Laughton Rainsfords, the Birmingham personal care products group, has acquired Thomas Cork, a Nottingham-based non-food merchandising company with a Dublin outlet, for £32.5 million sterling.

The Dublin office employs 35 people and is understood to generate sales of about £4 million sterling. It sells products to the major supermarket groups in the Republic and Northern Ireland including Dunnes, Quinnsworth, Superquinn, Wellworth and Stewarts. The enlarged group will employ 2,000 people with sales of £108 million.