Cookson, the industrial conglomerate, has received informal approaches for its precious metals business. The division is estimated to be worth up to £400m and trade buyers and venture capitalists hav... [more]

Broadview, the American investment banking boutique, has called in bankers to sell off the business in a deal which could be worth more than $500m. Broadview had been aiming to build up a major busine... [more]

Vodafone has received a number of approaches for Arcor, its under performing German fixed-line telecoms operation. By selling this non-core operation, inherited with the £138bn acquisition of Mannesma... [more]

Toby Blackwell, former chairman and majority shareholder, wishes to sell Blackwell's, the Oxford based academic publisher. However, other family members are planning a possible flotation within the ne... [more]

Gibbs & Dandy has acquired Elliott & Co, the Oxfordshire-based builders merchant, for £2.1m.... [more]

William Jacks has sold its Savernake Mercedes-Benz dealership in Newbury to Sytner Group for £1.5m and transferred the Sunningdale Carriage company in Sunningdale to the Greenoaks Maidenhead subsidiar... [more]

Anite is to acquire Lorien Consulting, the Surrey-based IT and customer loyalty consultancy, from Lorien for up to £4.8m.... [more]

Scholes Windows and sister firm Scholes Contracts have been bought out of receivership by an unnamed Huddersfield consortium, saving over 100 jobs.... [more]

Marconi has sold its Data Systems ink-jet printing business to Danaher Corporation of the US for £277m.... [more]

Galen is selling Chemical Synthesis Services, a small-scale drug manufacturing business with 110 staff in Northern Ireland, to its founder for £25m.... [more]

Norsk Hydro, Norway's largest industrial conglomerate, has launched a $1.1bn divestment programme following weak aluminium markets and restructuring charges. This follows its recent acquisition of VAW... [more]

Invensys has sold the Integral Horsepower Motor division of Brook Crompton to Lindeteves-Jacoberg of Singapore for £17m.... [more]

Centrica has acquired Iomart's broadband telecoms reselling business, which includes two customer service facilities and 40 staff, for £2m.... [more]

United Business Media has acquired Cozint, the healthcare research and consulting group, from ZS Associates for £7m.... [more]

WPP has acquired the media buying business of Purely Media in Manchester, and the 10 staff will be relocated to its nearby Mediaedge office.... [more]

Hanson has acquired Centennial Concrete Pipe & Products of Canada from Lafarge for £41m, in order to strengthen its position in Ontario.... [more]

Rotork has acquired Jordan Controls, the US supplier of valve actuators, for £7.2m.... [more]

Halcrow has acquired TME Torpy, the former building services subsidiary of Enron, for undisclosed terms.... [more]

Norwest Holst has acquired Crispin & Borst, the building contractor with 500 employees, for undisclosed terms, in order to improve its position in London.... [more]

Exel has acquired USCL, the US provider of value-added freight consolidation services with net assets of £3.5m.... [more]