Private equity group Electra Partners is close to buying Travelsphere, the holiday firm, for between £150m and £175m. Electra is the frontrunner in the race to buy Britain's biggest provider of escort... [more]

Foster's Group is believed to be mulling the sale of its overseas breweries, with SABMiller and Scottish & Newcastle possible frontrunners in any auction. The sale would prove beneficial for both inte... [more]

The Ferrovial consortium has earmarked up to seven BAA airports for disposal, should a bid eventually be accepted, to help secure financing for a raised offer. Ferrovial's £8.7bn approach for BAA was ... [more]

Loose's, the Norwich-based catering equipment supplier with 20 staff, is to be acquired by Alliance Disposables of Crewe for undisclosed terms.... [more]

Halliburton is planning to sell KBR Production Services, its engineering unit with 2,500 Aberdeen-based staff, to management for about £100m.... [more]

Corus is planning to sell most of its aluminium operations to Aleris International of the US for £570m, including sites in Germany, the Netherlands and Canada.... [more]

Swallow Hotels has acquired six more Scottish hotels, including the Ballachulish Hotel near Glencoe, The Isles of Glencoe Hotel, the Oban Caledonian Hotel, the Carnoustie Golf Hotel, the Gleddoch Hous... [more]

Parkdean, the chain of 20 caravan parks, is to be acquired by private equity firm Alchemy for £140m.... [more]

Body Shop International, the beauty products retailer with more than 2,000 stores in 53 countries, is to be acquired by L'Oreal of France for £652m.... [more]

USwitch, the online price comparison company, is to be acquired by EW Scripps of the US for £210m.... [more]

Laird Group has acquired RecepTec Holdings, the aerials supplier, for £51m, and has also announced a £118m rights issue to fund further acquisitions.... [more]

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A bid for Bovis Homes, the UK housebuilder, from largerrival Persimmon is very unlikely in the short term, it is understood. The likelihood of Persimmon bidding for Bovis or any other rival so soon a... [more]

Interoute, the voice and data network provider, could besold, or launch an IPO after turning profitable in early 2007. According to executive chairman James Kinsella, the privately owned and UK-based... [more]

Collins Stewart Tullett, the listed London broker, is notcurrently in takeover talks with US investment bank Bear Stearns or any other party, it is understood. This follows reports that Bear Sterns w... [more]

International Power (IP), the UK independent power provider,is likely to become a takeover target in the current European utility merger frenzy, according to industry participants. IP's UK listing an... [more]

GUS, the UK-listed retail and business group, is rumoured tobe selling its credit checking unit, Experian. The bidder is rumoured to be a private equity group. Experian was also under bid speculation... [more]

GCap Media, the UK-listed radio group, may break up the sale of its nine radio stations into different packages after reportedly receiving a disappointing number of offers. Final bids of £35m were wel... [more]

Vincent Tchenguiz, the UK-based private investor, is poised to put ten Hilton hotels up for sale within weeks. It is believed the hotels include the Hilton London Hyde Park and other UK hotels. There ... [more]

Royal & SunAlliance, the UK-listed insurance group, could see a takeover bid from Axa, its listed French rival. There is speculation that Axa might be putting together a 165p per share cash bid for Ro... [more]