Category: Deals and Cases

Noerr has advised Saint-Gobain on its acquisition of plasters, paints, and coatings producer Revco Hungary. CEE Attorneys advised the sellers.

“The acquisition of Revco Hungary will help the Saint-Gobain Group to expand its indoor and outdoor systems and solutions in Hungary and the surrounding countries,” Noerr informed. “In addition, it will enrich its product range with a wide range of paints.”

Saint-Gobain is a construction and other materials producer. Revco Hungary is a plasters and paints in buckets manufacturer that also produces primers and surface treatment materials, footing products, and glazes.

The Noerr team was led by Hungary-based Counsel Akos Mates-Lanyi and Attorney-at-Law Eszter Hegedus and included Senior Counsel Peter Stauber and Junior Associate Virag Ablonczy, Romania-based Partner Rusandra Sandu, Senior Associate Alexandru Dan, and Lawyer Cristina Stamboli, as well as Slovakia-based Attorney-at-Law Adam Pichler.

The CEE Attorneys team was led by Budapest-based Partner Aliz David and included Partner Tamas Felsmann and Senior Associate Erika Sukosd. 

CMS has advised the Alpla Group on establishing a pharmaceutical packaging market joint venture with Spain’s Inden Pharma.

“The Alpla Group and Inden Pharma have strengthened their presence in the pharmaceutical market by founding a joint venture,” CMS informed. “Alpla Pharma is contributing production sites in Greece and Poland to the cooperation and Inden Pharma two plants in Spain. Together they plan to set up a site in Germany and triple their production over the next five years.”

The Alpla Group is an Austrian plastics manufacturer and plastics recycler, specializing in blow-molded bottles and caps, injection-molded parts, preforms, and tubes.

The CMS team was led by Austria-based Partner Alexander Rakosi and included Partners Hans Lederer and Dieter Zandler, Lawyers Florian Mayer and Vanessa Horaceck, Associates Anna Hiegelsperger, Livia Landskron, and Ramona Mujanovic, Legal Assistants Rupert Riedl and Hannah Gierlinger, Legal Trainee Rebecca Herlitz, as well as Poland-based Partner Blazej Zagorski, Senior Associate Joanna Bialoskorska, Lawyer Aleksandra Dalecka, and teams from the firm’s Spanish and German offices.

Editor’s Note: After this article was published, CEE Legal Matters learned that Herbert Smith Freehills Spain reportedly advised Inden Pharma.

Greenberg Traurig has advised the Cromwell Property Group Poland on its sale of the Wisniowy Business Park office complex in Warsaw to an unidentified Hungarian investor through a share deal. 

According to the firm, the Wisniowy Business Park is an office complex featuring BREEAM green certification that offers over 40,000 square meters of leasable area.

Cromwell is an Australian Stock Exchange-listed internally managed real estate investment trust. The company has security holders in 22 countries.

The Greenberg Traurig team included Partner Maciej Jodkowski, Senior Associate Karol Lewandowski, Associate Alicja Kwiatkowska, and Paralegal Hanna Zaboklicka.

Greenberg Traurig was unable to disclose further information on the deal.

CMS has advised DPE Deutsche Private Equity on the sale of its stake in the VTU Group to winning bidder Altor Fonds. Milbank and E+H advised Altor Fonds.

The transaction remains contingent on regulatory approval.

According to CMS, “DPE is selling its stake in the VTU Group, a leading European provider of engineering solutions for the life science industry based in Graz, to Altor Funds. The Swedish private equity firm, which invests in mid-sized companies with the aim of creating value through growth initiatives and operational improvements, prevailed in a bidding process.”

The CMS team included Austria-based Partners Alexander Rakosi, Jens Winter, and Dieter Zandler, Lawyers Florian Mayer, Marco Selenic, Mariella Kapoun, and Marlene Wimmer-Nistelberger, and Associates Christoph Birner, Shima Babanzadeh, Maximilian Uidl, and Thomas Aspalter; Romania-based Partner Rodica Manea and Associate Simona Strava; Poland-based Partner Blazej Zagorski and Senior Associate Magdalena Zmyslowska; with further team members in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Belgium.

