THE business of buying and selling small firms is to be transformed by the sale of a national agency with a Kent base in a £1.3 million deal.

Redwoods Business Agents and Valuers has teamed up with the Aim-listed Dipford Group to create a growing network of branded agencies across the country.

The London and South East regional office based in Tonbridge has handled scores of sales and purchases in the past few years, many in Kent and including a number of post offices. It is one of 10 Redwoods offices across the country.

Dipford, which is based in Bristol, intends doubling the size of the network after buying the assets and goodwill of Redwoods. It wants to establish Redwoods as a bigger national brand in the business transfer market.

Nigel Hubble, Redwoods South East regional executive, said: "This is excellent news for both buyers and sellers in our area. Our move to Dipford will give Redwoods the additional marketing, management and financial resources to enable us to achieve our expansion plans whilst maintaining our current very high levels of service.

" It will also mean a wider choice of buyers for local businesses in Kent and Greater London who wish to sell"

Jonathan Custance Baker, Dipford executive chairman and City of London high-flier, said: "Redwoods is a major player in the business transfer market and provides us with the perfect platform on which to build a national network."

Dipford was floated on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange in February with the intention of focusing on corporate brokerage and business transfer.