Category: News

Taylor Wessing has advised Trei Real Estate – a real estate venture of the German Tengelmann Group – on the EUR 250 million sale of its Czech and Slovak real estate portfolio to Plan B Investments. Dentons and, reportedly, Havel & Partners advised Plan B Investments.

According to Taylor Wessing, “the transaction involved a unique portfolio including Billa and Penny Market supermarkets and retail parks in the Czech and Slovak Republics.”

The Taylor Wessing team included Prague-based Partners Jakub Adam and Janka Brezaniova and Senior Associates Martin Serak, Marketa Cibulkova, and Marek Stradal; and Bratislava-based Partner Juraj Frindrich and Senior Associates Andrea Kovacikova, Barbara Bartovicova, and Zuzana Kordikova.

The Dentons team included Prague-based Partners Jiri Strzinek and Monika Kajankova, Counsels Tomas Kvapil and Jan Hrivnak, and Associates David Sutko, Jan Blazek, Dita Genciova, and Jan Sedlak; and Bratislava-based Counsels Miroslav Kapinaj, David Stanek, and Martin Mendel, Senior Associates Tatiana Jevcakova and Peter Panek, and Associates Gabriel Kulik, Alen Gondek, David Stanek, Norbert Vizvari, and Natalia Hangacova.

SSK&W and Stratulat Albulescu have advised venture capital fund CofounderZone and business angels on their investment in Romanian property technology company Milluu. Ventures-n-Law advised Milluu.

Milluu also received investment from ECG, Roxa X, Growceanu, Simple Capital, and Netopia Ventures.

According to SSK&W, Milluu plans to use the investment to grow its business in Romania and expand to Poland.

“Milluu is a property technology startup from Romania that creates a mobile device enabling the owner of the apartment or real estate to manage the calendar of meeting with its potential tenants, signing the agreement, and payment of bills, and also providing tenants for the offers that meet his/her expectations,” SSK&W informed. “As a result, Milluu speeds up the process of renting the apartments.”

CofounderZone is a platform connecting entrepreneurs with start-ups. According to SSK&W, “the fund works closely with the Business Angels network it has created, which provides added value through an individual approach to structuring and financing transactions on the private market and uses the substantive potential, contacts, and experience of its members. It includes business owners and corporate managers who want to invest their time and capital in developing innovative companies.”

The SSK&W team was led by Partner Szymon Syp.

The Stratulat Albulescu team included Managing Partner Silviu Stratulat and Partner Ana Kusak.

Schoenherr, working with Luther and Hogan Lovells, has advised the Cargo-Partner Group Holding on its EUR 1.4 billion sale of Cargo-Partner GmbH and 60 other subsidiaries to Nippon Express Holdings. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised the buyer.

Closing is expected in 2024, pending regulatory approval.

Founded in 1983, Cargo-Partner is an Austria-headquartered privately owned info-logistics provider offering a portfolio of air, sea, land transport, and warehousing services, with a special focus on information technology and supply chain optimization.

Nippon Express is a Japan-based logistics services provider, with a network of offices in 33 countries. The company offers air freight, marine transportation, heavy haulage, warehousing and distribution processing, logistics design, information technology services, chartered truck services, and moving services.

The Schoenherr team was led by Austria-based Partner Markus Piuk and Attorney-at-Law Alfred Amann and included Partners Constantin Benes and Marco Thorbauer, Attorneys-at-Law Franziska Oczlon, Anna Visontai, Nina Zafoschnig, and Alexander Pabst, and Associates Alexandra Jelinek and Irina Hanin; Hungary-based Partner Kinga Hetenyi and Associate Zsofia Rideg; Czech Republic-based Partner Vladimir Cizek and Attorney-at-Law Michal Jendzelovsky; Poland-based Senior Attorney-at-Law Krzysztof Lesniak; Romania-based Senior Attorney-at-Law Mihaela Popescu; Slovakia-based Attorney-at-Law Jan Farbiak; Turkey-based Attorney-at-Law Didem Kara; and Slovenia-based Attorney-at-Law Jan Primozic.

