Category: Deals and Cases

Baker McKenzie has advised Lesjofors on its acquisition of the Alcomex Group from Nordian Capital. Dutch law firm Corp. reportedly advised the seller.

Lesjofors is a Swedish manufacturer of springs, wire parts, and stampings. According to Baker McKenzie, through the acquisition “Lesjofors gains access to new geographies and a new product area (door springs).”

Alcomex is a Dutch manufacturer of door and industrial springs. According to Baker McKenzie, the company operates production facilities in the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Poland, and India.

The Baker McKenzie team consisted of Prague-based Partner Tomas Skoumal, Senior Associates Tereza Stefunkova and Dusan Hlavaty, Associates Vlastimil Kreysa and Marek Disman, and Junior Associate Katerina Kucerova; Warsaw-based Partner Tomasz Krzyzowski, Associates Michal Pakosz, Pawel Jakub Jaros, and Junior Associates Jakub Zebrowski, Malgorzata Piwowar, Patrycja Cierlak, and Hanna Wiejowska; and Amsterdam-based Partners Mo Almarini and Koen Bos, and Associates Max Nederlof, Willem Jan Treuren, Charlotte van Rhee, among others.

Sorainen has advised Finnish Technopolis UMA Holding on the sale of its Estonian and Lithuanian UMA Workspace business to Workland. Cobalt advised Workland on the deal.

According to Sorainen, “Technopolis UMA Holding sold two UMA Workspace coworking spaces to the Estonian coworking network Workland – a space of 2,100 square meters in the G9 shopping center in Vilnius and a space of 1,800 square meters on Maakri Street in Tallinn. The acquired coworking spaces will be renamed and will operate under the Workland brand.”

Sorainen’s team in Lithuania included Partner Kestutis Adamonis and Senior Associate Lina Barniskiene and, in Estonia, Partner Paul Kunnap and Assistant Lawyers Joosep Kuusk and Anu Liinsoo.

Cobalt’s team included Partner Simona Oliskeviciute-Ciceniene, Specialist Counsel Ott Aava, Managing Associate Ausrys Sliavas, Senior Associate Madis Reppo, and Assistant Lawyer Elis Toim.

Kocian Solc Balastik has advised the Arete Group on securing a EUR 30 million loan from Raiffeisenbank. The Prague office of Clifford Chance advised the lender. Wilsons Slovakia advised Arete on Slovak aspects of the deal.

According to KSB, Arete Industrial Sicav, established in 2019 as the third real estate investment product of the Arete Group, will use the funds to grow its portfolio through selected acquisitions and new construction of industrial real estate projects.

KSB previously advised Arete on the sale of its portfolio of 11 logistics and industrial parks in the Czech Republic and Slovakia to Australia-based fund Cromwell (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on December 23, 2020). KSB also advised Arete on the refinancing of its CEE II sub-fund (as reported by CEE Legal Matters on June 15, 2020).

KSB’s team included Partner Martin Krejci and Junior Lawyer Tomas Travnicek.

Clifford Chance’s team consisted of Partner Milos Felgr, Senior Associates Dominik Vojta and Stanislav Holec, and Junior Lawyers Matej Ridky and Andrej Havko.

The Wilsons team included Partner Robert Danis and Junior Lawyer Peter Kacer.

Karanovic & Partners has advised Founders Jasmina Knezevic and Milan Knezevic on the sale of a 70% share in Bel Medic to Acibadem Healthcare Group. Prica & Partners and Esin Attorney Partnership advised Acibadem on the deal.

Bel Medic, founded in 1995 is a private healthcare provider in Serbia, operating in Belgrade.

Acibadem Healthcare Group is a Turkish healthcare institution and member of IHH Healthcare Berhad, the world’s second-largest healthcare network.

Karanovic & Partners’ team was led by Senior Partner Dragan Karanovic, Partner Milos Jakovljevic, and Senior Associate Sava Draca.

Prica & Partners’ team included Partners Danica Gligorijevic, Darija Ognjenovic, and Ana Calic Turudija, Senior Associates Veljko Nesic and Jelena Zivanovic, and Associates Jovana Obradovic and Ana Krstic.

Esin Attorney Partnership’s team was led by Partner Caner Elmas and included Senior Associate Orcun Solak.

Cerha Hempel and Wardynski & Partners have advised Worthington Industries International on the sale of its shareholding in Poland’s Stako to Westport Fuel Systems Italia. Bird & Bird advised Westport on Polish law with Dorda reportedly acting as the buyer’s Austrian advisor.

The transaction was preceded by an internal restructuring of Stako, demerging its compressed natural gas business into Worthington Poland. Financial details were not disclosed. 

Worthington Industries is a US-based diversified industrial metal manufacturing group. Stako is a supplier of liquefied petroleum gas storage tanks for automotive applications. Westport Fuel Systems is a clean transportation technology company.

