Done deals:

• Communications research firm I to I Research has been subject to a management buy-out for an undisclosed amount.
• Private equity group Venture Capital Partners has backed the BIMBO of Datapath, a supplier of technology for large screen displays, in a £12 million deal.
• Crane and plant hire company William O’Brien Plant Hire, valued at €15 million (£10.4 million), has been bought by a son of the company’s eponymous founder.
• Northern Ireland-based meat processing company Linden Foods has acquired Abbatoir operator W&K Holdings for an undisclosed sum.
• San Diego-based Websense has bought SurfControl for £204 million, expanding its Internet security operations.
• Investment adviser Chartwell Group has acquired financial adviser Broadoak Group for an undisclosed sum.
• UNITE UK Student Accommodation Fund has bolstered its supply of student accommodation with the acquisition of three properties from UNITE Group for £81 million.
• Car retailer Inchcape has acquired 75.1% of OOO Orgtekhstroy and 100% of OOO Concord for $43 million (£21.2 million). The companies sell Audi and Peugeot cars in Russia respectively.
• Investment bank Rothschild has bought a majority stake in Lanebridge Investment Management in an undisclosed multi-million pound deal.
• Bank of Scotland Integrated Finance has backed the £225 million management buy-out of Ainscough Crane Hire.
• Investment firm Merseyside Special Investment Fund’s Liverpool Seed Fund has invested £250,000 in health screening company Gemini Biomedical.

Deal in the pipeline:

• Merchant Securities is to buy the holding company of corporate financial adviser John East & Partners for £4.9 million.