Companies involved in web design to demolition work and insurance have been active completing transactions ahead of the weekend, when a new CGT rate of 18 per cent comes into effect.
One of the largest deals saw a £12.5m management buyout at Denton-based KDC Contractors.
The company, founded in 1985, specialises in decommissioning, demolition and remediation contracts in the nuclear, petrochemical and pharmaceutical sectors, and employs 100 staff. It is forecasting revenues of more than £20m over the next 12 months.
Owner Barry Kilroe has sold KDC to a management team comprising Ian Smithson, Martin O'Donnell, Will Simpson, John Bloodworth and Christopher Sandground.
Mr Kilroe will now focus on his other business interests in crane hire, property and waste recycling.
Barclays Ventures has provided equity funding for the deal, with debt and working capital from Yorkshire Bank and other finance from YFM Private Equity.
Two acquisitions for a total of £4m by Bolton-based clean air systems firm Howorth Air Technology have also been funded by Barclays Ventures, which baacked a management buy-in led by Andrew Steel last October.
Howorth, which designs, makes and installs systems in hospitals, has bought Westbury Filters and Filtermation Products from owner Andrew Parker. They employ a total of 33 staff in Burnley and Betchworth, Surrey.
Meanwhile, media giant Trinity Mirror has swooped for north west web design agency Rippleffect Studio for up to £5.8m.
Rippleffect, which has 40 staff across offices in Manchester, Liverpool and London, is led by managing director Ben Hatton, son of former Labour politician Derek. It specialises in sport, leisure and retail websites and is expected to generate revenues of around £3m over the next 12 months.
Clients include Everton, Southampton, Celtic and Fulham football clubs, Total Fitness, Littlewoods, Mercedes-Benz, The Living Room Group, Heathcotes and the North West Regional Development Agency .
Trinity Mirror has paid £3.2m upfront with the rest due over three years if targets are met.
Sly Bailey (pictured), Trinity Mirror's chief executive, said: "This acquisition brings together Trinity Mirror's specialist sports publications and Rippleffect's specialist sports web development under one roof, enabling us to substantially grow our revenues in this important sector."
In the insurance sector, Swinton's commercial division has acquired Kent-based broker Lawrences in a move which adds £6m to its gross premium income.
Swinton chief executive Patrick Smith said: "Lawrences is a strong well-established broker and is the type of business we are looking to acquire in order to expand our commercial arm, Swinton Business."
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