Category: Deals and Cases

Rymarz Zdort has advised telecom infrastructure operator Cellnex Poland on its full acquisition of Remer. Alto advised Remer.

Spanish Cellnex Group company Cellnex Poland operates wireless telecommunications infrastructure in Europe. The Cellnex Group manages a portfolio of 138,000 telecommunications masts and antennas in 12 countries in Europe.

Remer is a Polish building infrastructure integrator specializing in telecommunications installations. According to Rymarz Zdort, the company creates modern telecommunications networks using the distributed antenna system, allowing for the provision of excellent telecommunications coverage in buildings, tunnels, offices, shopping centers, and stadiums.

“We believe that this collaboration will help us deliver even the largest and most complex projects. Together with Cellnex, we will be able to better tailor our offer for specific customers – telecommunications network operators, developers, and building managers,” a Remer press statement read.

The Rymarz Zdort team included Partners Magdalena Pyzik-Walag, Marek Maciag, and Monika Kierepa, Counsel Marek Kanczew, Senior Associates Honorata Skibicka and Barbara Skardzinska, and Associates Marcin Banak, Kamila Banas, Hubert Derdowski, Kamil Klopocki, and Karolina Ochocinska.

The Alto team was led by Counsel Rafal Kozlowski and included Partner Daniel Banach, Associates Jedrzej Besztak and Szymon Tyniec, and Junior Associates Ewa Michalska and Aleksandra Traczuk.

Sorainen has advised PR and communications firm Rud Pedersen Group on its acquisition of the Meta Advisory Group.

According to Sorainen, “as a result of the transaction, Meta becomes part of Rud Pedersen Group, headquartered in Stockholm with almost 500 consultants and 75 partners working in 13 markets around the Baltic Sea and Europe.”

The Meta Advisory Group is an Estonian public relations company with offices in Latvia and Lithuania. The Rud Pedersen Group is a European public relations and communications firm.

“The Rud Pedersen Group has emerged as the best public relations firm in Europe because of its ambitious management team, a culture of getting things done, and entrepreneurial spirit,” Meta Managing Partner Andreas Kaju commented. “These are the same characteristics that have enabled Meta to grow to the same status in its home market. For our clients, the transaction has clear benefits – in the Baltic business region and the three capitals alone, we are now one team of a hundred consultants and experts supporting our clients across the entire communications spectrum – from government relations to reputation management, from brand and digital communications to crisis communications.” 

Sorainen’s team included Partner Piret Jesse, Of Counsel Isabella Barbara Tisenhusen, and Senior Associate Robin Teever.

Sorainen did not respond to our inquiry on the matter.

Karanovic & Partners has advised the Duomed Group on its acquisition of Mar Medica Ltd. Mrakovic Markovic & Partners reportedly advise Marko Rackovic on the sale.

The Duomed Group, headquartered in Benelux, is a distributor of medical supplies. According to Karanovic & Partners, “with this acquisition, the Duomed Group realizes a significant geographical expansion in an emerging market. From the offices in Serbia and Slovenia, the group is now able to cover the Balkan region.”

Mar Medica Ltd. is a company based in Belgrade, Serbia, specializing in selling, installing, and servicing medical equipment and disposable medical supplies for both state health institutions and private clinics and hospitals, focusing on surgery, anesthesia, and intensive care. According to Karanovic & Partners, “the company covers a market of over 20 million people, including direct sales in Serbia and Slovenia, as well as distribution sales in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.”

The Karanovic & Partners team included Partner Milos Jakovljevic, Senior Associate Igor Radovanovic, and Junior Associate Pavle Vucetic.

Editor’s Note: After this article was published, Mrakovic Markovic & Partners confirmed it had advised the seller. The firm’s team included Partners Nikola Markovic and Mirko Mrakovic.

Squire Patton Boggs has successfully represented Kosovo in an International Chamber of Commerce arbitration concerning the revocation of a microfinance license.

According to Squire Patton Boggs, “the dispute, AS IuteCredit Europe v Republic of Kosovo, concerning the revocation of a microfinance license issued to the claimant’s local Kosovo subsidiary, was governed by Kosovo’s 2014 Law on Foreign Investment. Squire Patton Boggs has now secured three consecutive victories for the Republic of Kosovo in investment arbitrations, saving Kosovo taxpayers nearly half a billion euros in claims.”

