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Mergers & Acquisitions 1998
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The information below comes from the UK Activity Report.
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Bond Helicopters has sold its Rotortech maintenance division to IAP Group for undisclosed terms. 31-Dec-1998 Genosys, the Cambridge-based gene discovery company, has been sold to Sigma-Aldrich for £24m. 30-Dec-1998 ITE, the organiser of international trade shows, has acquired IEG-Solingen of Germany for £1.4m. 30-Dec-1998 Denmans Electrical Wholesale is acquiring Simpson & Paul, the operator of lighting and electrical supplies depots in Watford and High Wycombe. 29-Dec-1998 Markbeech Products has bought Cadec, the supplier of edible nuts and ingredients to the bakery and confectionery industries, from the Harrington Food Group. 29-Dec-1998 Dalkeith Inns, the cash shell, is to reverse into Expertise Group, the operator of IT training centres, in a £4.2m deal. 28-Dec-1998 Vision, the manufacturer of imaging semiconductors, is being acquired by ST Microelectronics of Paris for £23m. 23-Dec-1998 SBF Agrico has been set up to create one of Scotland's biggest farm machinery manufacturers and dealers by acquiring Oldmeldrum-based George Sellar & Son, Rothienorman-based Fraser Agricultural and Markinch-based A&J Bowen, in a £5m deal. 22-Dec-1998 Swiss Re is to acquire Fox-Pitt Kelton Group, the London-based investment banking boutique, for undisclosed terms. 22-Dec-1998 Guardian iT is acquiring the mainframe disaster recovery business of Debis Systemhaus of Germany for £5m. 22-Dec-1998 Bearing Power, the power transmissions company, is being acquired by Mining & Allied Investments for £6.3m. 21-Dec-1998 Environmental Property Services is to acquire RLH, the supplier of building maintenance services to local authorities in London, for £1.1m. 21-Dec-1998 Charriol has announced a reverse takeover of Virtual Internet, the supplier of internet hosting services, in a £15m deal. 21-Dec-1998 Crowe Insurance Group, the Lloyd's independent managing agency, is to be acquired by Stockton Reinsurance of Bermuda for undisclosed terms. 19-Dec-1998 Ben Shaws, the Huddersfield-based soft drinks company, has been acquired by Chaudfontaine Distribution of Belgium in a £22m deal, and has also announced plans for a new £2m bottling plant. 17-Dec-1998 Woodvale Estates is acquiring City Site Estates, the Glasgow property group, for £4.4m. 16-Dec-1998 European Metal Recycling has acquired Lloyds Metal Processors, the Salford-based scrap metal company, for undisclosed terms. 14-Dec-1998 CVC Capital Partners is planning to acquire 50% of Wavin, the Dutch plastic pipes company, from Shell Petroleum for about £225m. 12-Dec-1998 Terinex has acquired Le Gem, the Leicester-based supplier of paper products, cling film and aluminium foil, for undisclosed terms. 11-Dec-1998 Tricom Supplies, the heating and plumbing products company, has been bought by management from parent group Mannesmann. 10-Dec-1998 Waterloo Air Management has bought Advanced Climate Technology, the Littlehampton-based ventilation firm that was on the brink of closure, for undisclosed terms. 10-Dec-1998 Begbies Traynor, the Manchester-based corporate recovery concern, is merging with Leonard Curtis & Associates of Brighton. 10-Dec-1998 Guiton Group of Jersey and the Guernsey Press Company are to merge to create a combined newspaper group for the Channel Islands. 10-Dec-1998 Peter's Food Services, the South Wales company recently bought out from Grand Metropolitan, has bought the food distribution company Early Bird and ham-maker JV Rowe of Tenby. 09-Dec-1998 MPI, the Derby-based mortgage broker that is part of Bishopscourt Financial Holdings, has acquired Profile Financial Services for undisclosed terms. 09-Dec-1998 Planit Holdings is acquiring Cabinet Vision, the US software company, for £6m. 07-Dec-1998 Dollond & Aitchison, the chain of opticians, is being acquired by De Rigo of Italy for undisclosed terms. 04-Dec-1998 Cavity Trays of Yeovil has acquired Abutment Flashings and Dampcourses for undisclosed terms. 