Category: Austria

Schoenherr has advised Erste Group Bank on Breiteneder Immobilien Parking Group’s invitation to existing holders to exchange their notes issued in 2018 for the recently issued Breiteneder Immobilien Parking 4.875% notes 2024-2030. The firm also advised Erste Group Bank as the lead manager and Oberbank as co-lead manager on the subsequent successful tap issue of the 2024-2030 notes. CMS advised the issuer.

Breiteneder Immobilien Parking Group is a developer, owner, and operator of parking and mobility infrastructure and projects in other asset classes in Central and Southeastern Europe.

According to Schoenherr, “the two notes tranches with an aggregate principal amount of EUR 80 million were issued under the EUR 150 million debt issuance program of Breiteneder Immobilien Parking Group. The bonds issued under Austrian law bear interest at 4.875%, mature in 2030, and are irrevocably and unconditionally guaranteed by Breiteneder Immobilien Parking. The Breiteneder Immobilien Parking 4.875% notes 2024-2030 were successfully placed both in the course of the exchange offer as well as during the subsequent tap issue.”

The Schoenherr team included Partner Christoph Moser, Attorney at Law Angelika Fischer, and Associate Daniel Gritsch.

The CMS team included Partners Martin Zuffer, Walter Gapp, and Philipp Mark, Attorney at Law Shivam Subhash, and Associate Lucas Dummer.

E+H, working with McDermott Will & Emery, has advised Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated on its acquisition of Apeiron Biologics. Baker McKenzie advised Apeiron’s shareholders. Dorda reportedly advised Apeiron.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company that invests in the clinical development and commercialization of high-value drugs.

Apeiron is a biopharmaceutical company based in Vienna. It holds the royalty rights to the cancer drug Qarziba that it co-developed.

According to E+H, “upon closing of the transaction, Ligand shall acquire all the outstanding shares of Apeiron for USD 100 million in cash. Ligand will also pay Apeiron shareholders additional consideration based on future commercial and regulatory events, including up to USD 28 million if royalties from Apeiron’s co-developed drug Qarziba exceed certain pre-determined thresholds.”

The E+H team included Partners Alric Ofenheimner, Jana Eichmeyer, Judith Feldner, Florian Sagmeister, Helmut Liebel, and Andreas Zellhofer, Attorney at Law Helena Neuner, and Associates Adrian Walser, Vincenz Stockert, Georg Ball, Yvonne Handler, Marcel Neuhauser, and Rene Renner.

The Baker McKenzie team included Partners Gerhard Hermann, Claudia Fochtmann-Tischler, Lukas Feiler, and Peter Wand, Counsel Philipp Stanek, Senior Associate Andrea Haiden, Associates Ladislav Bulajcsik, Klara Kastner, Jakob Jaritz, and Siba Auf, Junior Associate Silvia Grohmann, and Legal Intern Constantin Huber.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has advised Barclays Bank Ireland on the sale of assets and liabilities that comprise its German consumer finance business – Consumer Bank Europe – to BAWAG P.S.K. Hengeler Mueller advised BAWAG. Reportedly, BPV Huegel and Mason Hayes & Curran advised BAWAG as well.

The transaction remains contingent on regulatory approval.

BAWAG P.S.K. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BAWAG Group AG. 

According to Freshfields, “Consumer Bank Europe is a diversified retail banking business, with established credit card, consumer loan, and deposit franchises serving customers in the German and Austrian markets. As of March 31, 2024, Consumer Bank Europe had gross assets of EUR 4.7 billion, primarily comprising card and loan receivables.”

The Freshfields team included Vienna-based Partner Florian Klimscha, Counsel Michal Dobrowolski, Principal Associate Eva Schneider, and Associates Mattias Koeck and Angelika Holzer, Londong-based Partners Claire Wills and Andy Robinson, Frankfurt-based Partners Janina Heinz, Alexander Glos, and Robin Helmke, Principal Associates Jan Biermann and Marius Raetz, and Associates Hans-Ulrich Kloeppel, Bernardo Mora, and Judith Bremer, Hamburg-based Partners Patrick Cichy, Alexander Schwahn, Philipp Dohnke, and Boris Dzida, Counsel Marius Scherb, Principal Associates Tobias Franz, Cosmas Weigel, and Judith Roemer, and Associates Aleksandar Atanasov, Valentin Mueller, Martin Hadler, Bruno Gebhardi, Daniel Extra, and Jan Kothe, and Brussels-based Associate Jonas Levermann. 

The Hengeler Mueller team included Frankfurt-based Partners Johannes Adolff, Thomas Lang, Thomas Mueller, Dirk Bliesener, and Christian Hoefs, Counsels Martin Peters, Jan Letto Steffen, and Sebastian Heinrichs, and Associates Moritz Weidemann, Maximilian Kunzelmann, Lea Sophie Grohmann, Christian Voigt, Antonius Rodewig, Julia Tittel, Konrad Schaefer, Philip Falk, Moritz Bach, Hannah Schuetz, Julie Stratmann, Gerrit Toenningsen, Pascal Brandt, Stefan Kress, Maximilian Maucher, and Patrick Schmidt, Berlin-based Partner Jens Wenzel and Associates Nicolas Kutscher, Kevin Marschhaeuser, Roman Kalin, and Lukas von Ditfurth, Dusseldorf-based Partners Hartwin Bungert and Philipp Otto Neideck, Counsels Matthias Rothkopf, Andrea Schlaffge, and Christian Dankerl, and Associates Moritz Koch, Julia Gramer, Kim Josefine Weisser, and Sven Botthaeuser, and Munich-based Partner Markus Ernst, Counsel Carolin Raspe, and Associate Sara Dietz.