Cerha Hempel’s team consisted of Partner Albert Birkner and Senior Associates Nadine Leitner and Martin Eichinger.

Wardynski & Partners’ team consisted of Partner Anna Dabrowska, Counsel Radoslaw Wasiak, Attorney Joanna Krakowiak, Senior Associates Katarzyna Jaroszynska, Andrzej Madala, Joanna Prokurat, and Katarzyna Zukowska, and Associate Daria Goliszewska.

The Bird & Bird team was led by Partner Pawel Bajno and Senior Associate Michal Blaszkiewicz and included lawyers in the firm’s Real Estate, Employment, and Commercial groups.

Editor’s note: After this article was published, CEE Legal Matters received confirmation that Dorda advised Westport. The firm’s team was led by Managing Partner Martin Brodey and included Attorney Patricia Backhausen and Associates Katharina Binder and Mike Schaunig.

Havel & Partners and Sorainen have advised PriceHubble on its acquisition of Realtify. Sparring advised Realtify on the transaction.

Financial details were not disclosed.

PriceHubble is a Swiss business-to-business property technology company providing data-driven digital solutions for the residential real estate and finance value chain. It was founded in Zurich in 2016 and is now active in nine countries in Europe and Asia.

Realtify is a Czech property technology company that provides analytical and research tools for residential real estate. It was founded in Prague in 2019 and will be operating as PriceHubble Czechia.

The Havel & Partners team included Partner Vaclav Audes, Senior Associates Tomas Navratil, Radek Riedl, and Vojtech Katzer, Associates Josef Bouchal and Klara Sleglova, Junior Associate Martina Mullerova, and Tax Adviser Martin Bures. 

Sorainen’s team included Partner Mantas Petkevicius, Senior Associates Mindaugas Dominykas Baniulis, Aurelija Daubaraite, and Gerda Skirbutiene, and Associates Sidas Sokolovas and Povilas Uzkuraitis. 

Sparring’s team included Senior Adviser Katarina Martisova and Attorney Ondrej Zemek.

DLA Piper has advised Gazprom Export on the acquisition of Centrex Europe & Energy Gas AG from Gazprombank.

According to DLA Piper, Centrex Europe & Energy Gas AG is the holding company of the Austrian Centrex Group, which includes businesses in natural gas trading, storage and transportation on the markets of Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Serbia.

DLA Piper’s team included Vienna-based Partner Christoph Mager, Counsel Johanna Holtl, and Senior Associates Ekaterina Larens, Sarah Plasser, and Martina Peric, St. Petersburg-based Partner Denis Sosedkin, Budapest-based Counsel Gabor Simon, Cologne-based Partner Jan Dreyer, Senior Associate Gregor Schroll, and Associate Andre Kohler, and Rome-based Senior Associate Gianmarco Scialpi.

DLA Piper could not provide any further information on the deal.

Havel & Partners has advised Compass Europe on forming a joint venture with Fipol Deniz Araclari ve Turizm Plastik Sanayi Ticaret AS. Ozderin Law Firm has reportedly advised Fipol on the deal.

Compass Europe is a Slovakia-based swimming pool contractor.

Fipol is a Turkey-based swimming pool producer.

According to Havel & Partners, the joint venture will serve as a production company for the ceramic swimming pools manufactured based on Compass Europe’s technology.

Havel & Partners’ team included Partner Stepan Starha, Associate Ivana Gajdosova, and Junior Associate Kristina Saktorova.

Havel & Partners has advised Panara a.s. on an unspecified investment from Alpla Werke Alwin Lehner GmbH & Co KG. CMS reportedly advised Alpla on the deal.

Panara’s core business is R&D activities focused on multicomponent biobased and biodegradable blends based on PHA and PLA polymers production and commercialization. 

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

Havel & Partners’ team included Partner Ondrej Majer, Associates Ivana Gajdosova and Robert Gasparovic, and Junior Associate Patricia Jamriskova.

Editor’s note: After this article was published, CMS contacted CEE Legal Matters and confirmed its involvement. The firm’s team included Vienna-based Partners Alexander Rakosi and Dieter Zandler and Senior Associate Georg Gutfleisch as well as Bratislava-based Managing Partner Oliver Werner, Partner Sona Hankova, Senior Associate Barbora Korenecova, Associate Natalia Janoskova, Junior Associates Terezia Rusnakova and Pavel Straka, and Attorney Lenka Litvakova.

DLA Piper has advised existing investor Cloudflight in a financing round totaling EUR 1.3 million for Linz-based HR tech startup TeamEcho. 

According to DLA Piper, software developer and AI solution provider Cloudflight “helps companies drive their digital transformation and delivers scalable, flexible custom software that can be implemented quickly and seamlessly.” TeamEcho develops an anonymous employee feedback tool.

DLA Piper’s team was led by Munich-based Partner Simon Vogel.