A Squire Patton Boggs cross-border corporate finance team advised the shareholders of Berlin-based DirectSmile GmbH on its acquisition by Silicon Valley-based Electronics for Imaging, Inc. (EFI), a world leader in customer-focused digital printing innovation.

An award-winning provider of software solutions for cross media marketing automation, DirectSmile invented image personalization in 2001. Through the acquisition, DirectSmile’s technologies will expand EFI’s client base and provide customers with fully integrated, cross media technologies.

Slaughter and May advised Palamon Capital Partners, one of Europe's leading mid-market private equity firms, and its portfolio company, Retail Decisions, on the sale of Retail Decisions to ACI Worldwide for US$205 million. Retail Decisions is a leading global provider of payment fraud technology and services to merchants, card issuers, acquirers and processors. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.

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Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co's Energy team has advised longstanding client Carron Energy, part of Welsh Power Group, on its disposal of three power response businesses.

Carron Energy sold the businesses - Darent Power Limited, Leven Power Limited and Rhymney Power Limited - to Alkane Energy plc for £12 million.

Director and corporate energy sector specialist Gareth Baker led a cross-firm team through the technically challenging sale.

DLA Piper has advised the shareholders of Tricontes GmbH on the sale of the company to Capita International Limited. The sale of the company took place within the framework of a 100 per cent share deal.

Tricontes GmbH is one of the leading providers of telemarketing and call centre services in Germany.

Shoosmiths' partner Adam Dowdney has advised on a multi-million pound investment in packaging company Softbox.

The national law firm has advised the shareholders of Softbox Systems Limited - a market-leading manufacturer and distributor of temperature controlled packaging systems and solutions to the pharmaceutical industry - on the strategic majority investment by US private equity firm Great Point Partners.

Macfarlanes has advised PizzaExpress senior management on the sale of the restaurant chain to Chinese investment group Hony Capital for £900m.

The PizzaExpress chain has over 400 restaurants in the UK, is being bought by Hony Capital from the London-based private equity firm Cinven.

The Macfarlanes team was led by head of M&A Ian Martin.

Clifford Chance has advised ESG GmbH & Co. KG on the purchase of RTS Realtime Systems Aktiengesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main, to Bloomberg L.P., New York.

RTS is a leading global provider of market connectivity and trading tools for equities, futures, options, FX and fixed income trading. The acquisition will broaden Bloomberg’s exchange connectivity through RTS's existing global network of data centres.

RTS has more than 150 employees, including experts in developing local market connectivity solutions throughout Europe, Asia and the United States.

Travers Smith private equity partner Paul Dolman has advised Bridgepoint on the sale of SPTS Technologies Group, a UK-based leading global manufacturer of wafer-processing equipment for the semiconductor device manufacturing industry, to Orbotech Ltd. for $365 million.

Shoosmiths has advised Scientific Analysis Laboratories (SAL) and Resource and Environmental Consultants (REC) shareholders on their sale to new Manchester-based scientific laboratory and consultancy business Concept Life Sciences in a deal worth $80m.

A Travers Smith team led by corporate partner Helen Croke advised long standing clients Bridgepoint Development Capital ("BDC"), a major international private equity firm, and the shareholders of Pulsant, the provider of IT infrastructure services, on the sale and final exit of Pulsant to Oak Hill Capital Partners.

Travers Smith was previously involved in the formation of Pulsant on all four 'buy and build' acquisitions of Lumison, Blue Square Data, Dedipower and ScoLocate.