According to the firm, “the case involved several issues concerning the legality of the investments, both at the time of the making of the investment and subsequently. The tribunal eventually concluded that the claimant’s conduct was not sufficient to preclude the tribunal’s jurisdiction but found in Kosovo’s favor on all claims on the merits.”

“In doing so, the tribunal accepted Kosovo’s argument that the revocation of the microfinance license represented a bona fide exercise of Kosovo’s regulatory powers, which was neither arbitrary nor discriminatory and provided the claimant with due process,” the firm informed. “Based on this conclusion, the tribunal rejected all claims brought by the claimant, including its claims for expropriation, breach of the FET standard, breach of the FPS standard, and breach of the umbrella clause. The tribunal also awarded Kosovo all the costs of the arbitration and 20% of Kosovo’s own costs.”

The Squire Patton Boggs team included Prague-based Partner Rostislav Pekar, Senior Associate Matej Pustay, and Associates Fellenza Limani, Mailis Meier-Lutterodt, Tamara Koresova, and Helena Cech, New York-based Partner Luka Misetic, and Houston-based Partner Mark Stadnyk.

Clifford Chance has advised Waterland Private Equity portfolio company United Petfood on its acquisition of Cargill’s production facilities in Krzepice, Poland, and Karcag, Hungary. Lakatos Koves and Partners reportedly advised the buyer as well.

According to Clifford Chance, the production facilities specialize in the production of dry pet food for cats and dogs.

United Petfood is a Belgium-headquartered company that produces dry and wet pet food, biscuits, and snacks.

Cargill is an American food and beverage manufacturing company providing food, agriculture, financial, and industrial products and services. The company is active in 70 countries worldwide.

According to a United Petfood press release, “with the additional production plants in Poland and Hungary, the United Petfood Group operates now out of 21 pet food facilities situated in nine different European countries. The takeover is in line with the strategy of United Petfood to reinforce and grow the business.”

The Clifford Chance team included Warsaw-based Counsel Tomasz Derda, Senior Associates Tomasz Szekalski, Aleksandra Ulatowska, Anna Pawlowska, and Marta Michalek-Gervais, Associates Michal Besciak, Adam Szyndler, Mariusz Wisniewski, Oliwia Hutnik, and Agata Parys, Junior Associate Kamila Hora, as well as Bucharest-based Of Counsel Eleonora Udroiu and Associate Maria Ciulica.

Editor’s Note: After this article was published, Lakatos Koves and Partners confirmed it had advised United Petfood on Hungarian law-related matters. The firm’s team included Partner Ivan Solyom, Counsel Pal Rahoty, Senior Associates Gyorgy Toth and Tamas Balogh, and Associate Szandra Remete.

Kocian Solc Balastik and Relevans have advised Seyfor on its acquisition of Commander Services.

Established in 2005, Commander Services is a Slovak company specializing in the GPS vehicle monitoring segment. The company has branches in Slovakia and the Czech Republic and provides services including electronic logbooks, fuel cards, automatic tachograph data downloads, and active vehicle monitoring.

Seyfor is an information and communications technology supplier which serves customers in 38 countries worldwide. The company operated under the Solitea brand before December 1, 2022.

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

The Relevans team included Attorney-at-Law Juraj Freudenfeld.

Editor’s Note: After this article was published, Havel & Partners announced it had advised PosAm – majority owned by Slovak Telekom – on the sale. Seyfor acquired a 100% stake in Commander Services. The firm’s team included Partner Ondrej Majer, Counsel Petra Corba Stark, Senior Associate Pavel Zahradnicek, and Associate Ivana Gajdosova.

Sorainen has provided pro bono legal advice to the Entrepreneurs for Peace foundation on repairing all the explosion-damaged windows at the Ukrainian Society of the Deaf educational and manufacturing company in Chernihiv and preparing the building for the winter. 

According to Sorainen, the facility provides jobs for 73 deaf people. “As a result of the Russian aggression, severe and targeted damage has been caused to critical infrastructure facilities, social infrastructure, and housing in Ukraine,” Sorainen reported. “By providing support for the preparation of the premises for the winter period, the members of the Society of the Deaf are enabled to continue their work, even in the winter period.”

