Taylor Nelson Sofres has acquired the custom research division of Greenfield Online, in order to expand its TNS Intersearch business in the US... [more]

Fletcher International Products, the sports boat manufacturer, is to undergo a management buy-out from the receivers, saving more than 100 jobs... [more]

Baltimore Technologies is to sell its Japanese software subsidiary to management for GBP 4.7m... [more]

Taylor Nelson Sofres is to acquire the broadcast monitoring division of BMC News, which has annual turnover of GBP 1.9m, from Xtreme Group... [more]

Amersham Biosciences has acquired two filtration separation companies in the US - AG Technology and InnovaSep Technology - for up to GBP 40m... [more]

AEA Technology has acquired Kinectrics, the Canadian power technology company, from Ontario Power Generation for GBP 5.9m... [more]

Fulmar has acquired Quadracolor, the London-based printing company, for £2m, and has also announced plans to relocate its WE Baxter commercial printing business from Lewes to a vacant site at Mitcham ... [more]

Severfield-Rowen has acquired Tubemasters, the York-based structural fabricator, for £0.3m... [more]

Aggregate Industries has acquired Kennedy Asphalt from Alfred McAlpine for about £5m, in order to expand its asphalt and contracting services in the North West and West Midlands... [more]

Brandon Hire has acquired RJB Hire, the Kent-based tool hire business with five branches, and has also announced plans to open two new branches in Ashford and Wolverhampton to take its network to 93.... [more]

Unidare is to sell its 80% stake in Oerlikon Welding Group, the distributor of welding products, to KoZo and Celtweld for £2.4m.... [more]

Royal & SunAlliance is believed to have put its fund management business up for auction. The sale is part of a drive to raise cash to expand its core activities. The business is expected to fetch aro... [more]

Cosalt, the industrial services and leisure products group, is considering the disposal of its caravan and holiday homes unit, as well as its lossmaking lighting division. The company is occupied with... [more]

ML Laboratories, the drug delivery company, is planning to divest all non-core assets, including its inhaler subsidiary, Innovata Biomed. It will also sell or float the DNA production arm of its Cobra... [more]

Merck is selling its distribution arm, Merck-Medco, in a bid to regain investor confidence. It will probably start with an IPO of part of the division by early summer.... [more]

Queercompany, an internet portal aimed at the gay and lesbian market in the UK, has ceased trading and put itself up for sale after using £3.5m of its start up funding. Also for sale is Fable, the gay... [more]

RSM Robson Rhodes have been appointed administrators at Elbief and Richards, the old-established suppliers of textiles, carpets and household goods. Shares were suspended today at 3.5p, valuing the co... [more]

Powergen , the energy group, has taken its combined heat and power business off the market after failing to find a buyer. Analysts put the value of the business, which was not disclosed , at £300m-£40... [more]

Kmart has recently become the biggest US retailer to declare bankruptcy, brought down by a myriad of problems. The bankruptcy filing will allow Kmart to shed some of its worst-performing stores and co... [more]

GlaxoSmithKline will consider selling a large part of its research operations if the rate at which they discover new drugs does not improve over the next few years. ... [more]