The E+H team included Partners Philipp Schrader, Helmut Liebel, Jana Eichmeyer, and Laurenz Liedermann, Attorney at Law Steve Jeitler, and Associates Rene Renner, Titus Kahr, Florian Vidreis, and Adrian Walser.

Cerha Hempel Hungary and the SOG Law Firm have been appointed as members of an international legal consortium to screen potential companies and advise on investments by the Emirate of Dubai’s “Operation 300 Billion” program. The consortium also reportedly includes the Boros Arpad Andras law firm in Budapest.

“The ten-year comprehensive strategy of the United Arab Emirates launched in March 2021 aims to empower and expand the industrial sector to become the driving force of a sustainable national economy, increasing its contribution to national GDP from AED 133 billion at present to AED 300 billion by 2031,” Cerha Hempel informed.

According to SOG, Sheikh Rashid Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum, a member of Dubai’s ruling family, announced that he would offer cooperation opportunities for companies in Central and South Eastern Europe to participate in the national development program called “Operation 300 billion.”

“As the owner of RAM Investment – DXB Holding, Sheikh Rashid Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum hired an international legal consortium of three leading law firms to screen and advise potential companies,” SOG added. “In addition to SOG, two Hungarian law firms are part of the consortium. The law office of Boros Arpad Andras – which specializes in the energy, financial, and investment sectors of the Central and Eastern Europe region – leads the Consortium, and Cerha Hempel, whose executive partner is Polauf Tamas – known for its consulting solutions and decades of experience in international commercial transactions and corporate matters.”

The Cerha Hempel team is led by Managing Partner Tamas Polauf.

The SOG team is led by Partner Milan Samardzic.

Clifford Chance has advised a club of Czech banks led by Ceska Sporitelna on their financing for the Rohlik Group. White & Case advised Rohlik.

According to Clifford Chance, the financing banks also included BNP Paribas and J&T Banka.

Founded in 2014, the Rohlik Group is a grocery online delivery service in the Czech Republic and CEE.

Last year, White & Case also advised the Rohlik Group on its EUR 220 million series D financing round (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on June 24, 2022). 

The Clifford Chance team included Czech Republic-based Partner Milos Felgr, Senior Associate Hana Cekalova, and Junior Lawyer Tomas Kubala, Romania-based Counsel Cosmin Anghel and Trainee Lawyer Nicolae Grasu, as well as teams from the firm’s German, Italian, and Spanish offices.

The White & Case team was led by Prague-based Partners Petr Hudec and Jonathan Weinberg and included Counsel Petr Smerkl and Associate Jakub Kopacek, as well as teams from the firm’s Hamburg, Milan, and Madrid offices.

Clifford Chance has advised a club of Czech banks led by Ceska Sporitelna on their financing for the Rohlik Group. White & Case advised Rohlik.

According to Clifford Chance, the financing banks also included BNP Paribas and J&T Banka.

Founded in 2014, the Rohlik Group is a grocery online delivery service in the Czech Republic and CEE.

Last year, White & Case also advised the Rohlik Group on its EUR 220 million series D financing round (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on June 24, 2022). 

The Clifford Chance team included Czech Republic-based Partner Milos Felgr, Senior Associate Hana Cekalova, and Junior Lawyer Tomas Kubala, Romania-based Counsel Cosmin Anghel and Trainee Lawyer Nicolae Grasu, as well as teams from the firm’s German, Italian, and Spanish offices.

The White & Case team was led by Prague-based Partners Petr Hudec and Jonathan Weinberg and included Counsel Petr Smerkl and Associate Jakub Kopacek, as well as teams from the firm’s Hamburg, Milan, and Madrid offices.

