cable protection systems and offshore engineering services, has agreed to buy Subsea Innovation for up to £4m. The deal includes a high specification 40,000 sq ft manufacturing and office facility that will become Tekmar's headquarters post-takeover, consolidating several manufacturing sites into one location. This is Tekmar's first acquisition since listing on the Alternative Investment Market in June.

Tayto CEO bails out family bakery business

Tue, 21/08/2018 McErlain's Bakery, a family business based in Magherafelt, Londonderry, has been bought by Paul Allen, the chief executive of Tayto. The £22m turnover firm, which creates the Genesis Crafty range, had run into financial problems and was reportedly set to enter administration. The acquisition may have saved around 260 jobs.

Verlingue trebles UK presence with ICB Group deal

Tue, 21/08/2018 French insurance broker Verlingue has completed a deal for corporate specialist ICB Group. The deal triples the size of Verlingue in the UK, bringing the group and its subsidiary Finch up to £130m of premiums, 170 employees and five sites.

PepsiCo to buy SodaStream for $3.2bn

Tue, 21/08/2018 PepsiCo has agreed to buy fizzy drink dispenser business SodaStream for $3.2bn (£2.5bn). The announcement comes just weeks after its CEO of 12 years Indra Nooyi announced she would step down. The Israeli company's products are available in more than 80,000 individual retail stores across 45 countries. Initially a purveyor of sugary soft drinks, under Nooyi SodaStream repositioned itself as a more health-conscious brand. PepsiCo has recently made similar efforts with the launch of flavoured sparkling water brand Bubly and the acquisition of healthy snack maker Bare Foods. SodaStream will continue to be led by its current chief executive Daniel Birnbaum as it aims to expand with the use of Pepsi's global distribution, R&D and marketing expertise.

NMC Health enters UK with Aspen Healthcare deal

Tue, 21/08/2018 UAE-based NMC Health has made its first UK acquisition with the purchase of Aspen Healthcare for £10m. The deal includes Aspen's nine hospitals and clinics across the UK, which include Cancer Centre London, Midland Eye and four private hospitals in Essex, London, Sheffield and Wimbledon. Aspen Healthcare specialises in oncology and orthopaedics, which represents 50% of its turnover. The NHS accounts for less than 30% of its revenues. The acquisition will allow NMC to export Aspen's expertise in oncology and orthopaedics to the UAE, as well as introduce its fertility services to the UK.

Biffa announces £20m acquisition spree

Mon, 20/08/2018 Biffa has announced the acquisition of Weir Waste Services, a leading provider of waste and recycling solutions in Birmingham and the West Midlands. WWS generated revenues of £16.1m and EBITDA of £2.2m in the year to 31 May 2017. The company has gross assets of £14.5m and employs around 120 people. In tandem with this announcement, Biffa has also revealed three more acquisitions, for H&A Recycling in Cornwall, Bisset Waste Management in Scotland, and certain assets and trade of Vecta Group in East London. The three acquisitions have been agreed for a total consideration of £3.9m, and will be incorporated into Biffa’s Industrial & Commercial Division.

Kibo Energy targets UK reserve power market

Mon, 20/08/2018 Africa-oriented mining company Kibo Energy has signed an MoU for a 60% stake in Mast Energy Developments. MED is a UK-based business targeting the development and operation of flexible power plants for the Reserve Power generation market. The £300,000 deal will give Kibo access to several 'shovel ready' UK sites that will be capable of sustaining more than 20MW. Its first site could begin generating revenue within 12 months.

Fexco acquires London FX firm Thomas Exchange

Mon, 20/08/2018 Irish financial services company Fexco has acquired Thomas Exchange Global, London's largest specialist foreign exchange business. The deal strengthens Fexco's position as the UK's largest independent FX operator with 12% of the £9bn market. The addition marks Fexco's eighth acquisition in the UK since 2012, which has seen it grow to 125 branches employing 500 people across the UK and Ireland.

Proactis acquires Dutch software firm Esize

Mon, 20/08/2018 Global spend management and B2B e-commerce business Proactis is back on the acquisition trail with the purchase of Esize, a leader in spend management solutions in the Netherlands. Esize's SaaS model is consistent with Proactis' own, boasting revenue growth exceeding 10% per annum and a high customer retention rate. Proactis expects to break £50m in revenue in the year to 31 July, and aims to accelerate past £100m in the next 3-5 years.

Bank of Cyprus UK sold to Cynergy Capital

Mon, 20/08/2018 Bank of Cyprus has sold its subsidiary Bank of Cyprus UK to Cynergy Capital for £103m. Bank of Cyprus UK is expected to be rebranded to Cynergy Bank, and will continue to serve the Cypriot community based in the UK. The sale is subject to approval by Cypriot and British regulators and is expected to complete by the end of the year.

deVere Group acquires pensions specialist WPS Advisory

Fri, 17/08/2018 UK Workplace Solutions, a subsidiary of deVere Group, has agreed to buy WPS Advisory, formerly known as Priscum Direct. WPS will be merged under Workplace Solutions' own brand and target people facing 'tough retirement choices.' deVere has had a difficult time in the pensions sector recently, putting a halt to its provision of transfer value reports to third party companies last year while the FCA conducted a 'skilled person review' into its advice.

