Morgan Crucible is to sell six of its US-based Engineered Soft Coatings facilities to a subsidiary of Curtiss-Wright for £13m.... [more]

Armitage, the Nottingham-based pet food manufacturer with factories in Stockport, Ashton-under-Lyne, Pinxton and Dundee, has agreed to a £8.1m takeover offer from Focus100.... [more]

British Biotech is to merge with RiboTargets, creating a combined biotechnology group with a market value of £52m.... [more]

Viyella, the operator of 34 fashion stores, has been acquired by Harris Watson of Birmingham for undisclosed terms.... [more]

Cobham has acquired Orion Electronics, the Canadian supplier of GPStracking equipment for £6m, and Xybion Sensor Positioning Systems of the US for £0.9m.... [more]

Crabtree, the Gateshead-based supplier of printing and packaging machinery with 120 staff, has undergone a £2.2m management buy-out backed by Northern Venture Managers.... [more]

Smith & Nephew has agreed to acquire Centerpulse, the Swiss medical technology company, for £1.5bn, creating the world's third largest orthopaedics group.... [more]

L Gardner's aerospace business has been bought out of receivership by a management team for £21m, saving 1,000 jobs.... [more]

House of Fraser, the department store, has said that buyers have recently approached the company but that it is not engaged in any buy-out discussions with them. The company did not believe that any o... [more]

Seymour Pierce, the small investment banking and fund management group, has announced that it is planning to sell its fund management arm after a bid for the whole group failed. ... [more]

Propan Homes has acquired Pinemount Trading and Latchfield Investments, in order to expand its residential property and land development operations in the south-east.... [more]

Enesco is to acquire Bilston & Battersea Enamels of the West Midlands for £2.5m, in order to expand its giftware business.... [more]

Royal Liver is to acquire Park Row, the Leeds-based independent financial advice company, for £17m.... [more]

Scott Timber Group has acquired Combine Pallets of London for £5m, creating the UK's largest pallet making group with 400 staff.... [more]

Following the recent bid interest at Six Continents, there has been interest in the value of individual businesses in leisure groups - Whitbread has attracted takeover speculation. ... [more]

Box Carton, the West Bromwich-based packaging company, has been bought out of receivership by Midlands Publishing Holdings for undisclosed terms.... [more]

Leods Contracts has acquired Architectural Veneering Company, the Wakefield-based manufacturer of fire doors with 15 staff, for undisclosed terms.... [more]

HSBC Private Equity has undergone a £25m management buy-out from HSBC, and the business will be renamed Montagu Private Equity.... [more]

TT Electronics has acquired Demo, the French manufacturer of electromechanical control panels for heating systems, for £2.5m.... [more]

Highbury House is to acquire Cabal, the magazine publisher, for £10m.... [more]