Irish food and distribution group DCC has purchased Liverpool-based gas distributor Altagas for €16 million.
Altagas is a marketer and distributor of cylinder butane and propane and has 23 depots throughout Britain employing 254 people.
DCC markets and distributes LPG in Britain and Ireland under the Flogas brand. The acquisition of Altagas increases DCC's share of the British LPG market to about 10 per cent.
The assets acquired include depots, a significant cylinder population and a number of brands, including the Altagas brand.
DCC chief executive Mr Jim Flavin said: "Consolidation has been a feature of the British LPG market in recent years and this acquisition places DCC firmly among the market leaders".