Stantec to buy Peter Brett Associates

Fri, 17/08/2018 Global design firm Stantec has agreed to buy Peter Brett Associates, an independent firm of over 700 engineers, planners, scientists and economists based in Reading. PBA has 14 offices in the UK as well as three offices in Europe, and delivers projects in a range of sectors including commercial, energy, housebuilding, public sector, urban regeneration, waste and water. PBA is involved in projects such as HS2 and the Thames Tideway Project, London's largest sewer upgrade since the Victorian era. Of Stantec's 22,000 staff, 2,400 are based in the UK.

Shearwater Group to buy Brookcourt Solutions in £30m deal

Fri, 17/08/2018 Shearwater Group has agreed terms for the acquisition of cybersecurity firm Brookcourt Solutions. The £30.3m deal would substantially expand Shearwater's cybersecurity and managed service offering and provide access to a large enterprise client base. Brookcourt specialises in cybersecurity and network solutions and has longstanding customer relationships with numerous FTSE 100 and 250 companies. The business generated revenue of £22.2m and EBITDA of £2.8m in the financial year before last.

Kerridge Commercial Systems buys EDP

Wed, 15/08/2018 Kerridge Commercial Systems has acquired EDP, an LSE-listed supplier of sales analytics, CRM and ERP software. Its products include Quantum and Vecta, which will sit alongside the K8 ERP solution. Apart from the Vecta CRM/BI product, EDP's applications will eventually be phased out in favour of KCS's own solutions. KCS currently serves over 10,000 customers across Europe, South Africa and the US.

esure to go private in £1.2bn deal

Wed, 15/08/2018 esure Group, the owner of Sheila's Wheels, has accepted a £1.2bn offer to go private. Bain Capital has offered 280p per share for the insurer, a 37% premium on its closing price of 204p on Friday 11 August. Since its IPO in 2013, esure has grown to nearly 2.5m in-force policies, delivered over £800m of annual gross written premiums, and completed a £500m demerger of GoCompare in 2016.

Digital agencies Lightbox and Blake7 merge

Wed, 15/08/2018 Full-service agency Lightbox has merged with social media specialist Blake7. Lightbox was founded in 2005 by Rob Pollard while Blake7 was established just last year by Birmingham entrepeneur PJ Ellis. The combined firm will retain Lightbox's name and be based in Birmingham, stewarded by Rob Pollard with Ellis taking the role of commercial director.

Sumo Group acquires The Chinese Room

Wed, 15/08/2018 Games developer Sumo Group has completed a £2.2m deal for The Chinese Room, the creator of games such as 'Dear Esther', 'Everybody's Gone to the Rapture', and 'So Let Us Melt'. Based in Brighton, The Chinese Room will operate as part of Sumo Digital, becoming its fifth studio.

The Mailing Room acquires Franking Direct

Tue, 14/08/2018 The Mailing Room has acquired independent franking machine supplier Franking Direct for an undisclosed sum. With ambitions to double the size of TMR within five years, this deal continues a trend of recent takeovers which have included Mailing Systems and MailServe. The deal strengthens TMR's market presence in the outer London area in particular.

Mattioli Woods buys Broughtons

Tue, 14/08/2018 AIM-listed wealth management firm Mattioli Woods has acquired Broughtons Financial Planning for £4m. Founded in 2001, Broughtons provides financial advice and administration for over 250 individual clients, with over £120m of assets under advice.

Homebase plans to close 42 stores

Tue, 14/08/2018 DIY chain Homebase plans to close 42 stores, putting around 1,500 jobs at risk. Restructuring specialist Hilco, which bought the business for £1 in May, has confirmed plans for a Company Voluntary Arrangement. 17 Homebase stores have already been closed as well as 303 head office jobs axed this year. The announcement leads a succession of grim news for the UK high street, which has seen over 30,000 job losses in 2018 so far.

Optimo Care Group makes choice acquisition

Tue, 14/08/2018 Optimo Care Group has completed a second acquisition of the year with the takeover of Choices Home Care. Based in Huddersfield, Choices provides specialist and complex home and community support across Kirklees and Wakefield and is rated "Good" by the CQC. The deal sees owner Amanda Banbury retire from the business. This latest addition follows Optimo's acquisition of Yorkshire Care and Support in April.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals seals deal for Vernalis

Mon, 13/08/2018 Ligand Pharmaceuticals has had a £32.7m offer accepted for Vernalis, a leader in structure-based drug discovery. The deal includes a portfolio of more than eight fully-funded partnered programmes focused around the central nervous system, oncology and inflammation, and a 70-strong R&D team based in Cambridge.

Tangerine Confectionery bought in £100m deal

Mon, 13/08/2018 Valeo Foods Group has agreed to buy Tangerine Confectionery from Blackstone for £100m. Tangerine Confectionery makes some of Britain's best known sweets, including Blackjacks, Dip Dab, Fruit Salads, Lion bars and Refreshers. It had revenue of £139m in 2016 and employs around 1,500 people. Under its new owners it joins Big Bear Confectionery, the maker of Fox's Glacier Mints, which Valeo acquired at the end of 2017.

