Vp has acquired ESS Safety Services and Pivotal Training from Babcock International for £4.5m, in order to expand its Hire Station safety products business.... [more]

Lynx Express, the package delivery company, has been acquired by United Parcel Service of the US for £56m.... [more]

Capita has acquired BDML Connect, the personal lines insurance company, for £26m.... [more]

Pernod Ricard, whichis buying Allied Domecq, will in August begin auctioning Allied's quick service restaurant chains, according to a managing director at a US financial sponsors group. Pernod next mo... [more]

First Artist Corporation is to acquire ABG Financial Management, the provider of advice to celebrities, for £3m.... [more]

Polaron has acquired DMS Controls, the supplier of intelligent building control systems, for up to £3.5m.... [more]

The sale of the Times Educational Supplement, the publishing subsidiary owned by News Corporation, is expected to start soon. The UK's Guardian Media Group and Pearson are natural trade buyers, but so... [more]

Alliance & Leicester is considering a sale of its cash machine arm according to rumours. The banking group's ATM division could be worth between £100m and £150m. The unit made a 2004 profit of £15m on... [more]

Misys, the UK software group, could be mulling the sale of its Sesame IT support division. Lexicon has been taken on to advise on the sale. Analysts have indicated a wide pricing bracket for the opera... [more]

Martin Dawes Systems (MDS), the private UK telecoms billing and CRM software vendor's managing director Dewi Thomas acknowledged that the group is likely to become a target, with either a trade sale o... [more]

Clinton Cards, the UK-listed card shop chain, confirmed that it was continuing with a review of its portfolio that has so far led to the sale of 36 stores. The company expects to dispose of a further ... [more]

Renewable Energy Holdings has acquired the Windpark wind farm in Germany from EDF Energies Nouvelles for £33m.... [more]

Kingspan has acquired Albion Water Heaters, the Halesowen-based manufacturer of hot water systems with 140 staff, for undisclosed terms.... [more]

Daryl Industries, the Merseyside-based shower enclosure manufacturer with more than 200 staff, has been acquired by Kohler Mira of the US for undisclosed terms.... [more]

Ty Europe, the Gosport-based distributor of soft toys with 35 staff, has been bought out of administration by Ty UK for undisclosed terms.... [more]

Doughty Precision Engineering, the Nottingham-based company with 30 staff, has been acquired by Nasmyth of Pinxton for undisclosed terms.... [more]

Semiplas, the Staffordshire-based plastics distributor, has been acquired by Centroplast Engineering Plastics of Germany.... [more]

Carr's Billington Agriculture has acquired certain fixed assets of W&J Pye, the owner of four compound feed mills in Blackburn, Lancaster, Langwathby and Shrewsbury, out of administration, for £16m.... [more]

Low & Bonar is to sell its Bonar Plastics division, which has a network of 12 rotational moulding plants, to the Promens subsidiary of Atorka Group of Iceland for £26m.... [more]

Trinity Mirror is to acquire Smart Media Services, the internet marketing portal, for up to £17m.... [more]