04-Dec-1998 Wren, the Lloyd's insurance company, is planning to merge with Masthead Insurance Underwriting to create a combined group trading under the Wren name with a market value of £100m. 04-Dec-1998 Amtrak, the express parcels company, is being acquired in a £86m management buy-in with the support of 3i. 04-Dec-1998 Utopia Systems, the Royston-based software distributor, has been acquired by Lilly Software Associates, as part of the US company's plans to expand in Europe. 04-Dec-1998 4Front Technologies is acquiring I-NEA, the French on-site computer services business, from Siemens Nixdorf for £2.5m. 03-Dec-1998 Eastgate has acquired Hambro Assistance, the supplier of legal expenses insurance, for £51m, and the new group will be called Eastgate Assistance. 02-Dec-1998 TM Group has acquired Martin Retail for £75m, creating the largest newsagency chain in the UK with 1,420 outlets, and it will convert many of the stores into a convenience format. 30-Nov-1998 United Norwest Co-op has acquired the Nevins chain of 20 convenience stores for undisclosed terms. 28-Nov-1998 Fenmarc, the Cambridgeshire-based vegetable-processing company, has undergone a £11m management buyout. 26-Nov-1998 Brenntag has acquired Midlands-based chemical distributor Farleyway, as part of a plan to build up a £100m chemical distribution business in the UK. 26-Nov-1998 Mott MacDonald has acquired Bingham Cotterell, the structural and civil engineering consultant with 100 staff. 26-Nov-1998 Highchase of London has acquired Impala Designs, the Ipswich-based display and advertising sign company. 25-Nov-1998 ASCo of Aberdeen is acquiring L&L Oil, the US supplier of fuels and environmental services to oil operators in the Gulf of Mexico, for undisclosed terms. 25-Nov-1998 Thurston Building Systems, the Horbury-based manufacturer of portable buildings, is undergoing a management buyout which will help to safeguard the 120 jobs. 24-Nov-1998 City of London PR Group is to acquire Boswell City Financial PR for undisclosed terms. 21-Nov-1998 Direct Network Publishing is acquiring Symphony Telecommunications, the supplier of premium-rate information services, for £10m. 21-Nov-1998 HT Webb, the chilled food importer with annual sales of £52m, is undergoing a management buyout. 21-Nov-1998 Dialog is acquiring Write Works, the Oxford-based developer of online purchasing systems, for up to £6.3m. 20-Nov-1998 West Port Corporation has acquired North East Joinery of Blaydon which will enable it to expand the manufacture of PVC-u windows and doors. 19-Nov-1998 Eclipse Blinds has acquired Scientific Plastics, the US blind component maker, for £4.5m. 19-Nov-1998 Media Business, the advertising sales company, is to be acquired by MediaCom, a division of Grey Advertising of the US, for £28m. 18-Nov-1998 BG Foods, the chilled and frozen desserts company, has been acquired by management for £36m, and the new owners are planning to build a £6m dairy desserts factory in Newton Abbot. 14-Nov-1998 Roberts Yorkshire Kitchens has merged with Nordale Foods to create a new £23m company called Roberts Group that will be the country's second largest manufacturer of Yorkshire puddings. 14-Nov-1998 Masco, the US furniture company, has launched a £40m takeover offer for Heritage Bathrooms, the UK bathroom manufacturer. 13-Nov-1998 Gael Force Marine of Inverness has acquired Seaboard Anchors, the Portmahomack-based anchor manufacturer. 13-Nov-1998 Prism Leisure, the home entertainment wholesaler, is to be acquired by Linkwill, a newly-formed unquoted company, in a £6.5m deal. 12-Nov-1998 LTG Technologies has launched a £10m takeover offer for Crabtree, the can-making engineering group. 12-Nov-1998 Columbus Group is buying EFM Publishing, the publisher of the European Fund Manager magazine, for up to £2m. 12-Nov-1998 Atrium Cockell, the underwriting agency, is planning to merge with the investment trust Lomond Underwriting to create a new group called Atrium Underwriting. 