Absolute DM eyes Telescope Studios deal

Mon, 13/08/2018 Absolute Direct Marketing has agreed to take over digital design firm Telescope Studios. The £5m deal will enhance Absolute DM's software development, data and asset management expertise.

Morson Group acquires Anderselite

Mon, 13/08/2018 Technical recruiter the Morson Group has acquired Anderselite, a Southampton-based provider of recruitment services to the civil engineering, construction, facilities management and rail sectors. Morson is an engineering design and project management company as well as a recruiter. It is headquartered in Manchester and has over 40 offices worldwide.

Complete Business Solutions Group announces triple acquisition

Fri, 10/08/2018 Complete Business Solutions Group has completed a triple swoop for OfficeGold, Simply Outsourced and Anglo Office Group. The deal takes the Wakefield-based office supplies dealer past £100m turnover. OfficeGold is an £11m turnover business supplies and services company based in Guildford, while Simply Outsourced is a £6m turnover IT and technical services firm in Cambridgeshire. Anglo Office Group is a London-based managed services provider with annual turnover of £8m. Altogether the acquisitions add £25m of profitable turnover to the group as well as four new sites, taking Complete Business to 20 locations nationwide.

Lawrence Stroll-led consortium saves Force India F1

Fri, 10/08/2018 Canadian investor Lawrence Stroll, the father of Williams driver Lance Stroll, is leading a consortium that has bought Force India Formula 1 out of administration. The deal pays its creditors in full, saves all 405 jobs and secures ongoing funding for the team. Force India was believed to owe engine suppliers Mercedes £10m while its operating company, its largest creditor, was understood to have debts in excess of £159m.

Pearson Rowe bought by mfg Solicitors

Fri, 10/08/2018 mfg Solicitors has completed a merger with Pearson Rowe, a 13-strong law firm that is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The deal takes mfg's headcount to 154 and its number of partners to 37. It also adds a Birmingham site to mfg's existing five offices in Bromsgrove, Kidderminster, Ludlow, Telford and Worcester.

Sports Direct buys House of Fraser for £90m

Fri, 10/08/2018 Sports Direct has agreed to buy House of Fraser for £90m. The department store chain went into administration earlier the same day after failing to reach an agreement with creditors and investors. House of Fraser has been struggling for some time, and had announced restructuring plans in June that would have seen 31 of its 59 UK stores close down. The Chinese business C Banner looked set to take control and inject £70m into the business, but pulled out of the deal after its share price plummeted. Sports Direct's owner Mike Ashley already holds an 11% stake in the department store chain.

Rodgers Leask directors complete MBO

Wed, 08/08/2018 The directors of engineering consultancy Rodgers Leask have completed a management buyout with support from Sterling Capital Investments, Investec Capital Solutions and Flint Bishop Solicitors. Co-founder Andy Leask invited the deal to ensure succession by his longstanding team, made up of directors Lawrence Pacey, Paul Spencer, Kully Toor, Stewart Friel and Kriston Harvey.

Today's Group and Landmark Wholesale propose £9bn merger

Wed, 08/08/2018 Foodservice and retail buying businesses Today's Group and Landmark Wholesale have proposed a merger, pending approval from members in September. Landmark and Today's are made up of 182 wholesalers which cooperate to enhance their buying power. The merger would create a new entity called Unitas Wholesale, with buying power of approximately £9.2bn and 1,460 stores. The move responds to a trend for consolidation in the sector, with Tesco merging with its biggest competitor Booker last year.

Wright Industries acquires Accura

Wed, 08/08/2018 Technology investment group Wright Industries has acquired Willenhall-based precision engineering business Accura. The deal sees former CEO Craig Wright buy back the company after leaving in 2001. Founded in 1979, Accura provides critical components and sub-assemblies for a wide range of markets including aerospace, automotive, chemicals processing, communications, healthcare, industrial and oil and gas exploration. It has a turnover of £9m and employs around 95 people.

Fast-growing petcare sector close to landmark deal

Wed, 08/08/2018 Private equity firm BC Partners is close to agreeing a £700m deal for VetPartners, according to reports. VetPartners has 260 sites and employs roughly 3,000 people. The acquisition would mark the fast-growing sector's biggest deal, and comes just months after Ares, another investment firm, put £500m into VetPartners through a combination of debt and equity instruments. The British vets market has become attractive to private equity firms with consumers prone to spend increasing sums on pet welfare. The fragmented nature of the market has made it ripe for 'buy and build' tactics that manufacture scale and synergies in areas such as marketing and procurement.

Victoria buys Spanish tiling group Saloni

Tue, 07/08/2018 Following its acquisition of Spanish flooring group Keraben late last year, Victoria has announced further plans to expand overseas with an £86.2m (€96.7m) agreement for Cerámica Saloni. Saloni is a manufacturer of mid to high-end ceramic and porcelain tiles selling predominantly to direct markets (new construction and commercial offices) in France and Spain. It generated audited net revenues of £94.7m and EBITDA of £13.9m in 2017. Victoria will place shares to the value of approximately £60.5m to fund the deal.

