Acquisition Resources

After his recent unexpected resignation as chief executive of BBC Worldwide, Rupert Gavin is lining up a possible bid to take over the corporation's studios and costume department. Current reviews sug... [more]

Focus Wickes, the DIY giant, has put itself up for sale, with a price tag of £1.5bn. The private equity groups Duke Street, which backed Mr Archer some 13 years ago, and Apax Partners, which bought in... [more]

Rentokil Initial confirmed investors' worst fears with a slump in profits and a warning of a likely deterioration in trading into next year as well. The services group, which has also earmarked parts... [more]

NHP, the operator of 192 nursing homes, is to be acquired by Blackstone of the US for £564m... [more]

Tate & Lyle has acquired Dolcre Food Ingredients, the South African fructose importer with net assets worth £1.4m... [more]

Colliers CRE has acquired Campbell & Co, the Glasgow-based firm of surveyors, for £1.7m... [more]

Jubb, the Leicestershire-based plastic bottles manufacturer, has been bought of administration by BM Etchco of Birmingham for undisclosed terms, securing the future of 71 jobs... [more]

The board of Canary Wharf is considering several offers for some of the buildings on its London docklands estate. The approaches are at a preliminary stage but insiders say the private company could s... [more]

Shareholders in Drax, Europe's largest coal-fired power station, are understood to be more in favour of an outright sale of the business instead of the restructuring that is being proposed.... [more]

Marks and Spencer has denied a report by the Mail on Sunday that it is planning to sell up to half of small-scale Simply Food convenience stores. "We are not planning to close any of our stores. We a... [more]

Glisten is to acquire Halo Foods, the manufacturer of cereal, energy and diet bars with 450 staff at three sites in Wales, for £5.6m... [more]

Charles Stanley has acquired Sutherlands Group, the independent stockbroker with offices in Edinburgh and London, for £2.4m... [more]

MGMS International, the Brighouse-based executive recruitment firm with 60 staff, has been acquired by BNB Resources for undisclosed terms... [more]

Wace, the Wiltshire-based printing company with 90 staff, has been acquired by Ringdark after briefly going into administration... [more]

Bank Bottom Engineering Services of West Yorkshire has been bought out of administration by Hystat Systems of Slaithwaite, securing the future of 21 staff... [more]

Olan Mills, the chain of 73 photographic studios, has been acquired by Piper Private Equity and Graphite Capital for up to £10m... [more]

Wilson Storey Halliday has merged with Baxter Smith, creating a combined contract catering business known as Baxter Storey with annual sales of more than £100m... [more]

QXL Ricardo, the online auction company, is to undergo a £12m management buy-out... [more]

YooMedia has acquired Digital Interactive Television Group, the TV gambling company, for £33m... [more]

Spice Holdings has acquired the water meter installation business of Atlantic Utility Services out of receivership for £0.6m... [more]