Binder Groesswang has advised Addnode Group on its acquisition of Prime Aerostructures from Roland Zeillinger and Andreas Szadeczky-Kardoss. KPMG Legal advised the sellers.

Addnode Group acquires, operates, and develops companies in the field of digitalization, is a provider of software and services for design, construction, product data, and facility management, and supports the public sector with solutions for document and case management.

Prime Aerostructures is a Dassault Systemes company in the aerospace industry, specializing in aerostructures and using technology and services to develop lightweight, high-performance components.

According to Binder Groesswang, “the acquisition was made via Technia, a subsidiary of the Addnode Group, which operates in the Product Lifecycle Management division.”

The Binder Groesswang team included Partners Andreas Hable, Johannes Barbist, Regina Kroell, and Angelika Pallwein-Prettner, Senior Associate Vilma-Reeta Maarit Kivilahti, and Associates Michael Mittermair, Armin Nimmrichter, Inka Essl, and Florian Defrancesco.

The KPMG Legal team included Partners Stephanie Sauer, Wendelin Ettmayer, and Elisabeth Wasinger and Senior Associate Lisa Jobst.

E+H has promoted Arndt Blaschka to Partner.

Focusing on real estate and property transactions as well as real estate development, public-private partnerships, and infrastructure projects, Blaschka has been with E+H for 10 years, having joined in 2014.

“I am very pleased about the trust that E+H has placed in me,” said Blaschka. “This appointment is a real milestone in my career. It’s great to see that hard work and commitment are being recognized. I am looking forward to the new challenges and to continuing to provide our clients with first-class advice together with our fantastic team.”

“We are incredibly proud to welcome Arndt Blaschka to the partnership,” added Senior Partner Alric Ofenheimer. “He has proven to be an indispensable part of our team through his expertise and tireless commitment. It is always special when we can promote talented colleagues from within our own ranks.”

Wolf Theiss has advised Bob W on its entry into the Austrian market via a long-term lease agreement with Viennese developer Peter Pilz & Partner Projektentwicklungs, reportedly advised by Puschner Spernbauer Rosenauer.

Bob W is a Finnish tech-powered hospitality provider. According to Wolf Theiss, it is “offering a smarter alternative to mainstream hotels and traditional short-term rentals. Sustainably operated, design-led full-service aparthotels combine the consistent quality and aesthetics of a lifestyle hotel with the personal touch and amenities of a short-term rental.”

The Wolf Theiss team included Partner Birgit Kraml, Counsel Doris Buxbaum, and Senior Associate Maximilian Benke.

Binder Groesswang, working with Gernandt & Danielsson and Chiomenti, has advised Nordstjernan and Etac on its acquisition of Klaxon Mobility.

Klaxon, founded in 2015, specializes in the development and production of power assist solutions for people in wheelchairs.

Etac, a portfolio company of Nordstjernan, develops and supplies assistive devices for people with disabilities and patient mobility products.

The Binder Groesswang team included Partners Philipp Kapl, Christian Wimpissinger, and Horst Lukanec, Counsel Hellmut Buchroithner, Senior Associates Vilma Kivilahti and Elena Rathmayr, and Associates Matija Bernat, Armin Nimmrichter, and Manuela Wenger.

Binder Groesswang could not provide additional information on the matter.

Schoenherr has advised Liechtensteinische Landesbank on the acquisition of Zuercher Kantonalbank Oesterreich with offices in Vienna and Salzburg. Binder Groesswang advised Zuercher Kantonalbank.

The transaction remains contingent on regulatory approval.

Alongside Liechtenstein and Switzerland, Austria is one of the LLB Group’s three home markets. It operates in the wealth management business. Zuercher Kantonalbank is a universal bank in the Zurich economic area. 

According to Schoenherr, “the acquisition of Zuercher Kantonalbank comprises client assets totaling around EUR 3.1 billion. In a second step, ZKB Austria is to merge with Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG.”

In 2018, Schoenherr advised Liechtensteinische Landesbank on its acquisition of Semper Constantia Privatbank (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on January 11, 2018).

The Schoenherr team included Partners Maximilian Lang, Christian Herbst, Peter Feyl, Volker Weiss, Teresa Waidmann, and Constantin Benes, Counsel Matthias Pressler, Attorney at Law Beatrix Schima, and Associate Markus Fasching.

The Binder Groesswang team included Partner Thomas Schirmer, Attorney at Law Felix Fuith, and Associate Christopher Marchel.

Cerha Hempel has advised the RWTUV Group on its investment in ISN – Innovation Network Service.

Founded in 1872, the RWTUV Group is a group of technology service providers with business units specializing in Insurance Services, Telecommunications, and Energy & Environment. 

ISN – Innovation Service Network is an innovation management company.

The Cerha Hempel team included Partner Thomas Trettnak, Senior Associate Marcus Lusar, Senior Attorney at Law Roman Heidinger, Associate Teresa Skerlan, and Junior Associate Philipp Gstrein.

CMS has advised Neveon on a joint venture with Brantner Green Solutions. E+H reportedly advised Brantner.

The transaction remains contingent on regulatory approval.

Neveon is a flexible and composite polyurethane foam producer and processor.

Brantner Green Solutions provides recycling and waste management services to municipalities and commercial clients.

The CMS team included Vienna-based Partners Alexander Rakosi, Dieter Zandler, and Gabriela Staber, Senior Associate Marie-Christine Lidl, and Associates Isabella Redl and Alexander Sommergruber.