KPNQwest, the bankrupt Dutch data communications company, is thought to be en route to being broken up and sold off, after AT&T left the bidding process.... [more]

Pfizer has announced the sale of its sweet and shaving businesses, Adams Confectionery and Schick-Wilkinson Sword. Merrill Lynch and Lazard are advising on the former, and Morgan Stanley on the latter... [more]

Cadbury Schweppes is to acquire the branded chewing gum business of Dandy of Denmark for £201m.... [more]

XKO Group has acquired Aran, the enterprise business software company with offices in York, Birmingham and Burnham, for £2.4m.... [more]

RPS Group has acquired MCOS, the Irish engineering and environmental consultancy with 350 staff, for £12m.... [more]

ImageState has acquired Pictor International, the London-based stock photography company.... [more]

BT Group is to acquire the Scoot online directories business for about £8m, in order to re-enter the classified information market following the recent sale of Yell.... [more]

Fresh Del Monte Produce is to buy three businesses from the receivers of Albert Fisher foods. ... [more]

Haynes Publishing is to acquire the printed manuals business of Gregory Automotive Publications of Australia from Universal Press for £2.1m.... [more]

Medical Solutions has reached agreement with Peterborough Hospital Trust to acquire Peterborough Cellular Pathology Services, in return for an annual licence fee.... [more]

General Domestic Appliances, the manufacturer of Hotpoint white goods with 6,000 UK staff, is being acquired by Merloni Elettrodomestici of Italy in a £179m deal that involves the sale of General Elec... [more]

Sportingbet has acquired the Sporting Odds betting business from Sporting Index for £4.5m, partly funded by a £2m share issue.... [more]

Albert Fisher's receivers are to sell three chilled foods businesses to Fresh Del Monte Produce of the US for undisclosed terms, saving 1,200 jobs at sites in York, Wisbech and Methwold, Norfolk.... [more]

Bunzl has sold its paper distribution business to PaperLinX of Australia for £139m, and the proceeds will be used to reduce debt.... [more]

The private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice has bid £434m for the food service business Brake Bros. It plans to expand the company across Europe through organic growth as well as acquisitions.... [more]

The UK's biggest private retailer, Littlewoods, is hoping to sell its clothing chain for more than £250m. It is in discussions with several companies, including Peacock.... [more]

Liberty Media, made up of a group of 12 investors, is thinking of bidding for the cable television assets of Deutsche Telekom for the second time in 4 months. Its first offer of 5.5bn Euros was reject... [more]

It is thought that Cadbury Schweppes may be near to closing a deal on chewing gum brands such as Stimorol, V6 and Dirol, owned by the Danish company Dandy Group. Cadburys is also seen as a potential b... [more]

Brake Bros, the catering company, is to be acquired by US private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice in a £434m deal.... [more]

Thomas Vale has acquired Paul Adams, the Halesowen-based street lighting contractor, for undisclosed terms.... [more]