Bookmaker Boylesports is buying nine betting shops from rival Bambury in a deal announced on Friday.

Boylesports has agreed to buy Bambury shops in counties Kildare, Meath and Dublin, subject to the approval of mergers watchdog, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

If the commission appoves the sale, the Bambury shops will be rebranded as Boylesports and all 31 staff working there will transfer to the new owner.

The purchase will bring the number of Boylesports shops in Ireland to 219.

Jimmy and Barbara Finlay (née Bambury) founded the business in 1980 and grew it to serve the east Leinster area.

Commenting on the agreement, Boylesports founder and chief executive, John Boyle, said that Mr Finlay and his family had built a "great business".

Mr Finlay said Bambury customers could expect the same level of care from the shops’ new owner as from his company.