Interactive Investor has agreed to buy investment rival The Share Centre in a deal worth £61.9 million.
Shares in Share plc jumped after the cash-and-share deal was revealed on Monday.
Manchester-based Interactive Investor (II) is currently the UK's second largest online investment broker and has agreed the acquisition of the retail-focused online stockbroker as it continues its rapid expansion.
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Richard Wilson, chief executive officer of II, said the shared values and strengths of the combined group will "reinforce its position as a leader in the retail investment services marketplace".
Share saw its stock price increase by 13.8% to 33p.
Holiday park operator Parkdean Resorts has said it plans to invest £80 million into four of its sites this year as it reported a jump in revenues for 2019.
The holiday firm, which operates in 67 locations across the UK, said it plans to pump the funds into a pilot Parks Of The Future initiative which it said will improve accommodation, park facilities and create children's activities such as a Bear Grylls Survival Academy.
The investment comes after it posted 4% like-for-like revenue growth to £453.2 million for 2019, after a 6% increase in the number of holiday packages it sold.
Meanwhile, the firm said that adjusted earnings before tax and interest increased by 7% to £103.7 million.
The Japanese economy shrank at an annual pace of 6.3% last quarter as growth was battered by typhoons and crimped consumer spending.
The seasonally adjusted economic data released on Monday by the Cabinet Office comes amid looming fears about the economic damage expected from the new coronavirus viral illness Covid-19.
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Japan's gross domestic product (GDP) slipped 1.6% in the last three months of 2019 quarter-on-quarter.
The contraction for the October-December period was the first Japan had in more than a year. The amount of decline was the worst in some five years.
The news sent the Nikkei 225 benchmark stock index falling in trading Monday.
Domestic demand fell in the quarter at an annual pace of 8.0%.
Hurting people's spending was the rise in Japan's consumption tax from 8% to 10% in October.
Both exports and imports fell during the quarter. The new viral illness is likely to affect various aspects of the economy.
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