Powderject Pharmaceuticals has rejected a bid offer of £410m from Chiron of the US. The company, which had a £19.3m interim pre-tax profit, is seeking offers over £500m. ... [more]

Abbey National is to sell all non-core businesses and shrink its wholesale bank in order to concentrate on its retail banking and mortgage operations.... [more]

Xpertise is in negotiations to acquire the Power Education IT training business of Lynx.... [more]

Kier has acquired Partnerships First from Belan, in order to create a new social housing division called Kier Partnership Homes with four offices in Dorking, Bristol, Aldridge and Southampton.... [more]

WPP has acquired Media Club, the Italian independent media agency with 86 staff.... [more]

Connor Group has acquired Surtech Interconnection, the Basingstoke-based electronics manufacturing company, for undisclosed terms.... [more]

Aegon UK is to acquire a 60% stake in Positive Solutions, the Newcastle-based financial adviser with 10 business centres, for undisclosed terms.... [more]

Spring Grove is to acquire Robert Hawkins, the building maintenance company, from Fairholme Estates for £0.9m.... [more]

Scott Wilson has acquired KPL, the construction consultant with 150 staff at offices in Derby and Ashford.... [more]

Sky Capital is to acquire Everett Financial, the London-based private client stockbroker, for £1.6m.... [more]

Northgate Information Solutions has acquired Prolog, the provider of HR and payroll outsourcing services with 110 staff at offices in Sheffield and Bath, for £4.5m.... [more]

Pubmaster is to acquire Heritage Pub Company, the operator of 55 pubs in the East Midlands, for £19m, taking its total estate to about 3,200.... [more]

Bousfield, the supplier of printing equipment, has been acquired by Openshaw of Todmorden, creating a combined group with about 500 staff.... [more]

Unilever has agreed to sell Iberia Foods, its US food and cleaning products distribution business, to the Brooklyn Bottling Group for undisclosed terms.... [more]

AEA Technology is to sell Forensic Alliance, the provider of forensic services to police forces, to a management buy-out backed by Close Brothers Growth Capital for about £5m.... [more]

Royal & Sun Alliance is to sell its Securitas subsidiary in Germany to Baloise of Switzerland for up to £58m.... [more]

S Black has acquired Universe Ingredients, the food ingredients supplier, and will merge the two businesses at its Hertford head office.... [more]

Associated Co-operative Creameries has acquired the Southern Co-op's retail milk business, which includes a dairy in Portsmouth and three distribution sites.... [more]

ABB, the struggling Swiss-Swedish company, is to sell its building services arm piecemeal, having experienced problems selling the business whole. Its oil and gas business is also for sale and the two... [more]

Tom Singh, the founder of New Look the clothes retailer, is to sell some of his 33% stake in the business. The stake is valued at £178m and brokers Cazenove are seeking a buyer.... [more]