Stan Kroenke to buy 100% ownership of Arsenal

Tue, 07/08/2018 Arsenal's American director and majority shareholder Stan Kroenke has had an offer accepted to take complete control of the club, in a deal that values the Gunners at £1.8bn. Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE) currently owns 67% of Arsenal and has offered to buy the 30% owned by Red and White Securities, Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov's firm. Kroenke has confirmed he will also forcibly purchase the remaining 3% of shares that are mostly held by fans. The news has not been received well by many Arsenal fans, who fear the deal will make the club even less accountable.

City of London Group acquires Acorn to Oaks

Fri, 03/08/2018 AIM-listed City of London Group has acquired Acorn to Oaks Financial Services in a deal worth up to £6.4m. A2O specialises in SME and landlord insurance products and will complement COLG's existing Credit Asset Management business.

Elecosoft acquires Shire Systems

Thu, 02/08/2018 Construction software firm Elecosoft has announced the takeover of Shire Systems, a provider of computerised maintenance management software (CMMS). The £6.3m deal extends Elecosoft's offering beyond early planning, design and construction to equipment and property maintenance and management, as well as giving it access to Shire System's 800+ active customers. Shire Systems had turnover of £1.9m in 2017.

Laser Shapes saved from administration

Thu, 02/08/2018 Laser Shapes has been bought out of administration for the second time in little over a year. Metallurgical Processing, part of the ARC Group, has bought the firm saving 25 jobs in the process. The precision engineering and laser cutting business saw 22 job losses when it was sold in 2017, but will retain its staff and 90,000 sq ft Witton Mill warehouse with this latest deal.

Bullhorn makes a noise about Invenias

Thu, 02/08/2018 Recruitment software firm Bullhorn has acquired Invenias, a fellow cloud-based software provider for executive search firms. Invenias will retain its own sales and leadership team, with CEO David Grundy and CTO and chief product officer Richard Harrison at the helm. Bullhorn sees an opportunity in the market with growing skilled talent shortages and compliance issues thrown up by GDPR adding value to its services.

Empresaria buys stake in Peruvian staffing firm

Thu, 02/08/2018 Specialist staffing group Empresaria has acquired a 60% stake in Grupo Solimano, a provider of outsourced and temporary staffing services in Peru. Grupo Solimano generated £14.9m revenue in 2017. Empresaria will pay a total £2.1m for its stake. 40% shareholder Rocco Solimano will continue to manage the business.

Stamps.com agrees £175m deal for MetaPack

Thu, 02/08/2018 Stamps.com has agreed a £175m deal for leading e-commerce delivery platform MetaPack. MetaPack provides a multi-carrier enterprise-level solution to many of the world's leading e-commerce retailers and brands. Its shipping software supports over 450 parcel carriers in more than 200 countries, and processed more than 550m parcel shipments in 2017. Stamps.com expects its internet-based postage services for SMEs to be highly complementary to MetaPack's offering in the retail enterprise space. MetaPack will continue to operate autonomously with the same management team as a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Applegreen takes majority stake in Welcome Break

Thu, 02/08/2018 Irish petrol forecourt operator Applegreen has agreed to buy a 55% majority stake in Welcome Break for €361.8m (£321.3m). The acquisition constitutes a reverse takeover and significantly expands Applegreen's motorway service network. Welcome Break generated revenue of £723.4m and EBITDA of £66.4m in 2017. It operates 24 motorway service areas, two trunk road service areas and 29 hotels across 35 locations in the UK. It has approximately 85 million customers a year and employs over 5,000 people.

In tandem with this deal, Applegreen has entered into a separate conditional agreement with Welcome Welcome Break's remaining shareholder AIP, to sell it an 8.6% stake in Welcome Break for €56.5m (£50.2m). Under these terms, Applegreen will be responsible for Welcome Break's strategy and operations, share governance with AIP, and transfer its existing UK service area assets to Welcome Break in return for a further £120m in equity. Meanwhile, AIP will invest a further £80m into Welcome Break. If this deal is completed Applegreen should end with a 50.1% stake in the company.

Yusen Logistics UK acquires ILG

Thu, 02/08/2018 Yusen Logistics UK has acquired e-commerce delivery and fulfilment specialist ILG. Founded in 1990, ILG is a fast-growing market leader in e-commerce warehousing, fulfilment and delivery, with specific expertise in the fashion and beauty verticals. ILG currently manages over 175,000 sq ft of warehousing, employs more than 200 people and serves over 700 clients worldwide. The 12% revenue growth that results from this addition pushes Yusen Logistics close to becoming a UK top 10 logistics provider.

Inspired Thinking Group acquires Connect

Thu, 02/08/2018 Equistone-owned marketing technology and services business Inspired Thinking Group has acquired tech-driven marketing agency Connect. Headquartered in Wolverhampton, Connect also has offices in Birmingham and London and employs 200 people. Its longstanding clients include Birmingham Airport and Jaguar Land Rover. The deal allows ITG to make a full-service proposition, utilising Connect's experience in data, insight and technology crafting creative advertising and digital campaigns.