“The urgency of the support projects is driven by the onset of the cold season and the desire to enable at least some villagers to live in adequate conditions as soon as possible,” Entrepreneurs for Peace Board Member Ieva Driksna commented. “We are pleased with what we have achieved in renovating the facilities of the center for the deaf, and in promoting economic continuity, which is especially important in times of war.”

The Sorainen team included Partners Janis Taukacs, Lelde Lavina, and Jorens Jaunozols, Counsel Raivo Raudzeps, Senior Associate Katrine Plavina-Mika, Associate Annija Straupe, and Assistant Lawyer Sofia Kurochka.

Editor’s Note: After this article was published, Kinstellar announced that it had also advised Entrepreneurs for Peace. The firm’s team included Partner Illya Sverdlov, Counsel Oleg Matiusha, and Associate Maryna Shulyk.

White & Case has advised MidEuropa on its acquisition of a majority stake in Optegra. Eversheds Sutherland reportedly advised the seller.

Optegra is an ophthalmology platform in the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, and Poland. The company offers services for issues such as cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, and vision correction for public and private patients.

MidEuropa is a Central European private equity firm and has over EUR 6 billion in assets under management.

The White & Case team was led by London-based Partner Ken Barry and included Partner Colin Harley and Associates Joe Bradley, Asta Tukiainen, Anthony Isichei, Oliver Trotman, and Jacob Heath.

Ellex and Wardynski & Partners, working with Thommessen, have advised Hampidjan on its acquisition of the Morenot Group from FSN Capital Partners. Norway’s Haavind and Iceland’s BBA Fjeldco advised FSN Capital.

Morenot is a Norwegian group consisting of companies that operate as suppliers to customers in the fisheries, aquaculture, and marine seismic industries.

Founded in 1934, Hampidjan is a Reykjavik-headquartered fishing gear developer and manufacturer.

FSN Capital Partners is a Northern European private equity firm with offices in Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Munich.

“Hampidjan’s rope and net factory in Lithuania is among the world’s most technologically advanced facilities, which manufactures a number of products that Morenot currently purchases from external suppliers, as well as patented products for fishing, oil production, and specialized deep-sea projects,” Ellex informed. “The consolidation of the companies will enable significant synergy potential due to increased product availability, optimization of production, integration, and a stronger position within core markets.”

“During the last few years, Morenot has continued its sales growth by developing into a more structured company with improved production, organization, and product portfolio,” FSN Capital Partners Co-Managing Partner Ulrik Smith commented. “The combination with Hampidjan will create a global leader, and is a natural next step on this industrialization journey, of which FSN Capital V is excited to be a part.”

The Ellex team included Partner Ruta Armone, Associates Arnas Liauksminas, Edvinas Dzulis, and Andrej Jemeljanov, Junior Associates Ieva Badikonyte and Benas Marcalis, and Lawyers’ Assistant Atene Silyte.

The Wardynski & Partners team was led by Partners Izabela Zielinska-Barlozek and Bartosz Kuras and included Partners Michal Glinski and Joanna Prokurat, Counsels Adam Pawlisz and Joanna Krakowiak, Attorneys-at-Law Joanna Dudek, Pawel Szumowski, and Daria Goliszewska, and Lawyers Klaudia Czarniecka, Gabriela Pagacz, and Mateusz Tusznio.

Hogan Lovells and PRK Partners have advised Polish-Czech RGW Express Group owner Hartmut Luetz on the sale of all shares in the company to French Groupe BBL.

According to PRK Partners, “founded in 1983 by Hartmut Luetz, the RGW Express Group operates as an IATA cargo agent and Authorised Economic Operator licensed customs broker offering complete transport solutions for road, air, and sea freight. Founded in 1997, BBL Groupe is a corporate network of companies with specific know-how in the fields of contract logistics, overseas transport, freight and groupage traffic, and customs clearance.”

Hogan Lovells’ team included Warsaw-based Senior Counsel Marek Wroniak, Counsel Tomas Zak, and Senior Associate Mateusz Mazurkiewicz and Frankfurt-based Partner Torsten Rosenboom and Senior Associate Matthias Murr.

PRK Partners’ team included Partner Radan Kubr and Attorney Jan Varecha.

The firms did not respond to our inquiry on the matter.