Household names based across the North West have been involved in a series of high-profile deals over the last seven days.
The likes of JD Sports, Sosandar and Castore are among those to have been involved.
Below, BusinessLive has rounded up six of the biggest deals from across the region from the last seven days we feel you should not miss.
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If you have a new deal that you would like featured in our next round up, please e-mail jon.robinson@reachplc.com.
JD Sports
JD Sports has completed the sale of five brands to Mike Ashley's Frasers Group.
The Greater Manchester-headquartered giant has sold Tessuti (inc Xile), Scotts, Choice, Giulio and Cricket to the owner of Sports Direct and House of Fraser.
The deal was first announced in December when an agreement was reached for JD Sports to dispose of 15 brands.
The overall deal was agreed for up to £47.5m and is to be paid by Frasers Group's existing cash resources.
However, it has also been announced that Rascal Clothing has been withdrawn from the transaction after one of the founders exercised a pre-emption right.
Sosandar
Sosandar has raised around £5.4m in a bid to expand its range after recently signing a major deal with Sainsbury's.
The Cheshire-based fashion secured the funding boost through the placing new stocks.
In a statement issued to the London Stock Exchange, the company said it intends to use the net proceeds of the placing "primarily to accelerate the execution of its omni-channel strategy through further investment in stock, enabling increased provision of Sosandar's product range in-store with third party partners including Sainsbury's from autumn winter 2023 onwards".
Pro-Motion Hire
Jobs have been saved after a Greater Manchester firm that hires out film and TV equipment was bought out of administration.
Newton Heath-based Pro-Motion Hire has been acquired by Pixipixel Rental for an undisclosed sum.
The deal, which was secured by administrators from business advisory firm Quantuma, has saved all 28 jobs.
Castore
Sportswear brand Castore is in talks with investors over a $200m cash injection, according to reports over the weekend.
The Manchester-headquartered company is working with Rothschild to secure the extra funding, Sky News has said.
The business was founded by Liverpudlian brothers Phil and Tom Beahon and counts the likes of Andy Murray and the billionaire Issa brothers, who own Asda, among its shareholders.
In October, BusinessLive reported that sales and profits surged at the company as it created almost 140 jobs during its latest financial year.
VidiVet
Liverpool-based vet technology company VidiVet has closed its latest seed funding round early after raising £310,000 to fuel its growth and continued development.
The VidiVet app gives pet owners immediate access to a UK registered vet, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it’s already being used by more than 10,000 people.
VidiVet currently employs a 33-strong team and the majority of this latest £310,000 investment came from business angels and existing investors, along with several well-known names in the veterinary industry.
The business was founded by vet Ben Sweeney in 2020 and has already benefitted after securing a future fund loan from the British Business Bank.
Northcoders
Manchester-headquartered Northcoders has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire Tech Returners for £1.576m.
Founded in 2016, Tech Returners specialises in remote training and placing of senior level professionals looking to re-enter the workplace in the technology sector.
Its corporate clients have included global brands such as Auto Trader, BBC, booking.com, checkout.com, The Guardian, Holiday Extras, Lloyds, On the Beach and the Telegraph.
The founders of Tech Returners will join the Northcoders senior leadership team on completion.
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