Acquisition Resources

Fishers, the laundry and textile rental company with 600 staff at sites in Fife, Perth and Aberfeldy, has undergone a £31m management buy-out backed by Close Brothers Private Equity... [more]

John Palin, the Matlock-based fruit and vegetable wholesaler with 60 staff, has undergone a management buy-out... [more]

Greater London Enterprise has sold GLE Development Capital, its private equity arm, to UK Matrix Group, creating a new fund management company called Matrix Private Equity Partners... [more]

Elite Strategies is to sell ESP Financial, ESP Investments & Pensions and Croesus Financial Services to Croesus Holdings for £0.15m, leaving Elite with no trading operations... [more]

Howell Petersen has acquired The Knowledge, the small Cardiff-based event management consultancy, in order to expand its range of marketing services... [more]

Aston Villa has received a £30m takeover approach led by Ray Ranson, the former Manchester City footballer turned financier. The statement from Aston Villa, in effect, puts the business up for sale a... [more]

Steven Cohen, the UK managing director of Courts, the furniture retailer, is rumoured to be preparing an estimated £80m bid for the company’s British chain. Courts hired Merrill Lynch and Cavendish Co... [more]

Analysts have heightened their calls for National Australia Bank to divest its four poorly performing banks in the UK: Clydesdale Bank in Scotland, Yorkshire Bank in Northern England, Northern Bank ... [more]

Brian Buchan paid the price for failing to sell SSL International's medical business to 3i on Tuesday, agreeing to step aside as chief executive at the company that makes Durex condoms and Dr Scholl s... [more]

The owners of Kwik-Fit, the British car tires and exhausts business, have said that they are evaluating ways to exit the business. A flotation of Kwik-Fit is believed to be the most likely option, alt... [more]

PPL Therapeutics, the biotech company behind Dolly the cloned sheep, today confirmed it was in takeover talks that could save it from liquidation. Edinburgh-based PPL, which put itself up for sale las... [more]

The Face, the magazine that became the style bible during the 1980's, has been put up for sale. Emap, one of the leading UK magazine publishers, said yesterday it was suspending the Face and would pub... [more]

Forth Ports is being linked to a £500m bid for Teesport, the North of England business which is likely to be sold by its Japanese parent. Ports businesses as large as Teesport - which saw profits rise... [more]

Spherion Corporation, the IT recruitment, technology and outsourcing provider, is divesting its Asia-Pacific, UK and European operations. The move follows a decision by the group to focus on its opera... [more]

Marylebone Warwick Balfour, the hotel and serviced offices group, has extended its plans to dispose of assets and return cash to shareholders by two years to December 2007. The decision has been influ... [more]

Bid talks at Egg are faltering after two bidders walked away from the process. One of them is believed to have been Royal Bank of Scotland. The main issue surrounding a deal for Egg is price. Analysts... [more]

Doughty Hanson, the venture capital firm, is considering a possible London stock market flotation of Umbro, the sponsor of the England football team, for about £250m. However, it could also sell it to... [more]

More than 38% shareholders in Londis, the retail franchise chain, are seeking to block its sale, according to a poll. If the sale is not approved at the extraordinary general meeting, it will have to ... [more]

Investors in DFS, the furniture retailer, have indicated that they will reject an offer by company founder Lord Kirkham to take the company private. Kirkham is expected to hold talks with bankers from... [more]

Laurel Pub Company has hired N M Rothschild to handle a sale worth up to £500m. The investment bank has been asked to sell all 619 pubs in the company's portfolio, according to press reports. Laurel w... [more]