Corum is acquiring Mortgage Direct for GBP 15m, partly funded by a GBP 2.8m share placing. ... [more]

Whitbread has acquired Racquets & Healthtrack group for GBP 78m, and will rebrand the six fitness clubs under the David Lloyd Leisure name.... [more]

Hallam Polymer Engineering has acquired H Slater & Son, the Sheffield- based polyurethane and rubber specialist, and will relocate the company to its site in Dronfield. 25... [more]

Elequip Projects, the Leicester-based electrical engineering company, has undergone a GBP 5.5m management buy-out from parent company Silvermines Group. ... [more]

Ocean Group has acquired Parkhill Reclamation, the Midlands waste management company, in a GBP 41m deal that will double the landfill bank of Ocean's Cory Environmental Management subsidiary. ... [more]

Riva Group, the supplier of electronic point of sale software, is being acquired by Anker of Germany for GBP 42m. ... [more]

Cawoods has sold three of its Northern Ireland businesses for undisclosed terms, with Cawoods Coal being bought by Kingsbury Fuels, Cawoods Oil by DCC Energy, and HEAT by RBM Associates. ... [more]

Yorkshire Building Society has sold its sharedealing operation to TD Waterhouse for GBP 9.6m, and the US company is now planning to launch its internet stockbroking business in the UK. ... [more]

Britton's Plastics, the Midlands car parts company, has been bought out of receivership by Fletchworth Group, saving 100 jobs. ... [more]

Teddington Bellows is to merge with Brockington & Scott to create a leading manufacturer of specialist expansion joints and bellows assemblies, employing about 150 people in South West Wales. ... [more]

Geest is acquiring Cinquieme Saison, the French salads supplier, for up to GBP 16m. ... [more]

Pascon has sold its Palmers scaffolding division to Thyssen UK for up to GBP 30m. ... [more]

Prepco Foods, the vegetables supplier, has acquired Selfresh Salads, and Selfresh will be relocated to a purpose built factory next to Prepco in Skelmersdale. ... [more]

Leeds Group has acquired Calprina, the textile printing business, from Crowson Fabrics for undisclosed terms. ... [more]

McBride has acquired Wrafton Laboratories, the Devon-based manufacturer of over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, for GBP 22m. ... [more]

Axis-Shield is planning to acquire Medinor, the Norwegian medical products distributor, for GBP 4.5m ... [more]

Foyle Meats' Hilton Food joint venture with RWM Food has acquired the processing and packaging business of Dutch retailer Albert Heijn, and plans to invest GBP 7m in the Amsterdam butchery. ... [more]

4Front Technologies is acquiring CVSI, the US computer consultancy, for GBP 16m. ... [more]

JSB Software Technologies is to buy the US internet access software business SurfWatch for GBP 18m. ... [more]

RPC has bought Cresstale, the supplier of lipstick containers, out of receivership for GBP 8m, securing 420 jobs at the Teesside plant.... [more]