Withers and JAG Shaw Baker create Withers tech

Thu, 02/08/2018 International law firm Withers has bought 40-person boutique law firm JAG Shaw Baker. The deal sees the establishment of Withers tech, a new legal offering targeted at entrepreneurs, investors and technology companies. Withers tech will aim to create a global model for JAG Shaw Baker's success in the European tech and life sciences market. It will have offices in Cambridge and London.

Bowmark Capital sells Nexus Vehicle Rental for £142m

Thu, 02/08/2018 Nexus Vehicle Rental has been acquired by Phoenix Equity Partners for £142m. The deal represents a 3x return for Bowmark Capital, which bought the firm for £51m in 2015. The B2B rental vehicle broker is a tech-driven business providing corporate customers with access to more than 550,000 vehicles across 2,000 locations nationwide. Nexus reported its fourth consecutive year of double-digit profit and turnover growth earlier in the year.

Marketing agencies Branded3 and Edit announce merger

Thu, 02/08/2018 Leeds-based digital marketing agency Branded3, part of St Ives Group, has merged with fellow agency Edit. The deal brings together Edit's expertise in CRM, data, tech and media and Branded3's SEO and content marketing knowledge. Edit CEO Damian Coverdale will head the agency with Branded3's CEO Tim Grice taking the role of chief media officer. The combined firm has 265 staff posted across offices in Bath, Leeds and London.

HP seals £380m deal for Apogee Corporation

Thu, 02/08/2018 HP Inc has agreed a £380m deal with Equistone Partners for office equipment dealer Apogee Corporation. The deal expands HP's managed print services and provides access to increased profit pools from higher margin services. Apogee will continue to operate independently under its current CEOs Jason Collins and Robin Stanton-Gleaves, although with a governing board comprised of both HP and Apogee management.

Private equity firm Exponent buys Dennis Publishing

Thu, 02/08/2018 Private equity firm Exponent has taken over Dennis Publishing, a London and New York-based media stable attracting 50 million readers and selling over 2.5m magazines a month. Dennis Publishing's portfolio consists of 30 brands covering four main areas of focus: current affairs, technology, automotive and special interest. Its flagship title is The Week, a digest of the best articles from international news media in the past seven days.

July 2018

2 Sisters Food Group sells red meat business to Kepak

Tue, 31/07/2018 2 Sisters Food Group has sold its loss-making red meat division to Irish group Kepak. The business employs around 1,700 people at four production sites in Bodmin, Merthyr Tydfil, Portlethen and Victoria as well as a cold store facility in Truro. 2 Sisters also sold its Goodfella's and San Marco frozen pizza brands earlier in the year.

Remote Medical International seals deal for HSE Offshore

Tue, 31/07/2018 Remote Medical International has announced the acquisition of HSE Offshore. The deal expands its oil and gas offshore medical capabilities in Europe and Africa, particularly in the North Sea. HSE Offshore will retain its 100 staff and continue to operate under the same name.

Endless acquires Menzies Distribution

Tue, 31/07/2018 Mid-market private equity firm Endless has acquired Menzies Distribution from John Menzies in a £74.5m deal. The Edinburgh-based firm employs c. 3,700 people across 54 sites in the UK and Ireland. It provides final mile services, delivering more than 100m units each year and over 7m newspapers and magazines each day.

BP announces £8bn deal for US shale assets

Tue, 31/07/2018 Oil and gas giant BP has announced the takeover of $10.5bn (£8bn) of US shale assets from Australian mining company BHP Billiton. The acquisition transforms BP's US onshore oil and gas business as the rising price of oil makes new extraction techniques more attractive again. Under the deal, BP's American subsidiary will acquire Petrohawk Energy Corporation, adding 190,000 BOE (barrel of oil equivalent) per day production and around 4.6 billion BOE discovered resources to its portfolio.

Alpine Fire Engineers expands with AD Sprinklers acquisition

Tue, 31/07/2018 Alpine Fire Engineers has announced that it has bought the service and maintenance contracts of AD Sprinklers. The deal sees the contractor increase both its revenue and directly employed service engineers by around 30%.

Scholastic buys Baker Books

Mon, 30/07/2018 Children’s book publisher Scholastic has bought Baker Books’ book club business. Baker Books Book Club caters to schools across the UK and internationally, and will be run alongside Scholastic’s existing book club. The business was founded in 1979 by Eric Baker, who had already helped establish the Scholastic Book Club in the UK.

Apiary Capital invests in The Appointment Group

Mon, 30/07/2018 Global travel and events business The Appointment Group has been bought by Apiary Capital for a reported £18m. TAG aims to drive transformational growth through acquisitions as well as investment in technology and people. The company has announced the appointment of Steve Barrass as CEO, with co-founder Maurice Veronique stepping back from the role.

