Parts of Sclumberger's Sema German Defence operations have been acquired by Thales. They did not disclose financial details. The naval training and simultation business will be renamed Thales System I... [more]

France Telecom and its mobile division, Orange, have persuaded a group of banks to write off a £3bn loan, giving the company the opportunity to take over their German affiliate Mobilcom.... [more]

Ethel Austin, the discount clothing retailer with 238 outlets, is to undergo a £45m management buy-out backed by Lloyds TSB Development Capital.... [more]

Metrodome has sold its Metro Direct and Triton Trading Services mail order video and DVD divisions, as well as its DTK Metrodome record label, to Gotup & Went for £0.1m.... [more]

Capita Group has acquired three businesses specialising in absence related cost management services from the Wynchgate Group for £19m, in order to expand its HR Service division.... [more]

Durlacher, the technology investment bank, is thought to be considering the closure of Sharecast, its online news and research site, unless a buyer can be found. Its online broker service nothingvent... [more]

Aventis, the European pharmaceuticals group, has indicated it may consider buying a rival. The company is planning to focus on the cancer and diabetes markets, but has recently dropped 2 products that... [more]

TRW Aeronautical Systems is to be acquired by Goodrich of the US for about £1bn, resulting in new ownership for plants in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Merseyside, Hemel Hempstead and Belfast.... [more]

RiverSoft, the network software company, is to be acquired by Micromuse of the US for £43m.... [more]

Wembley is to sell its ticket retailing business to The Way Ahead Group for up to £0.6m, as part of a strategy to dispose of its non-core Events Services division.... [more]

STMicroelectronics, the Franco-Italian semiconductor company, is poised for a major acquisition in the US or Asia.... [more]

Greene King has acquired the Morrells chain of 107 Oxford-based pubs for £67m.... [more]

Phoenix Equity Partners has acquired Abbey Hospitals Group, the owner of six private hospitals, for £25m, creating a new group called Covenant Healthcare.... [more]

CarringtonCarr, the Leicester-based independent financial adviser with 270 staff, has been acquired by AWD of Germany for £32m.... [more]

Isoft has acquired the healthcare software business of Northgate Information Solutions, which sells electronic patient record systems to NHS trusts, for £33m.... [more]

Prudential is to acquire ING's life insurance business in the Philippines, which includes 17 offices and 100 staff.... [more]

Signs & Labels has acquired Focal Signs, the Surrey-based sign maker with 74 staff, for undisclosed terms, and most of Focal's manufacturing operation will be relocated to Stockport.... [more]

The telecoms company Energis now has just one bidder remaining. Rival bidders Apax and Carlyle Group have combined forces and are said to be planning a bid of less than £690m. They are also interested... [more]

BAE Systems are in discussion with TRW over the US group's space and electronic systems division. Interest in the business has been shown from a number of parties since Northrop Grumman made a hostile... [more]

It has been commented that British Home Stores may make a hostile bid for Woolworths, after the collapse of merger talks between the companies. Woolworths is valued at around £650m and is considering ... [more]