Five professional firms have been recruited to provide support to businesses based at a high-tech science park. CBG Group, Dow Schofield Watts, MSB Solicitors, Montpelier and Lloyds TSB Commercial will support more than 100 firms at Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus by delivering free surgery session through the partnership programme. Manchester-based CBG will provide insurance … Continued

GB Group, the Chester-based ID management systems provider, is to buy one of its major rivals in a £11.2m deal. The AIM-listed company will raise around £8m through a placing of 20 million new shares at 40p per share to buy Capscan Parent, a London and Manchester-based address management business. The placing comprises of a … Continued

Insider’s Deal of the Month for May is the sale of Cheshire central heating business PH Jones to Centrica for £30m. The company carries out more than 8,000 central heating installations every year through 28 contracts within the social housing sector and more than 500 of the group’s employees will move over under the new … Continued

The former boss of PH Jones, the heating specialist that was sold to Centrica for £30m yesterday, has retained the metering division and expects rapid growth on the back of the nationwide roll-out of smart meters. PH Jones’ managing director Martin Jones and his brother Chris expect the unit, which accounted for around £15m of … Continued

A family-owned company which provides central heating services to the social housing sector has been sold to energy giant Centrica for £30m in cash. PH Jones, based in Malpas Cheshire, was founded in 1971 by Phil Jones, who began his career as a sole trader installing central heating sytems in 1963. His wife Brenda is … Continued

Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, has splashed out £30m on Cheshire central heating business PH Jones Group. The company is headquartered in Malpas and provides services to about 250,000 properties each year through its social housing business. Centrica said the cash deal was a “major step” in British Gas’ strategy to build its … Continued

Martin and Chris Jones have taken over the reins at Cheshire-based PH Jones’ utility services division after the company’s two other divisions – social housing and facilities management – were sold to British Gas owner Centrica in a £30m deal. The two deals have resulted in PH Jones founders, Phil and Brenda Jones, retiring from … Continued

A group of medical entrepreneurs who sold their last company for £60m has snapped up a Bolton-based chain of clinics and plan a huge expansion of the business over the next five years. Dr Newman’s Clinic, founded by a father and son in 1997, has been acquired in a £1.6m deal by a consortium which … Continued

Jonathan Boyers, head of corporate finance for the North of England at accountancy firm KPMG, was named Dealmaker of the Year at last night’s North West Deals of the Year Awards. Boyers also received the award for Corporate Financier of the Year, and advised the shareholders of TravelJigsaw on that company’s sale to Priceline – … Continued