Dunlop Slazenger, the manufacturer of sporting goods, has received a number of bids. One of the interested parties is West Private Equity, a venture capital firm.... [more]

Bertelsmann, a privately owned German media company, is planning to dispose of some 25 businesses in order to restructure and streamline the company and fund acquisitions. The scientific publisher Ber... [more]

National Express has acquired Stock Transportation, the Canadian school bus operator, for £75m, and is now seeking further bolt-on acquisitions in Canada.... [more]

Gartmore has acquired Riverview International, the US fund manager, for undisclosed terms.... [more]

A number of bidders are expressing interest in Gullane, the company responsible for franchises such as Thomas the Tank Engine and Sooty. HIT Entertainment has made second reduced bid and other potenti... [more]

Few remain in the running for the £75m auction of Pearson's financial magazines. Those left include Stephen Hill, former FT Group boss, and Permira.... [more]

The cable company Telewest is to sell its controlling stake in the ticketing agency Way Ahead for £10m cash.... [more]

Actinic, the developer of e-commerce software, has sold its trading activities to a management team for a nominal sum.... [more]

Northern Electric is to sell its chain of more than 30 shops in the North-East and Yorkshire to management, creating a new group called Northern Retail, but 90 of the 440 jobs will be lost.... [more]

Georgian Goodacre Carpets has undergone a management buy-out, saving 160 jobs at its carpet factory in Kendal.... [more]

Williams Lea has acquired Alistair McIntosh, the West Yorkshire-based print outsourcing company with 200 staff, for undisclosed terms.... [more]

Really Useful Theatres has acquired Way Ahead, the Nottingham-based ticketing agency, from Telewest for £13m.... [more]

Royal Bank of Scotland has acquired Medford Bancorp of the US for £187m, gaining 19 branches in Massachusetts.... [more]

Poundland, the chain of 73 discount stores, has undergone a management buy-out for about £50m.... [more]

Telecom Plus has acquired Telecommunications Management, the Sussex-based telephony supplier with 29 staff, for £4.9m.... [more]

Lastminute.com is to acquire The Destination Holdings Group, the online travel group offering holidays, flights and car hire, for £12m, partly funded by a £8m share placing.... [more]

Anite has acquired CME Systems, the Bedfordshire-based provider of forensic and property management products with 16 staff, for about £1m.... [more]

The financial services software group AIT has been put up for sale after profit warnings. A number of parties have expressed interest.... [more]

Lastminute.com is looking to acquire smaller companies that may have difficulties surviving in the European travel industry. This follows its purchase of rival, The Destination Holidays Group.... [more]

Three bidders are vying for the purchase of Seeboard, the south-east UK electricity supplier. They are Electricite de France, Eon and the UK's Scottish and Southern. The sale has been valued at £1.3-1... [more]