Dentons has advised HB Reavis on obtaining a EUR 475 million financing from Santander Bank Polska, Bank Pekao, Helaba, and Berlin Hyp for the development of the Varso Place building complex in Warsaw. DLA Piper reportedly advised the lenders.

Varso Place is located near the Warsaw Central Station and consists of three buildings comprising 144,000 square meters of leasable space, including offices, a hotel, an innovation center, and retail units.

HB Reavis is a Bratislava-headquartered company that invests in, designs, builds, and manages buildings, including company headquarters, retail malls, and co-working spaces. The company operates in the UK, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Germany.

“Once again, the loan for Varso Place confirms our strong position on the European real estate market,” HB Reavis CFO Peter Pecnik commented. “In such demanding times, we remain a stable and reliable partner for the leading financial institutions within the region. This is a good prognosis before the start of the new projects we are planning in key markets in Poland, the UK, and Germany. We are convinced that, like Varso Place, they will be first-class investments and market benchmarks in terms of quality, sustainable solutions, and tenant portfolios.”

Dentons previously advised HB Reavis on the initial EUR 350 million financing granted to its three subsidiaries by a syndicate of Santander Bank Polska, Helaba, Bank Pekao, and UniCredit for the construction of Varso Place in Warsaw (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on March 20, 2019). 

The Dentons team was led by Warsaw-based Partner Bartosz Nojek and included Partners Dariusz Stolarek, Michal Wasiak, and Katarzyna Bilewska, Counsel Wojciech Lysek, Senior Associates Aleksandra Czyz and Maciej Sopel, Associates Mateusz Ciechomski, Natalia Greiner, and Radoslaw Zygadlo, Bratislava-based Counsel Petra Strbova and Associate David Stanek, as well as a team from the firm’s Luxembourg office.

Kocian Solc Balastik and PwC Slovakia have advised Sandberg Capital on its acquisition of a 70% stake in Phase.

“The entry of a new investor will allow Phase to expand the number of stores and product portfolio and also brings the potential for expansion abroad,” PwC announced.

Established in 2007, Phase specializes in the design and sale of sofas, with 26 stores in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Sandberg Capital is an investment management company that invests in small and medium-sized companies in the Slovak Republic and CEE.

KSB previously advised Sandberg Capital on its acquisitions of the Green Fox Academy (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on November 8, 2022) and Daktela (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on July 2, 2021). 

The KSB team included Managing Partner Pavel Dejl, Partner Drahomir Tomasuk, Lawyers Jan Beres and Martin Vrab, and Junior Lawyer Karolina Vosatkova.

The PwC Legal team included Senior Lawyer Jana Borska working alongside a PwC deals advisory team.

The firms did not respond to our inquiry regarding the counterparty’s counsel.

Editor’s Note: After this article was published, PwC Legal announced it had advised Sandberg Capital in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The firm’s updated team included Senior Lawyers Jana Borska and Daniel Pikal and Junior Lawyer Barbora Satrova, working alongside a PwC deals advisory team.

Baker McKenzie, Divjak Topic Bahtijarevic & Krka, and Marek Partners have advised the Migros Group and its start-up incubator Sparrow Ventures on their investment in Revendo. Baer & Karrer advised Revendo’s founders.

Founded in Basel in 2018, Revendo is a Swiss start-up specializing in the upcycling of electrical appliances, in particular mobile phones.

The Migros Group (Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund) is a Zurich-headquartered company providing services in cooperative retail trade, trade, industry and wholesale, financial services, and traveling.

The Baker McKenzie team included Vienna-based Counsel Wolgang Eigner and Associates Markus Sacherer, Andrea Haiden, and Martina Grama, as well as a team from the firm’s Zurich office.

The DTB team included Senior Partner Damir Topic, Attorneys-at-Law Dina Salapic and Dominik Glavina, and Trainee Anella Bukovic.

The Marek Partners team included Partners Stefan Artner and Tibor Sovcik and Senior Associate Peter Kovac.