11-Nov-1998 Enterprise Rent-A-Car of the US has acquired Mitchell's Self Drive, the Aberdeen-based self-drive vehicle business, for £10m. 10-Nov-1998 Ciba and Clariant, the Swiss speciality chemical companies, are planning to merge, which could result in job losses among the 5,200 staff the two companies employ in the UK. 10-Nov-1998 Shepherd Homes is acquiring George Longden, the builder of houses in the North West and West Midlands, for undisclosed terms. 05-Nov-1998 Aukett Associates, the architects practice, is acquiring Collingwood of Prague for £0.3m. 05-Nov-1998 Bickerton has sold its joinery business to a new firm called Valley Joinery in St Albans. 05-Nov-1998 Aerospace Systems & Technology, the Durham-based maker of a ice protection systems for aircraft, is being sold to management in a £20m deal. 05-Nov-1998 Skymark Packaging International has acquired Huntsman Packaging, the Scunthorpe-based supplier of plain and printed films for the hygiene, food and medical industries. 04-Nov-1998 General Re of the US is acquiring DP Mann, the Lloyd's agency, in a deal thought to be worth about £100m. 04-Nov-1998 Innovated Plastics of Leicester has bought Prestige Coatings, the Enderby-based product finishing company, for an undisclosed sum. 03-Nov-1998 Mid Kent Laboratories is acquiring Dr Augustus Voelcker, the laboratory services company, for about £0.5m. 03-Nov-1998 SPS Technologies has acquired Chevron Aerospace, the Nottingham-based manufacturer of aircraft structural assemblies, in a £32m deal. 02-Nov-1998 Quantica of Halifax is acquiring SWP, the specialist in the recruitment of technical staff, for an initial £6.7m. 02-Nov-1998 Prepco Foods, the Skelmersdale-based vegetables supplier, has undergone a £2.5m management buy-out. 31-Oct-1998 Ecclesiastical Insurance, the Gloucester-based insurer of churches, is acquiring the Ansvar group of insurance companies operating in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, for £11m. 29-Oct-1998 Ato Findley UK has bought Cementone, the building chemicals division of the Philip Johnstone Group, for an undisclosed sum and the business will be merged with Stafford-based Evode. 28-Oct-1998 Concept Systems, the Edinburgh-based seismic software firm, is to undergo a £36m management buy-out. 27-Oct-1998 Mondas is acquiring Reality Communications Scandinavia, the Norwegian intranet software company, for £1.8m. 26-Oct-1998 McBride is acquiring Globol, the manufacturer of home fragrancing products, for £7.3m. 22-Oct-1998 Rexel of France is acquiring Gardiner, the distributor of electronic security products, for £31m. 21-Oct-1998 Globecrown International, the Maldon-based product-testing company, has been acquired by Hill Top Research of the US in a £4.5m deal. 21-Oct-1998 British Fittings Group of West Bromwich is selling its high pressure water jetting business to a management team for £4m. 14-Oct-1998 Albion Automotive, the Glasgow-based auto components supplier, has been acquired by American Axle & Manufacturing of the US for a sum thought to be around £20m. 13-Oct-1998 Yorkline, the Leeds-based shopfitter and building contractor, has undergone a management buyout, thereby securing 32 jobs. 13-Oct-1998 Dean Corporation of Huntingdon has bought Bernard Ward and Sons, the Peterborough housebuilders and renovators. 12-Oct-1998 FEGS, the Cambridgeshire-based engineering software company, has been acquired by Ohio-based International TechneGroup Incorporated for undisclosed terms. 12-Oct-1998 Harmsworth Publishing of Cambridge has acquired Landmark Information Group, the Exeter-based provider of site-specific land and property information. 12-Oct-1998 Prebon Yamane is planning to merge with MW Marshall, the London spot foreign exchange broker, although details have yet to be finalised. 12-Oct-1998 Xyratex of Havant is acquiring Matrix Components, the US computer repair company, for undisclosed terms. 09-Oct-1998 Morgan Bruce is to merge with Cole & Cole to create an enlarged law firm called Morgan Cole with nearly 100 partners and 600 staff across seven offices. 07-Oct-1998 Mears Group is acquiring United Fleet Distribution, the vehicle distributor, for £2m. 06-Oct-1998 Brunel Holdings has acquired the tobacco equipment operations of GBE International for £4.5m. 06-Oct-1998 Weeks Green and BKL are planning to merge to create what they claim will be the largest accountancy practice in the south, and the group will be based at a new £4m headquarters in Eastleigh. 