Joint Administrators, John Whitfield and Matt Ingram, both of financial advisory and investment banking firm Duff & Phelps, have confirmed that they have successfully sold the business and assets of AMI Blaymires Limited. The sale, which concluded on 30 March 2012, is to Unitech Blaymires Limited, part of Unitech Industries. Unitech Industries is a leading supplier of high quality stainless steel and aluminium equipment to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and other hygiene conscious industries. Whitfield and Ingram were appointed as Joint Administrators (“the Administrators’) to the Company on 9 March 2012 and continued to trade the business after their appointment whilst

Gulf One Investment Bank has established a new office, Gulf One GmbH, in Munich, Germany. Gulf One GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gulf One, will support the management of portfolio companies of the bank’s private equity funds and source new investments and advisory business opportunities for it. The new office will be supported by Gulf One’s private equity, structured finance, advisory and business development teams located in its offices across the GCC, said a statement. GmbH managing director, Günter Pröpster, will provide local clients with on-the-ground presence and access to Gulf One, the statement said. Dr Nahed Taher, co-founder

Sun Capital Partners’ portfolio company Sonneborn, Inc. (“Sonneborn”) has been sold to One Equity Partners. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Sonneborn, based in Parsippany, NJ, was acquired from a large publicly-traded company in June 2005 in a corporate carve-out transaction. Upon acquisition, a series of initiatives were implemented to improve manufacturing productivity and cash management, streamline corporate infrastructure, optimise the product offering, and reduce costs by developing non-traditional raw material sources. A disciplined approach was taken to supply agreements and the termination of unfavourable supply agreements generated substantial savings. In 2010, Sonneborn completed the acquisition of the

GCP Capital Partners has acquired Garrets International Limited, a leading international provider of marine catering management for the commercial shipping industry. Derrick Samms founded Garrets in 1991 and has since pioneered the market for outsourcing of catering services for the merchant navy. Garrets provides its customers with a range of services including provisions supply, stock keeping, quality control and chef training and support.   The business has grown rapidly over recent years and today manages a fleet of 750 vessels from its head office in Romford, making it the clear market leader. The company was recently featured in the Sunday

Mergers and acquisitions in the US financial services industry could increase in both number and value of deals, if markets improve and European banks sell noncore business units, PwC says in a new report. M&A prospects remain uncertain, however, after deal volume fell in 2011 due to the European debt crisis, volatile stock and bond markets, uncertainty around government regulations and a pullback in financing, according to PwC’s report, "Balancing uncertainty and opportunity: 2012 US Financial Services Insights" (www.pwc.com/us/fsdeals2012). US banking, insurance, asset management and other financial service companies announced 756 deals last year. The figure represents a 10 per

Maven’s Manchester team has led the MBO of Vodat International Limited (Vodat) from its founder Mike Bielinski in a GBP5m transaction. Vodat provides managed network and communications solutions to business customers, with a particular focus on the UK retail sector in which it has a leading market presence. Cheshire based Vodat was established in 2002 by the current CEO and senior management team, and has achieved year on year sales and profit growth, increasing sales by over 50% since 2008. The business has a current customer base covering over 7,000 live sites and places a strong emphasis on ensuring excellent

IFG Group has signed an agreement for the sale of its entire International Division (Segment) to AnaCap Financial Partners II LP. The purchase price is GBP70 million (EUR84 million) which will be paid in full on the completion of the sale. The purchase price shall be subject to an adjustment upon finalisation of the completion accounts. The sale is subject to certain conditions including shareholder and regulatory consent. The EGM, at which an ordinary resolution approving the sale shall be voted upon by the shareholders, shall be held in advance of the AGM on 27th June 2012. A circular incorporating a