Electric Business

LBP Optics has agreed a deal for Symons Mirror Technology. LBP Optics is the sister company of infrared optics manufacturer ULO Optics, a world-leading manufacturer of metal mirrors for industrial laser, scientific and defence applications. Symons is a specialist in precision single point diamond machining.

Ingredients and fats supplier AAK has acquired 80% of Soya International to expand its ingredient portfolio with speciality lecithins. Lecithin is a by-product from the processing of vegetable oils such as soy, sunflower and rapeseed, and a natural emulsifier. AAK reported turnover of £13.2m in 2018.

IT consulting firm Vision33 has acquired B1 Systems. Both companies are SAP Business One cloud application development partners.

Motorway Direct has sold Business & Domestic Insurance Services to CPP Group, a deal which sees CPP enter the insurance broker market for the first time.

Parking and access control products manufacturer Parking Facilities has been acquired by Hill & Smith Holdings in a £12.4m deal. Established in 2000 and based in Tamworth, Parking Facilities reported turnover of £11.3m in its last financial year.

Begbies Traynor has moved to strengthen its service offering in the South West of England with the acquisition of Regeneratus. Begbies completed its acquisition of corporate recovery services firm Dunion & Co in September.

Ocean Outdoor is to expand further into the European marketplace following the announcement that it has acquired Visual Art Media. Founded in Stockholm in 1997, Visual Art operates more than 25,000 out of home advertising screens across 24 countries.

NVM Private Equity has backed the management buyout of Secure Retail. Established in 2003, Secure Retail supplies a range of technology products to clients in the retail, hospitality and infrastructure sectors.

Flutter Entertainment, the owner of online betting giants Paddy Power and Betfair, has agreed to buy The Stars Group (TSG), the owner of Sky Bet, for £10bn. The deal will create the world's largest online betting company by revenue, and provides Flutter with a route into the fast-growing US market for sports betting. The combined group would have had revenues of £3.8bn last year. Receiving immediate approval from investors, and expected to create annual savings of £140m, the move saw shares in Flutter jump 20%. The deal also includes a commercial tie-up with US broadcaster Fox Sports.

Cactus Worldwide, a provider of foreign language training, has been taken over by British Study Centres. Cactus Worldwide offers TEFL and language learning courses in 120 cities globally, including 11 in the UK. BSC has eight all-year English language schools across the UK, as well as three overseas in Algeria, Kyrgyzstan and the Ukraine.