06-Oct-1998 Solitaire Group has acquired Pembertons Residential, the manager of 1,300 luxury homes in London. 02-Oct-1998 Castle Mill International is to acquire British World Aviation in a £10m deal, in order to transform itself from a clothing wholesaler into an aircraft services company. 01-Oct-1998 South Staffordshire Water has acquired Britannia Envelope Manufacturing, the Stoke-based envelope manufacturer, for £3.4m. 01-Oct-1998 Ulster Bank is acquiring Cunningham Coates, the Belfast-based stockbroker, for undisclosed terms. 01-Oct-1998 McLoughlin Pipelines, the Derby-based pipeline contractor, has been sold to management for undisclosed terms. 30-Sep-1998 Claverley Hyde is to merge with Bollington to create one of the largest insurance brokers in the Stafforshire and Cheshire region. 30-Sep-1998 Grampian Holdings has sold various golf-related businesses to a management team for £3.4m, and the new company will be called Caledonian Golf Group and based at the Ben Sayers factory in North Berwick. 29-Sep-1998 Caremark, the provider of drugs to NHS patients who live at home, has been sold to a management team by its parent company MedPartners of the US. 28-Sep-1998 Day Runner of the US is to acquire Filofax, the UK personal-organiser maker, for £50m. 26-Sep-1998 Adaptive Broadband, the spin-off from the Olivetti & Oracle Research Laboratory that provides high-speed Internet access by wireless, has been acquired by California Microwave for £6.5m. 25-Sep-1998 Harvey Nash Group is acquiring Inston, the Dutch supplier of computer systems staff, for £3.3m. 25-Sep-1998 Triplex has acquired Peak Automotive for £33m, as part of a strategy to become a leading supplier of automotive components. 23-Sep-1998 Dexion, the warehouse and archive storage company, is to undergo a £350m merger with Norway's Constructor Group, and the enlarged business will be called Constructor Dexion Group. 22-Sep-1998 Gall & Eke, the Manchester-based stockbroker, is being acquired by Toronto-Dominion Bank for £8m, and will be integrated with the Canadian bank's London operation. 22-Sep-1998 Self-Serve, the manufacturer of vending machines for washroom areas, is to undergo a £7m management buy-out, and will now look to expand overseas. 21-Sep-1998 SEP Industrial Holdings, the industrial fasteners company, is to sell its wholesale distribution division to Decco for about £12m. 16-Sep-1998 Healey & Baker, the property consultancy, is being acquired by Cushman & Wakefield of the US for £70m, to create a combined business with over 7,000 employees in 39 countries. 16-Sep-1998 Savills, the property consultancy, has bought the continental European operations of Weatherall, Green & Smith for £3m, and it now plans further acquisitions in Europe. 15-Sep-1998 SEC is to sell Securitised Endowment Contracts, the marketmaker in endowment policies, to a management team for £6.5m, in order to focus on offering independent financial advice. 14-Sep-1998 Tempus is acquiring VSM Media, the US media communications company, for up to £8.7m. 10-Sep-1998 Nikko Europe is acquiring British Credit Trust Holdings, the motor finance company, for a sum thought to be under £10m, and will use it as a platform to expand into other consumer loan portfolios. 09-Sep-1998 Cooper Clarke, the Lancashire-based builders merchant, is being acquired by Heiton Holdings of Ireland for £15.7m. 05-Sep-1998 Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon, the Kendal-based pump manufacturer, has acquired Wallwin Pump and Armfield from Biwater Industries for undisclosed terms. 03-Sep-1998 Redbridge Holdings is acquiring AFI Fruit Importers, the Kent-based berry fruit distributor, for undisclosed terms. 02-Sep-1998 Nordiko, the UK manufacturer of components for computer disk drives, is being acquired by two Japanese companies - Shimadzu and Marubun, in a £22m deal. 02-Sep-1998 JDR Cable Group, a cable system manufacturer for the oil and gas industry, has been bought out from its parent company, BI, by NatWest Equity Partners in a £36m deal. 01-Sep-1998 Hartford Group is acquiring Bluelodge, the owner of the Pharmacy restaurant in London's Notting Hill, in a £7.2m reverse takeover, as part of a strategy to build up a branded restaurant business. 