Lazards may sell itself to a rival in a move that would signal the end of the banks 150 year independence. Sources within the company say that a sale "is an option". There has been a sharp downturn ... [more]

Schroder Ventures, the private equity firm, has put Sirona, a former division of the Siemens Group, up for sale in a move that some have interpreted as a move out of the German Market. The firm is sa... [more]

BT is set to revive proposals for another restructuring, which is expected to result in the sale or demerger of its retail and wholesale arms.... [more]

The Barclay Brothers have signalled that unless a buyer or partner can be found for the Sunday Business then the paper will have to close with losses of £30m. Speculation is also mounting that the tw... [more]

Laird has acquired R&F Products, the US supplier of electromagnetic interference absorber products, for an initial £3m... [more]

Tribal Group has acquired Cambridge Training & Development, the e-learning consultancy, for £4.2m... [more]

Smiths Group has acquired Bivona Medical Technologies, the US supplier of silicone tubes for medical use, from Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics for £24m... [more]

Ennstone has acquired Tarmac Northern's West Coast quarrying and asphalt operations at Furness, Fort William, Aviemore and Elgin for £2.8m. ... [more]

Sportal, the sports internet company, has been acquired by UKbetting for £0.2m, and the remaining 60 UK-based staff will be made redundant. ... [more]

Axon, the IT services company, is to acquire the Bywater business transformation consultancy for £7m... [more]

Prudential is to sell its general insurance business to Winterthur of Switzerland for £353m, and has also announced plans to shed up to 2,100 jobs at sites in London, Reading, Belfast and Stirling... [more]

Sabena, the troubled Belgian airline, is thought to be about to file for bankruptcy as it has not yet found investors. The airline has only twice recorded a profit since its establishment in 1923.... [more]

Brake Bros has acquired VDL, the French regional food wholesaler, for £3m... [more]

Biotrace has acquired Ruskinn Technology, the supplier of microbiology products for the international healthcare market, for about £1m. ... [more]

Geest is to buy three production facilities from the receivers of Lincoln-based chilled food manufacturer Tinsley Foods... [more]

Chloride has acquired Continuous Power International, the Bedford-based supplier of power protection equipment, for undisclosed terms... [more]

Inver House Distillers, the Airdrie-based whisky company with five distilleries and 130 staff, has been acquired by Pacific Spirits of Thailand for £56m... [more]

VFG, the TV and film industry distributor, has sold its sales and manufacturing operations to management for £4.1m... [more]

TXU, Britains third largest energy supplier, has put its Nottinghamshire-based power station up for sale at a price of £400m. The 2,000kW coal-fired station is the company's largest and a fierce biddi... [more]

Prudential's new corporate strategy is expected to be presented to the City this week, with a key feature being the proposed sale of its general insurance arm. The division is expected to bring in ar... [more]