Rcapital backs MBO of Thornhill Heat Exchangers

Mon, 30/07/2018 Rcapital has backed a management buyout of Thornhill Heat Exchangers, an engineering group specialising in plate heat exchanger spares and service. It caters to a blue-chip customer base in the food and drink, oil and gas, nuclear, power generation, rail and steel sectors. The deal secures a future for some 100 staff based across the Midlands and Northern England.

Elaghmore Partners acquires Alucraft Group

Mon, 30/07/2018 Private equity firm Elaghmore Partners has acquired Alucraft Group, Ireland’s leading designer, manufacturer and installer of architectural glazing systems. Founded in 1975, Alucraft has offices and manufacturing facilities in Dublin and Tamworth and has recently completed projects for Amazon, Lidl Ireland and LinkedIn EMEA. The company hopes to profit from increased business in Ireland with financial services seeking to build operations in the country post-Brexit.

Nationwide Platforms buys HSS Hire powered access business

Mon, 30/07/2018 Leading European equipment rental company Loxam has announced that its subsidiary Nationwide Platforms is to buy UK Platforms from HSS Hire Group. UKP rents out powered access equipment from 12 branches across the UK. It employs approximately 130 staff and operates a fleet of 3,000 units. As part of the deal, Nationwide will provide powered access equipment to complement HSS Hire’s existing fleet.

True Capital acquires Cornish kidswear brand Frugi

Mon, 30/07/2018 True Capital has bought a majority stake in retailer Frugi. The Cornish business creates children's clothing out of organic cotton. True Capital has experience in the sector, having recently partnered with brands Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister. With this deal Frugi has announced the appointment of Hugo Adams as CEO, most recently a director at Superdry.

Engine Shop acquires sponsorship consultancy IEG

Mon, 30/07/2018 WPP's GroupM has sold its sponsorship consultancy arm IEG to Engine Shop, a fast-growing sports and entertainment agency. The deal combines IEG's sponsorship valuation, research services and thought leadership programming with Engine Shop's multi-channel engagement marketing expertise.

Blackstone sells Ideal Shopping Direct to Aurelius

Thu, 26/07/2018 Aurelius Equity Opportunities has acquired multi-channel home shopping retailer Ideal Shopping Direct from Blackstone. Headquartered in Peterborough, ISD designs and sells lifestyle and crafting products via TV shopping channels, social media platforms, websites and live events. It employs c. 800 people, has over 600,000 customers and recorded revenue of £145m in the last financial year.

White Oak completes LDF takeover

Thu, 26/07/2018 US-based credit fund manager White Oak Global Advisors has completed the acquisition of LDF Group. LDF operates an asset-based lending platform, providing £500m of financing to small UK businesses in 2017.

Walstead acquires LSC Poland

Thu, 26/07/2018 European commercial printing group Walstead has completed a deal for Europe's seventh largest web offset printer, LSC Poland. Established in 1994, LSC Poland produces advertising flyers, magazines, catalogues and in-store POS solutions. It has over 430 customers across 34 countries and turned over €200m in 2017. The enlarged Walstead group will have revenues exceeding €730m and employ over 4,400 staff.

ehB Commercial and Reeves and Partners announce merger

Thu, 26/07/2018 Commercial property consultants ehB Commercial and Reeves and Partners have announced a merger, consolidating management portfolios valued together in excess of £100m. The combined firm will trade as ehB Reeves and be based in Leamington.

Progeny expands in South with Evolve acquisition

Thu, 26/07/2018 Progeny has announced the acquisition of Evolve Financial Planning. With offices in Croydon and the City, Evolve provides financial and investment planning for a primarily Home Counties-based client base. The deal pushes Progeny's assets under advice past the £1bn mark.

Future to buy digital publisher Purch

Thu, 26/07/2018 Future Publishing has proposed a takeover of the consumer division of Purch, a digital publishing and marketplace platform covering the technology and science verticals. The deal significantly boosts Future's US revenues, rebalancing its profits from the two-thirds UK weighting in its most recent financial report. Purch's B2C websites include Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, TopTenReviews, ShopSavvy, Live Science and Space.com.

MRI Software completes third UK acquisition

Wed, 25/07/2018 Estate agency software provider MRI has completed a deal for CML Software. Based in Reading, CML Software offers residential agency, block management and build-to-rent solutions. The deal expands upon MRI's acquisitions of Qube and Real Asset Management last year and cements its position as the largest commercial real estate software provider in the EMEA region with over 2,500 clients.

Gas Tag makes solid deal for gas safety consultants

Wed, 25/07/2018 Regtech company Gas Tag has acquired the Millington Lord Group, owner of independent gas compliance consultants Morgan Lambert and Qualitas Compliance. Morgan Lambert provides gas and electrical auditing and safety services to the UK social housing sector, while Qualitas Compliance offers similar services to the private sector.

UCB seals deal for ACPI Investments

Wed, 25/07/2018 Swiss bank Union Bacaire Privée has agreed to acquire ACPI Investments, an independent London-based investment management company, and ACPI IM in Jersey. ACPI offers fixed income, equities, alternative investments and tailored wealth management for private and institutional investors. The deal pushes UBP's total assets under management past £100bn.

