Marconi has sold its Network Components & Services business in Europe and China to Viasystems of the US for £70m as part of a strategy to focus on telecoms and other high technology operations... [more]

Hidden Hearing the Kent-based manufacturer of hearing aids has agreed to a £23m takeover offer from William Demant of Denmark... [more]

Dixons has acquired Ei System Computer the Spanish computer retailer with 12 stores for £16m... [more]

Arriva is to acquire MTL the Merseyside bus company for £35m which will increase its bus fleet by 970 to about 7000... [more]

Co-operative Wholesale Society is to merge with the Co-operative Retail Society in April creating a combined group with more than 1000 stores and 50000 employees... [more]

BTP the fine chemicals company has agreed to a £1.1bn takeover offer from Clariant of Switzerland... [more]

FKI is to acquire SNE Systems the US supplier of control systems to the materials handling industry for up to £24m... [more]

Hays is to acquire EPS the Banbury-based supplier of services to mobile phone operators for £55m... [more]

Mitel Semiconductor of Lincoln has been acquired by Dynex Power of Canada in a £5m deal that will safeguard more than 300 jobs. ... [more]

Grampian Holdings has sold its Glenmuir golfwear business to management in order to focus on its Edinburgh Woollen Mill and Malcolm Group operations... [more]

Software Box the York-based software supplier has undergone a management buy-out for undisclosed terms... [more]

EMI is planning a £12bn merger with Time Warner in order to create the largest music group in the world... [more]

Charles Manson Group the Nottinghamshire-based timber merchant has been acquired by Brooks Group of Ireland for undisclosed terms and the new company will be called Brooks Manson... [more]

Burmah Castrol has acquired Reax Industria e Commercio the Brazilian supplier of construction chemicals for £12m... [more]

Optare the bus builder is being acquired by North American Bus Industries in a £21m deal... [more]

Fuller Smith & Turner is to sell its chain of 61 wine shops to Unwins Wine Group for £7.5m... [more]

Babtie Group has acquired Allott & Lomax the Manchester-based engineering consultancy for undisclosed terms... [more]

Herbert Green the Silsden-based furnishing fabrics company has undergone a management buy-out from Lifestyle Furnishings International with the backing of Euro Sales Finance of Leeds... [more]

Talisman House is acquiring Keith Harris Partnership for undisclosed terms in a reverse takeover designed to create a new internet-based brokerage service... [more]

Marwin Production Systems the Wednesfield-based machine tools division of TransTec has been sold by the receivers to Marbaix Group for undisclosed terms... [more]