In today's headlines Ethel Austin has undergone a £62 million restructuring and Bestport Ventures has invested £1.75 million in a leveraged re-capitalisation of Hotelscene Group.

Done Deals:

• The Ethel Austin Retail Group has undergone a £62 million restructuring programme, led by law firm Shearman & Sterling

• Venture capital firm Bestport Ventures has invested £1.75 million in a leveraged re-capitalisation of travel agent Hotelscene Group

• Contracting Solutions has bolstered its IT recruitment business after finalising the acquisition of Lorien for £18.6 million

• Electra Private Equity is re-financing Allflex Holdings II, a manufacturer and distributor of visual and electronic animal identification tags. The Royal Bank of Scotland is leading the transaction

Deal in the pipeline:

• Dublin-based Alltracel is set to snap up Germany’s Synpart AG, strengthening its position in the specialist oral care market, for a maximum of €6.3 million (£4.3 million)

• Standard Chartered is to buy a 49% stake in UTI Securities of India for about $36 million (£18 million), expanding its range of financial services

• Support services provider to the energy sector Cape is set to swallow industrial services group TCC holdings of Australia for A$85 million (£34.3 million)

• Hundreds of jobs are under threat at entertainment retailer ChoicesUK, which has 170 stores across the UK, as administrators are to be called in