Staffline takes over LDA from Learndirect

Wed, 25/07/2018 Staffline has completed the acquisition of apprenticeship levy provider LDA from Learndirect. LDA will be integrated into PeoplePlus, Staffline's skills and training division, increasing its market share within the apprenticeship levy market to c. 10%. The combined company will have around 5,000 apprentices currently on programme. The news follows the takeover of Learndirect by DTS last month, which reportedly prompted an exodus of senior executives from LDA to Staffline.

Stonegate Pub Company acquires another 48 bars

Tue, 24/07/2018 Stonegate Pub Company has acquired cocktail bar chain Be At One for a reported £50m. Be At One is the operator of 33 bars in prime high street town and city locations. It has 17 sites in London as well as representation in Birmingham, Cardiff, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Reading. Be At One will remain a standalone format within Stonegate's portfolio, retaining its management team and head office staff with only founding directors Rhys Oldfield, Steve Locke and Leigh Miller moving on. In tandem with this news, Stonegate has announced the exchange of contracts for 15 London-based bars from Novus Leisure. The acquisitions take Stonegate's portfolio to a total of 739 operating venues.

Aston Villa announces investment from billionaire duo

Tue, 24/07/2018 Aston Villa FC has announced the arrival of billionaires Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens at the club. Sawiris is one of Africa's richest men while Edens is the co-owner of NBA team the Milwaukee Bucks. Aston Villa has promised the injection of 'significant investment capital' via the duo's co-owned vehicle NSWE. The deal addresses the Championship club's developing cash problems following its failure to beat Fulham in the play-off final in May. Current chairman Dr Tony Xia will become co-chairman and remain on the club's board.

Ryboquin combines with Nanogenic Solutions

Tue, 24/07/2018 Scottish pharmaceutical firm Ryboquin has raised £4.45m to buy Nanogenic Solutions. The combined firm, which will rebrand as Nanogenics, aims to pioneer 'safe, efficacious and regular dosing of all forms of gene therapy', building on Nanogenic's development of LipTide – an artificial virus which can be modified to target different cell types and deliver custom doses.

KP Snacks acquires fast-growing crisps brand

Tue, 24/07/2018 Building on its acquisition of Tyrrells in May, KP Snacks has announced a deal for fast-growing snack brand Popchips. Launched in 2012, Popchips recorded turnover of £10.5m in 2016 and employs around 15 people.

US tech group buys Manchester cybersecurity startup Avecto

Thu, 19/07/2018 Manchester-based security software company Avecto has been bought by US software firm Bomgar. Avecto, which was previously touted to become a 'unicorn', provides software which reduces hacking breaches by restricting employees' access to applications they don't need to use. With offices in Manchester and Massachusetts, Avecto employs 227 people and recorded revenue of £23.5m in 2017.

The Chapar takes over rival personal styling startup

Thu, 19/07/2018 Menswear styling service The Chapar has acquired Dragons' Den-winning rival Enclothed. The deal has seen several redundancies with the merger of the companies' London head offices and closure of Enclothed's warehouse. The combined business has a database of more than 150,000 European customers, 30,000 of which are active, over 60 brands and a team of 50.

Quilter acquires Saint & Co

Thu, 19/07/2018 Old Mutual Wealth Private Client Advisers has acquired Carlisle-based accountancy firm Saint & Co. OMWPCA is a part of financial services group Quilter, formerly Old Mutual Wealth (which recently completed its separation from parent company Old Mutual, listing on 25 June 2018). The acquisition adds approximately £100m assets under advice to Quilter’s national financial planning business, which now oversees over £2bn in client assets. Altogether Quilter is responsible for more than £110bn in customer investments.

WML Consulting completes MBO

Tue, 17/07/2018 Mercia Fund Managers has supported a management buyout of WML Consulting with a six-figure loan. Formed in 1983, WML is a civil, structural and geotechnical engineering firm based in Cheadle Hulme, Manchester. The company has worked on high-profile developments including Manchester’s Spire Hotel and city centre Kampus Development. Directors Nigel Garside, Andrew Leng and Loughlin O’Gorman gain control of the company with the deal.

The Hut Group acquires Language Connect

Tue, 17/07/2018 Health and beauty etailer The Hut Group has bought translation business Language Connect. Founded in 2003, Language Connect has grown to provide services to over 900 organisations worldwide, including blue-chips such as Norton Rose Fulbright, Thomson Reuters and Twenty First Century Fox. It has offices in London, New York, Dubai, Melbourne, Munich and Singapore. The deal represents a significant addition to The Hut Group’s proprietary technology platform THG Ingenuity, building on its acquisitions of Hangar Seven and UK2 in 2017.

DS Smith to wrap up £1.45bn Europac deal

Tue, 10/07/2018 DS Smith has agreed to buy integrated packaging firm Europac for £1.45bn. Europac is a Spanish-listed, 42% family-owned business, delivering revenues of £756m with EBITDA of £138m in 2017. The acquisition gives DS Smith a more even coverage of Western Europe with a well diversified customer portfolio and FMCG orientation. DS Smith aims to raise roughly £1bn through a new rights issue and £650m with a new debt facility to fund the deal.

