WH Smith is acquiring The Benjamin Company the seller of books and gifts at nine US airports for £12m... [more]

Sportsworld Media has acquired Sports & Outdoor Media International the Australian sports advertising company for £50m... [more]

Ultra Electronics has acquired Datel Ferranti the defence software company for £44m... [more]

Tate & Lyle is to sell its US grains business to JD Keiskell for about £35m prompting speculation that its US sugar business could be sold next... [more]

The Real Soup Company of Hexham and frozen ready meals company Danby's Foods have been acquired by Authentic Speciality Foods for undisclosed terms... [more]

Biwater Industries the pipeline manufacturing subsidiary of the Biwater group has been acquired by St Gobain of France for undisclosed terms. ... [more]

Joseph Dunn Group has sold Dunn Interiors the Glasgow-based restaurant design and refurbishment business with more than 100 staff to management... [more]

Skillsgroup is planning to sell its Acuma enterprise solutions division to management in order to focus its other two divisions QA and Pontis Consulting on the e-business IT training market... [more]

Incepta is acquiring Sard Verbinnen the New York-based public relations agency for £36m in order to expand its financial communications capabilities on the US... [more]

Capital Radio has announced an agreed takeover offer for Border Television in a deal that values the Carlisle-based media company at about £146m... [more]

Rage Software has acquired the Caffeine Studios and The Internet Football Club for £3m as part of a strategy to transform itself from a games developer into a games publisher... [more]

Singer & Friedlander has sold its Collins Stewart stockbroking business to management for £122m in order to focus on banking and fund management... [more]

Lax & Shaw of Leeds is to merge with Gregg & Co of Knottingley to create Allied Glass Containers a combined glass containers company with sales of £60m... [more]

Gunn Bros the Cumbrian chain of builders merchants has been acquired by Builder Center... [more]

John Tams the Stoke-based pottery has had its mug division bought out of receivership by a management buy-out saving 340 jobs and buyers are now sought for two other parts of the group... [more]

CCM Distribution the Altrincham-based computer components company has undergone a management buy-out and is now planning to develop a new range of hard drives fax modems and other components... [more]

Unilever is acquiring two US food companies for a total £1.63bn - dietary supplement manufacturer SlimFast Foods and ice cream producer Ben & Jerry's Homemade... [more]

Robert Fleming the investment bank is to be acquired by Chase Manhattan of the US for £4.8bn and job losses are expected to be minimal... [more]

Clarity the internet consultancy has been acquired by Proxicom of the US for £46m which will increase its technical capacity and provide access to overseas markets... [more]

AFA Systems has acquired Data Analysis Risk Technology the derivatives software house in a £26m deal... [more]