Tablet firm swallowed

FOOD delivery operator Just Eat has acquired Practi, a software service that provides independent restaurants and small chains with tablet-based point-of-sale systems.

The deal, for an initial £ 6.7m, is meant to strengthen its relationship with restaurant partners It will see the delivery giant deploy new tablets or install Practi software on Just Eat orderpads to provide a system dealing with payment handling, management and kitchen operations.

Just Eat interim chief executive Peter Duffy said restaurants were calling for this type of software. It follows a £22m deal to buy software provider Flyt in January. Shares rose 0.8pc, or 5.8p, to 738.8p.