01-Sep-1998 Bucknall, the building management company, is to undergo a £15m management buyout. 29-Aug-1998 Personal Number Company is to expand its telecommunications business by spending £10m on a number of acquisitions, including PiperTel Communications, DIS Information Services, Unitel Networks and Telecommunications UK. 28-Aug-1998 Quintiles Transnational Corporation has acquired Royce Consultancy, the Edinburgh-based pharmaceutical sales recruitment and contract organisation, for undisclosed terms. 25-Aug-1998 Prize Food Group has acquired the Amble-based roast potato operation of Pillsbury, and will change its name to Cheviot Foods. 24-Aug-1998 BLP, the laminate manufacturer, is acquiring Stanley Cole, the joinery company, and a majority stake in Berman Holdings, the furniture maker, funded by a £8m share offer. 22-Aug-1998 Liberfabrica, the Bath-based book manufacturer, is acquiring Koninklijke Wohrmann, the Dutch printer, for £10.7m. 22-Aug-1998 Cantrade Investment Management has been acquired by The Board of Executors of South Africa from UBS for an estimated £20m, and Cantrade will now be relaunched as Chiswell Associates. 21-Aug-1998 ProLogis of the US has acquired Kingspark Group for £95m, in order to build up a UK warehousing business and improve its relationship with European logistics companies. 20-Aug-1998 Axus UK, part of Ford Financial Services Group, is to acquire ACR, the vehicle contract hire business, from Alexanders for £14m, which will allow Alexanders to focus on motor dealerships. 19-Aug-1998 American Tool of the US has launched a £33m takeover offer for Polyhedron, the manufacturer of power tools, in order to expand its presence in the UK market. 19-Aug-1998 Hexagen, the UK biotech concern, is to be acquired by Incyte Pharmaceuticals of the US for £25m in order to create a major force in the genomics sector. 18-Aug-1998 Acorn Storage Centres is acquiring Abacus Self Storage from Caledonia Investments for £44m, to create Europe's largest self-storage company. 18-Aug-1998 Jordec has sold Baris UK, the construction subcontractor, to management for about £1m. 14-Aug-1998 SEP Industrial is acquiring Diss, the fastener maker, for £2.3m. 12-Aug-1998 Gander Holdings, the property investment concern, is to acquire Barrasford Holdings for £24m in order to expand its residential lettings business in London. 11-Aug-1998 Ring has acquired PH Products, the supplier of products to the domestic plumbing and gas installation markets, for £1.4m. 11-Aug-1998 Killby & Gayford, the leading installer of automatic teller machines, is being sold to management for £12m. 10-Aug-1998 Icom Systems, the IT services supplier, has been acquired by Keane of the US in a £30m deal. 05-Aug-1998 Parkland Group is selling its Autofil automotive textiles business to management and a computerised dye house in Nottinghamshire to a property investment trust, for a total £13.7m. 04-Aug-1998 Murray Lawrence is to merge with Angerstein to create one of the largest underwriting groups at Lloyd's of London. 30-Jul-1998 Booth Industries is to acquire CHB, the engineering and manufacturing company, for £3.1m. 29-Jul-1998 Linklaters is to combine with the German, Belgian, Dutch, and Swedish members of the Alliance of European Lawyers to create the second largest legal practice in the world. 24-Jul-1998 Davis Service is acquiring Laundrycraft, the linen rental concern, for £7.2m. 21-Jul-1998 Johnson Service, the dry-cleaning chain, is acquiring Connacht Court, the Irish textile rental company, for £33m. 21-Jul-1998 General Industries, the business finance concern, is set to acquire HACAS, the housing consultancy, for £6m, and Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Assured Homes for £1.5m. 20-Jul-1998 Golden Vale has completed the acquisition of Rye Valley Foods, the Irish prepared frozen foods company that has a strong position in the UK market, for £17m. 18-Jul-1998 Sleepy Kids, the animation company, is to merge with three other media companies - Clipper Films, Ridgeway Films, and the Richard Digance Card Company - to create a new group called InkLine. 