Ultravox, the Manchester-based hearing aid retailer with 138 branches, has been acquired by Amplifon of Italy for £60m. Ultravox operates under four brand names (Ultratone, Sietech, Hearing Health and Active Life UK) and is a key member of the Public Private Partnership which distributes hearing aids for the NHS. It has a 24% share of the private sector. Ultravox has over fifty shareholders, many of whom are employees, who will receive a windfall from the deal. Jeff Murphy, Ultravox CEO said of the deal: "Amplifon is a service-led business, which will bring enormous benefits to our public and private sector customers, and many exciting opportunities for our employees. It's a very exciting development for both us and, I believe, the market generally."