Matthew Riley and Oakley Capital sell Damovo Group

Tue, 10/07/2018 Private equity firm Oakley Capital and telecoms entrepreneur Matthew Riley, the founder of Daisy Group, have agreed to sell Damovo Group to Eli Global. Damovo Group is a leading European unified communications and collaboration (UC&C) company, providing managed IT services to public sector organisations and large enterprises including BT, Carlsberg Group, HPE and Lufthansa. The deal values the business at £124m. It was bought by Oakley Capital and Riley for £10.6m in 2015.

Inflexion invests £45m in Mountain Warehouse

Mon, 09/07/2018 Inflexion has invested approximately £45m in outdoor clothing retailer Mountain Warehouse. The business has 220 stores nationwide and 80 overseas, including in Canada, Germany and the Netherlands. The £45m deal gives Inflexion a near 20% stake, valuing Mountain Warehouse at £310m. Its sales climbed 22% in the 12 months to 25 February 2018 to £225.3m.

Singaporean metals trader acquires Acenta Steel

Mon, 09/07/2018 £70m turnover steel processing company Acenta Steel has been acquired by global metals trading business Aar Tee. Headquartered in the Black Country, Acenta employs 350 people and will provide the Singaporean firm the platform to build an industrial presence in the UK.

Claranet acquires pen testing firm NotSoSecure

Mon, 09/07/2018 Managed IT service provider Claranet has acquired cybersecurity consultancy NotSoSecure, joining Claranet's ethical hacking training and penetration testing services portfolio. Claranet is one of Europe's largest MSPs, with £325m in revenue, over 6,500 customers and more than 2,000 employees. It has 24 offices and 43 data centres across Europe and Brazil.

Eagle Bidco to buy Electronic Data Processing

Wed, 04/07/2018 Kerridge Commercial Systems subsidiary Eagle Bidco has agreed to acquire Electronic Data Processing in a deal that values the software provider at £11.9m. EDP is headquartered in Sheffield and employs around 65 people.

McBride sells personal care business and issues profit warning

Wed, 04/07/2018 Household and personal care private label product manufacturer McBride has sold its personal care liquids business to Royal Sanders Group for £12.5m. The deal, which includes two manufacturing sites in the UK and Belgium, comes as it issues a profit warning in its trading update for the 12 months to the end of June. The group has already committed to cutting costs in its personal care and aerosols business by closing its operations in Hull by Spring 2019.

PP Control & Automation bought by Ardenton Capital

Wed, 04/07/2018 Canadian private equity firm Ardenton Capital has invested in PP Control & Automation. The Walsall-based manufacturer provides electrical control systems, cable harnesses and sub-contract manufacturing solutions, employing 230 people. It aims to double revenue to £40m within five years.

Great Rail Journeys on track with new owners

Wed, 04/07/2018 Duke Street has acquired Great Rail Journeys, a global provider of escorted rail journeys, from ECI. Based in York, GRJ offers just under 400 itineraries to over 50 countries worldwide, targeting the 55+ year old demographic. In recent years the company has moved into new markets such as Australia and more recently the US, following the launch of an office in New York in 2017.

Micro Focus offloads SUSE for £1.9bn

Mon, 02/07/2018 UK technology group Micro Focus has agreed to sell SUSE, one of its largest divisions, to Swedish private equity firm EQT. SUSE is a leading global provider of open source infrastructure software for enterprises. The business had sales in the year to 31 October 2017 of £244m, and employs approximately 1,400 people worldwide. The £1.9bn deal represents around a third of Micro Focus's value and reverses years of expansion. The British software group completed a £6.3bn merger with HPE last year and has since seen its share price halve.

Purplebricks ramps up expansion overseas with Canadian acquisition

Mon, 02/07/2018 Online estate agency Purplebricks has acquired Canadian realtors DuProprio/ComFree (DPCF) for £29.3m. DPCF operates one of Canada's leading commission-free real estate service networks with a similar online offering to Purplebricks. The deal significantly expands Purplebricks' overseas presence, with DPCF reporting 39,000 listings in 2017 and revenue of around £26.2m. In March, Axel Springer invested £125m in Purplebricks to accelerate global growth.

Connectus Group acquires Eximus Solutions

Mon, 02/07/2018 Connectus Group has completed a takeover of Doncaster-based telecoms business Eximus Solutions. The deal forms parts of Connectus's plan to boost growth across the transPennine region. Eximus will provide technology via collaboration with Connectus clients such as ultrafast business and mission critical connectivity, as well as other value-added services including Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), GDPR compliance, data backup, network monitoring and security, CCTV and door entry systems. Eximus will trade under the Connectus name going forward.

SIG sells VJ Technology for £29.7m

Mon, 02/07/2018 SIG has disposed of its VJ Technology division, a supplier of specialist building products. Part of SIG Distribution, VJT supplies technical fixings, fastenings and consumables to the infrastructure, commercial and wider construction industry. It has been bought by private equity firm Primary Capital for £29.7m. The divestment is in line with SIG's medium term strategy of refocusing the group's portfolio and strengthening its balance sheet by disposing of smaller, non-core businesses.