17-Jul-1998 Medialink Worldwide of the US is acquiring London Bureau, the UK TV consultancy and photographic agency, for £5m. 16-Jul-1998 Hallmark Cards UK has acquired Creative Publishing, the greeting cards producer, for £188m, and the combined group will have a 29% market share. 10-Jul-1998 Neville Russell, the UK accounting firm, is to merge with Mazars & Guerard of France to create a combined firm with 3,500 staff in 26 countries. 07-Jul-1998 Gala Clubs has acquired Ritz for £36m, creating a combined chain of 147 bingo clubs. 07-Jul-1998 ICC, the business information company, is acquiring Market Assessment Publications for undisclosed terms, which will enable it to offer customers a wider range of titles and more detailed research in a number of industry sectors. 03-Jul-1998 Harvey Goldsmith Entertainments is planning a reverse takeover of Tring, the lossmaking budget music company, in a £8m deal, and will then look for a number of additional acquisitions. 03-Jul-1998 Atlantic Power, the oil and gas production management company, is to merge with Petroleum Geo Services, the Norwegian seismic specialist, in a £63m deal. 23-Jun-1998 Duggan Steel is acquiring Tube Rollers, the Irish steel tube maker, from Jones Group for £1m. 23-Jun-1998 Eadie Holdings is acquiring Black and Luff, the specialist engineer, for £2.5m. 17-Jun-1998 CFS, the financial software company, is to acquire LeaseTek, the US lease administration software supplier, for £10m, funded by a £12.8m share placing. 12-Jun-1998 Network Associates of the US is to acquire DR Solomon's Group of the UK for £391m in order to strengthen its position in the European market for computer security software. 10-Jun-1998 Yeoman, the navigational instrument maker, is to acquire Global Marine Electronics, the holding company for Brookes & Gatehouse, in a £2.7m reverse takeover. 04-Jun-1998 Arlen, the electronics company, is selling its Betraine subsidiary to The West Co Inc for £7.2m. 03-Jun-1998 British Pepper & Spice Company, the dried herbs and spices supplier, has undergone a management buy-out from Burns Philp & Co, its Australian parent, with £7.6m of funding coming from Primary Capital. 26-May-1998 Syndicate Capital is acquiring Spreckley Villers Burnhope, the non-marine underwriting agency, for £54m in a further consolidation of the Lloyd's of London insurance market. 22-May-1998 Aberdeen Lloyd's Insurance Trust is acquiring Hayward Brick Stuchbery, the holding company for the Chaucer underwriting agency, in a £18m deal. 21-May-1998 Nikko Europe of Japan has acquired Roadchef, the motorway service station operator, for £174m, having outbid a number of other interested parties. 20-May-1998 Jermyn Investment Properties is acquiring ELP Property Group for £31m in order to expand its property portfolio in the south of England. 16-May-1998 CWS Agriculture is to acquire Broadoak Farming, the farm management company that has been hit by a sharp fall in income. 14-May-1998 Sun Chemical of the US is to acquire Gibbon, the UK printing inks company, for £26m. 13-May-1998 American Greetings Corp of the US has acquired Hanson White, the supplier of greetings cards, for undisclosed terms. 12-May-1998 Espirit Telecom is to acquire Plusnet of Germany from Thyssen for £108m, to help with its aim of becoming the leading alternative telecoms company in Europe. 12-May-1998 Safestore is acquiring Metrostore, the self-storage company, for about £6m. 12-May-1998 Norman Hay is acquiring BK Engineering, the sub-contract precision engineering concern, for £2.4m. 04-May-1998 GE Capital Railcar Services, a subsidiary of General Electric of the US, is acquiring International Wagon Services, the rail freight car company, for undisclosed terms. 02-May-1998 Thompson Acquisitions has acquired Usborne, the fertiliser company, for £10.7m. 01-May-1998 Soda-Club Group of Israel has bought SodaStream, the Peterborough-based soda-making machines supplier, for £15.5m, and the new group will be floated early next year. 01-May-1998 Hemingway, the property investment company, is to acquire Olives Property for £28.6m in order to gain access to a portfolio of industrial properties. 