July 1 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1345 GMT on Monday:
** German publisher Axel Springer SPRGn.DE said that its Stepstone jobs portal had bought an 85% stake in Appcast, a U.S. technology company specialising in so-called programmatic advertising, for around 70 million euros ($79 million).
Performance Food Group Co PFGC.N said it would buy privately held rival Reinhart Foodservice LLC in a deal valued at $2 billion, as the foodservice distributor looks to build scale and expand its geographic reach.
Canada's Brookfield Asset Management Inc BAMa.TO and Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC agreed to buy U.S. freight railroad owner Genesee & Wyoming Inc GWR.N for about $6.4 billion in cash.
U.S. chip gear maker Applied Materials Inc AMAT.O agreed to buy Japan's Kokusai Electric for $2.2 billion in cash from investment firm KKR & Co Inc KKR.N , as it bets on rising demand for memory chips.
FWD Group is acquiring the life insurance business of Thailand's Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) SCB.BK for 92.7 billion baht ($3 billion) in Southeast Asia's biggest insurance M&A deal, broadening a rapid Asian expansion by the Hong Kong-based firm.
Lonza Group LONN.S is buying a drug bottling plant from Novartis NOVN.S in northern Switzerland as the Swiss drug ingredients maker fills a gap in its offering for drugmakers seeking to outsource production.
French aeronautics company Latecoere LAEP.PA said it would examine a 365 million euros ($414 million) takeover offer from investment firm Searchlight Capital.
Fund manager Glennmont Partners will take a 25% stake in the Gode Wind 1 project off the coast of Germany, it said, marking its first investment in offshore wind.
Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co 8031.T and state-owned JOGMEC are still in talks with trading firm Mitsubishi Corp 8058.T over the latter joining a venture that will take a stake in Russia's Arctic LNG-2 project, Mitsui said.
Cembra Money Bank CMBN.S is expanding in Swiss consumer finance by buying Cashgate from Aduno Holding AG for 277 million Swiss francs ($282 million) as the domestic market for personal loans and auto leases and loans consolidates.
Port operator DP World Plc DPW.DI will buy Topaz Energy and Marine Limited for $1 billion from Standard Chartered STAN.L and Renaissance Services, DP World said.