First Choice Holidays is planning to merge with TUI to create a combined £4bn travel group called TUI Travel, which is expected to lead to job losses in their 1,100 shops.... [more]

JV Strong, the Devizes-based landscaping company with 260 staff throughout the South West, has been acquired by ISS UK, and the company name will change to ISS Waterers & Landscape.... [more]

Irwin Mitchell of Yorkshire is to merge with Glasgow-based Golds to create a combined legal firm with 2,300 staff.... [more]

Link is to merge its cash machine network with Voca, creating one of the largest payment processing groups in Europe.... [more]

Ex-Press Plastics is to acquire Racing Technology Norfolk to create a combined composite components manufacturing group with more than 150 staff, and Ex-Press will relocate from Loddon to a new factor... [more]

Vertu Motors is to acquire Bristol Street for £40m, creating a nationwide chain of 35 car dealerships with 1,700 staff.... [more]

Britain’s biggest homebuilder, Barratt Plc, has agreed to buy smaller rival Wilson Bowden in a deal worth £2.2 billion in cash and shares. ... [more]

East of England Co-operative Society has acquired 20 Anglian Convenience Stores in Norfolk, taking its total regional network to 137 outlets.... [more]

HW Chartered Accountants is to merge with Sandison Easson & Gordon, the accountancy firm with offices in Rochdale and Leeds.... [more]

Bowdlers is to merge with Manby & Steward to create a combined law firm with more than 130 staff at offices in Shrewsbury, Telford, Bridgnorth and Wolverhampton.... [more]

The proposed merger between Live Nation and Academy Music Group could lead to the sale of some of London's most high profile music venues. The Competition Commission has ruled that Live Nation must di... [more]

Richard Balfour-Lynn, the property entrepreneur, has appointed Deutsche Bank to conduct a strategic review of his £3bn portfolio of hotels. Balfour-Lynn is reportedly in discussions with Royal Bank of... [more]

Bespoke Envelopes of Sidcup has merged with Barking-based Direct Envelopes to create a combined envelope manufacturing group with 50 staff.... [more]

Intertek has acquired Umitek, which is based in Manchester and Aberdeen, for £10m and CB Iberica of Spain for £5.7m, in order to expand its oil and gas testing and consultancy business.... [more]

Pilley & Florsham of Coventry has merged with Raftery & Co of Solihull to create the Prime Chartered Accountants Group with 50 staff.... [more]

Next Generation Clubs has expanded its chain of health and fitness clubs with the acquisition of the Amida Club in Beckenham, the Amida Club in Hampton and the Odyssey Health Club in High Wycombe.... [more]

DWF is planning to merge with Ricksons, the law firm with offices in Preston and Leeds, to create a combined group with about 800 staff.... [more]

Browns Furniture Company of Glasgow has merged with Satelliet UK of London, creating a new furniture group called Satelliet Browns with 30 staff.... [more]

Prohire has acquired Midland Vehicle Contracts of Cobridge in a multi-million pound deal, creating a combined group with a fleet of 2,000 vehicles.... [more]

Blake Lapthorn Linnell has merged with Tarlo Lyons to create a combined law firm with more than 700 staff across London and the South East.... [more]