30-Apr-1998 Starbucks of the US is acquiring Seattle Coffee, the chain of 56 coffee houses, for £50m, and plans to build up a European chain of 500 stores. 30-Apr-1998 The British Standards Institution is to acquire Inspectorate for £36.5m, in order to help build up an international business for assessing quality standards and to benefit from its new-found commercial freedom. 29-Apr-1998 Sowester, the marine equipment distributor, has been sold to management for £10m by its US parent Krug International. 27-Apr-1998 United Overseas Group, the distributor of surplus branded consumer goods, is acquiring Intertrading Agencies Boersema Beheer of the Netherlands for £22m, in order to speed up its expansion into continental Europe. 22-Apr-1998 RPS Group is buying Utility Technical Services, the water management consultancy based in Durham, for £1.5m. 15-Apr-1998 Tele-Cine Cell, the post-production company, is to be acquired by Todd-AO of the US for £10m. 07-Apr-1998 TCS Consumer Services of the US has acquired Interglobe Telecommunications, the UK phone card services group, for £12m, making it the largest independent phone card company in Europe. 02-Apr-1998 Norbrook Laboratories, the animal health concern, is planning to buy J Webster Laboratories, the Canadian anti-bacterials company, from Merial for about £17m. 01-Apr-1998 NRP, the financial services and residential property company, is planning a £3.5m reverse takeover of Teather & Greenwood, the stockbroker. 01-Apr-1998 Birchin International is raising £1.4m in a share offer in order to fund the acquisition of Swinton Castle, as it transforms its business from book publishing to residential training. 30-Mar-1998 Gerber Scientific of the US is acquiring Spandex, the signmaking equipment company, for £109m. 25-Mar-1998 Beck & Politzer, the industrial plant group, has been sold to management and Gresham Trust for £23m. 16-Mar-1998 Dunloe House of Ireland has claimed victory in its takeover battle for Ewart, the Northern Ireland property company, having gained acceptances for 52% of the target shares. 14-Mar-1998 Camden Graphics, the greeting cards company, is being acquired by American Greetings of the US for undisclosed terms. 11-Mar-1998 Lawson Mardon Carton Europe has been bought by a management buy-in team for about £40m, and under its new name of First Cartons will offer a Europe-wide service for the supply of cartons to the confectionery, food and spirits sectors. 05-Mar-1998 Faber Prest, the steel products distributor, is to be acquired by Harsco of the US for £57m, and the combined group expects to benefit from cost cutting and greater efficiencies. 05-Mar-1998 Cadence Design Systems of the US has acquired Symbionics, the Cambridge-based chip design business, for undisclosed terms. 04-Mar-1998 Barlows, the property company, has sold Rowlinson Constructions to management for £1.1m. 21-Feb-1998 Milner Estates is to acquire the Five Oaks property company for £41m, and plans to make further acquisitions in future. 12-Feb-1998 Chestertons, the property and estate agent group, has agreed a £70m deal to merge with Summit Group. 12-Feb-1998 Laughton Rainsford has acquired Thomas Cork, the provider of in-store merchandising displays, for £32m. 11-Feb-1998 CSI, the TV sports rights marketing company, has been acquired by Interpublic of the US for undisclosed terms. 10-Feb-1998 A new company called Dataforce has been created to acquire two direct mail companies - Mailforce Group and Eros Marketing Support Services - for £14.5m. 05-Feb-1998 Target, the Coventry-based privately-owned parcels delivery company, is undergoing a management buy-out for undisclosed terms, with the backing of Legal & General Ventures. 05-Feb-1998 Warings, the Portsmouth construction business, has been bought by a management team for £12m. 04-Feb-1998 Kode International, the printed circuit board maker, has agreed to a £14m takeover offer from Cornerstone Equity Investors of the US. 31-Jan-1998 The information below comes from the UK Activity Report. 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