DCC plc said today that it has reached agreement to buy Esso SAF’s unmanned retail petrol station network and motorway concessions in France. The total consideration will be €106m (£84m), plus stock in tank at the date of acquisition, all payable in cash on completion. The acquisition includes Esso SAF’s network of 274 Esso Express unmanned petrol stations; 48 Esso branded motorway concessions; and contracts to supply around 75 dealer owned dealer operated sites. As part of the transaction, DCC Energy will enter into a long term branded supply agreeement with Esso SAF. The acquired business will have annual volumes of approximately 1.9 billion litres and revenues of approximately €2.2bn…

Payzone said today that it has sold its payments services business in Sweden, Payzone Nordic AB, to Pan Nordic payment transaction services provider Nets for an undisclosed sum. Payzone Nordic AB provides payment services customised for the retail, hotel and restaurant sectors. Set up in 1989, the company is headquartered in Stockholm and processes over 150 million transactions a year. According to Payzone, the company, which operates solely in the integrated payment service provider (PSP) sector, is one of the largest electronic funds transfer networks in Sweden. It generated sales around approximately SEK70m (€8m) in 2013 and employs nearly 50 people. Payzone Nordic’s CEO, Carl-Greger Leijonhufvud, will remain with the…

Daybreak Information Technologies, a provider of global information technology services to the biotech sector that is headquartered in Dublin, has announced that it has signed an alliance agreement to partner with San Diego-based Bell Canyon Consulting LLC, a provider of data management products and software services provider to global life sciences companies. The companies said that the partnership creates the first comprehensive IT solutions provider dedicated to the biotech and pharma markets. “This partnership expands Daybreak’s capabilities in the commercial segment of the biotech value chain. Bell Canyon has proven expertise in the commercial data management market and we will leverage its assets to establish a strong capability in the…

Deloitte Ireland has announced that Leyton Ireland, a specialist in the provision of R&D; tax credit advice, has merged with its existing R&D; tax credit practice to form Deloitte Leyton Consulting Ireland Ltd, a joint venture owned by Deloitte Ireland and the Leyton Group. Established in Ireland in 2007, Leyton offers dedicated R&D tax credit services in the Irish market. “Leyton’s expertise and experience complement Deloitte’s existing strong capabilities in this area. We believe the combination of skills in the two teams creates a market leading proposition for our clients,” said Brendan Jennings, managing partner, Deloitte. “As the economic situation improves and capital is increasingly available to invest in R&D…

Botswana Diamonds said today that it will start a drilling programme in Orapa, Botswana in the third week of September. The two targets to be drilled are in the northern part of the 2.9 sq km PL117 block. The targets, identified from recent work by Sunland Minerals, the 50/50 joint venture between Alrosa and Botswana Diamonds, are prospective for the discovery of kimberlite bodies. Verification drilling depth will be 100 metres and after the core is studied in Botswana, specimens and samples will be sent for analysis to St Petersburg. The final report from Sunland Minerals prepared by Alrosa geologists that will outline opportunities arising from the detailed analysis of…