Acquisitions News: 2004

Wed, 01 Dec 2004: Passenger Lift Services, the Smethwick-based manufacturer of access lifts with 64 staff, has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms...
[more: Passenger Lift Services, the Smethwick-b...]

Wed, 01 Dec 2004: Attica, the West End nightclub once frequented by celebrities such as Kate Moss and Mick Jagger, is up for sale. The club, which has debts of £3...
[more: Attica, the West End nightclub once freq...]

Wed, 01 Dec 2004: Quantum Business Media, which publishes Media Week, Press Gazette and The Publican has been put up for sale with an estimated price tag of about &poun...
[more: Quantum Business Media, which publishes ...]

Wed, 01 Dec 2004: Paintmaker Farrow & Ball, whose products grace the walls of the Royal Family's homes at Windsor Castle, Highgrove and Clarence House, has app...
[more: Paintmaker Farrow & Ball, whose products...]

Wed, 01 Dec 2004: Britain's second-largest DIY chain, Focus Wickes, could be on the market for £1bn+ following a review by its owner, Duke Street Capital. An...
[more: Britain's second-largest DIY chain, Focu...]

Wed, 01 Dec 2004: Two key BBC commercial divisions are set to be sold in deals that could raise hundreds of millions of pounds but result in job losses. A governers...
[more: Two key BBC commercial divisions are set...]

Wed, 01 Dec 2004: Duncan Bannatyne, owner of the Bannatyne 34-strong chain of health and fitness clubs, has said in an interview that he would consider selling the chai...
[more: Duncan Bannatyne, owner of the Bannatyne...]

Wed, 01 Dec 2004: Giorgio Armani has pledged to sell his fashion house to a larger group and leave the business when he retires. He has no children to inherit the busin...
[more: Giorgio Armani has pledged to sell his f...]

Wed, 01 Dec 2004: The UK arm of the 154-year-old Courts furniture chain is to be put into the hands of administrators after its banks called in loans. The banks, which ...
[more: The UK arm of the 154-year-old Courts fu...]

Tue, 30 Nov 2004: After his recent unexpected resignation as chief executive of BBC Worldwide, Rupert Gavin is lining up a possible bid to take over the corporation...
[more: After his recent unexpected resignation ...]

Tue, 30 Nov 2004: Focus Wickes, the DIY giant, has put itself up for sale, with a price tag of £1.5bn. The private equity groups Duke Street, which backed Mr Archer some 13 years ago, and Apax Partners, which bought in more recently, own about 70 per cent of Focus Wickes. Goldman Sachs, which is now advising the company on divestment options, tried and failed to float the business for £1.1bn in the summer of 2002 but was defeated by volatile market conditions. With annual turnover last year of £1.3bn, Focus Wickes has a 420-strong chain but that still puts it behind B&Q, o...
[more: Focus Wickes, the DIY giant, has put its...]

Tue, 30 Nov 2004: Rentokil Initial confirmed investors' worst fears with a slump in profits and a warning of a likely deterioration in trading into next year as w...
[more: Rentokil Initial confirmed investors' w...]

Tue, 30 Nov 2004: NHP, the operator of 192 nursing homes, is to be acquired by Blackstone of the US for £564m...
[more: NHP, the operator of 192 nursing homes, ...]

Tue, 30 Nov 2004: Tate & Lyle has acquired Dolcre Food Ingredients, the South African fructose importer with net assets worth £1.4m...
[more: Tate & Lyle has acquired Dolcre Food Ing...]

Tue, 30 Nov 2004: Colliers CRE has acquired Campbell & Co, the Glasgow-based firm of surveyors, for £1.7m...
[more: Colliers CRE has acquired Campbell & Co,...]

Tue, 30 Nov 2004: Jubb, the Leicestershire-based plastic bottles manufacturer, has been bought of administration by BM Etchco of Birmingham for undisclosed terms, secur...
[more: Jubb, the Leicestershire-based plastic b...]

Mon, 29 Nov 2004: The board of Canary Wharf is considering several offers for some of the buildings on its London docklands estate. The approaches are at a preliminary ...
[more: The board of Canary Wharf is considering...]

Mon, 29 Nov 2004: Marks and Spencer has denied a report by the Mail on Sunday that it is planning to sell up to half of small-scale Simply Food convenience stores. &qu...
[more: Marks and Spencer has denied a report by...]

Mon, 29 Nov 2004: Glisten is to acquire Halo Foods, the manufacturer of cereal, energy and diet bars with 450 staff at three sites in Wales, for £5.6m...
[more: Glisten is to acquire Halo Foods, the ma...]

Mon, 29 Nov 2004: Charles Stanley has acquired Sutherlands Group, the independent stockbroker with offices in Edinburgh and London, for £2.4m...
[more: Charles Stanley has acquired Sutherlands...]