• Advanced Power Components plc, a specialist distributor and manufacturers' representative of electronic components, has acquired rival Contech Electronics, for £1 million

• Real estate investor CIREF has purchased 50 per cent of property portfolio Premium Portfolio & Co and Premium Portfolio 2 & Co, comprising six properties in Germany, for €33.75 million (£26.7 million)

• Communications and marketing company WPP Group plc has acquired a minority stake in Yield Software, a North American web-based technology suite for managing internet marketing

• Security group G4S plc has bought US-based internet security company Touchcom for up to $56 million (£28.6 million)

• Entrepreneurs Trevor Staton and Julian Gray have bought metal casting products supplier Intermet Refractory Products

• MCR Property Group has purchased a mixed-use property in Liverpool for £10.8 million

• AMEC plc, an engineering and project management company, has agreed to acquire US technical consultant and engineer Geomatrix Consultants for $85 million (£43 million)