Eldridge Pope, the Dorset pub operator, is unlikely to be bought by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries. The reason is the price. However, Eldridge Pope is still in talks with another trade buyer ... [more]

Two companies controlled by Orb, the Jersey-based holding company, have gone into receivership. PwC, the professional services firm, has been appointed administrative receiver of Poole Developments an... [more]

SectorGuard has acquired First Response Security Services, the provider of manned guarding services at buildings in London and the Midlands, for an initial £0.2m... [more]

Lakeland Dairies has acquired Pritchitt Foods, which includes a milk processing plant in Newtownards and an office in Bromley, for £13m... [more]

Bomfords has acquired Gerber Fresh Produce for undisclosed terms, in order to strengthen its position in legumes, vegetables, salads and fruits... [more]

Severn Trent has acquired Hales, the landfill company, from RMC for £141m, in order to expand its Biffa waste business... [more]

Hoseasons, the self-catering holiday company, has been acquired by private equity firm HgCapital for £40m... [more]

British Polythene is to sell Welton Bibby & Baron, the Bath-based manufacturer of paper bag packaging with 221 staff, to management for £7.8m... [more]

National Starch & Chemical is to sell its Plasticoat cheese coatings business to DSM for undisclosed terms... [more]

Hawtin has sold Gul International, its Cornwall-based wetsuit and water sports business with 48 staff, to management for £0.3m... [more]

GB Liners has acquired International Moving Company, adding four new sites to its nationwide network of removals and storage branches... [more]

WPP has agreed to acquire Cordiant Communications for £266m, which will strengthen its position in marketing services, Latin America and Asia... [more]

Heywood Williams has sold Creation Group, the US manufacturer of aluminium parts for recreational vehicles, to Dura Automotive Systems for £36m... [more]

Fairplace Consulting has acquired Eris, the Italian provider of outplacement services, for £0.7m... [more]

Espotting Media, the London-based online advertising company valued at £101m, is to merge with FindWhat.com... [more]

IQ-Ludorum has sold its Strategic Software Solutions software development subsidiary in India and its 2DB software consulting division in the UK to Affine Research & Development for a nominal sum... [more]

Scope Creative Marketing has merged with Paradigm to create a combined Sheffield-based marketing agency with 85 staff called Dig for Fire... [more]

Hamleys, the London-based toy shop, has agreed a £47m management buy-out backed by Baugur of Norway and financed by Royal Bank of Scotland... [more]

Winchester Entertainment is planning to acquire Cobalt Pictures, the film financing and marketing company... [more]

More than a year after filing for insolvency, Germany’s heavily indebted media empire KirchMedia is on the verge of liquidation. A spokesman for the bankrupt company said on Monday that after failing ... [more]