Intertek (LON:ITRK) , the FTSE 100 quality and safety services group, has announced a clutch of acquisitions and a robust set of half year results which together helped drive up its shares by nearly 5.5 percent to 2019p during morning trading. It is paying around £11.5 million for three businesses, including Food Analytical Laboratory Ltd, Recherche, Developpement & Consulting - Bruxelles SA and QinetiQ’s (LON:QQ.) UK Fuel and Lubricants Testing Business. It said the deals represented further progress in its strategy to add new expertise and capabilities across the supply chain in order to meet customer demand.

In its results, Intertek, whose services span auditing, inspection, testing, quality assurance and certification, said that revenues in the first six months had grown by 17 percent to £763 million; including constant currency organic growth of 8.3 percent. Pre-tax profits grew by 14 percent to £110.6 million and the interim dividend was increased by 15 percent to 10.7p per share. Elsewhere, Intertek said that the integration of Moody International, the energy consultancy that it paid £450 million for in March, was delivering savings ahead of schedule. It also said that it was restructuring its finance and IT functions to save £10 million per year by 2014.

Among the acquisitions, the group is paying £6 million for Food Analytical Laboratory Ltd, which is a food testing laboratory that provides chemical and microbiological services for food producers in the UK. It will now form part of Intertek’s Industry & Assurance division, adding its laboratory to the division’s existing Food & Agri auditing, food regulatory and advisory services.

Recherche, Developpement & Consulting - Bruxelles SA specialises in environmental impact consulting for consumer products industries. The Brussels-based company was purchased for approximately £5 million and brings highly complementary expertise to Intertek clients seeking to reduce their product packaging, organisation and overall supply chain environmental impact. It will form part of the Consumer Goods division.

Finally, the QinetiQ UK Fuel and Lubricants Testing Business (OALTB), a fuel and lubricant analysis and consulting business in the UK, has been acquired QinetiQ for £0.5 million. Intertek said the business would enhance its expert testing capabilities in the energy and transport sector, whilst adding incremental sales volumes to the group’s existing fuel and lubricants testing services in the UK and overseas. It will form part of Intertek’s Chemicals &…

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