The Freshfields team was led by Vienna-based Partner Konrad Groeller and included Partners Florian Klimscha, Karin Buzanich-Sommeregger, and Catherine Kubik, Counsel Gernot Fritz, Principal Associates Stephan Roedler, Leonhard Prasser, Matthias Hofer, and Anna Binder-Gutwinski, Associates Martin Zankl, Patrick Wagender, Anastasiia Nadtochii, Willibald Salomon, Sophie Pretscher, Iris Amschl, and Can-Michael Nural, as well as lawyers from the firm’s Tokyo and Hong Kong offices.

Editor’s Note: After this article was published, Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen announced it had advised Nippon Express Holdings alongside Freshfields. The firm’s team included Partner Razvan Vlad, Senior Associates Vlad Anghel, Roxana Iordache, Madalina Vasile, and Daniel Stancescu, and Associate Catalina Dan.

Subsequently, the Polenak Law Firm and Selih & Partnerji announced they had advised Nippon Express Holdings as well. The Polenak team included Managing Partner Kristijan Polenak and Partner Tatjana Shishkovska.

The Selih & Partnerji team included Partner Natasa Pipan Nahtigal, Attorneys-at-Law Nino Bostic Sluga and Ema Patricija Koncan, Senior Associates Lenart Kmetic and Miha Hocevar, and Associates Tim Music Kralj and Marusa Juhant.

Upon the deal’s closing on January 4, 2024, Boyanov & Co. announced it had advised Nippon Express alongside Freshfields. The firm’s team was led by Partner Nikolay Zisov and included Associate Deyvid Iliev.

Cerha Hempel has advised majority shareholder Talents Squared Limited on the sale of a 90% stake in Modul University Vienna to a subsidiary of the Hungarian Mathias Corvinus Collegium. Brauneis reportedly advised Modul minority shareholder Wirtschaftskammer Wien. Illes Geza Marton and Graf Isola reportedly advised the Mathias Corvinus Collegium.

According to Cerha Hempel, the “Modul University Vienna, on Vienna’s Kahlenberg, has been in existence for 15 years and is an internationally recognized private university with versatile study programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. It offers 11 degree programs in International Management, Sustainable Development, Applied Data Science, Tourism, and Service Management for 1,100 students in Vienna and Nanjing, China.”

Cerha Hempel’s team included Austria-based Partners Heinrich Foglar-Deinhardstein, Mark Krenn, Jakob Hartig, Stefan Huber, Julian Feichtinger, Benjamin Twardosz, and Bernhard Kofler-Senoner, Senior Counsel Susanne Molitoris, Counsel Michael Mayer, Attorneys at Law Alina Alavi Kia, Marko Vladic, and Zakar Stepanyan, and Associates Fabian Kraft and Isabella Patt; and Hungary-based Partners Ilona Ronay-Csordas, Wilhelm Stettner, and Edina Nagy and Attorney at Law Magdolna Macsuga.

BDK Advokati has advised Integrator majority shareholder Aleksandar Hangiman on the sale of the company to Meritus. Mamic Peric Reberski Rimac reportedly advised Meritus.

According to BDK Advokati, following the transaction, a new company called Workplace was formed. Workplace will “continue the integration of HR consulting business in SEE and will enable further expansion in the SEE, CEE, and the Baltics.”

BDK Advokati’s team included Senior Partner Vladimir Dasic, Partner Dragoljub Sretenovic, Counsel Bisera Andrijasevic, and Associate Milan Popovic.

Editor’s Note: After this article was published, Mamic Peric Reberski Rimac confirmed it had advised the Meritus Group on its acquisition of Integrator as the Manpower CEE franchise holder. The firm’s team included Senior Partner Vladimir Mamic and Junior Partner Nikola Kokot.

Dentons has advised arranger, original lender, agent, and security agent Raiffeisen Bank International on a EUR 21.9 million term loan facility for the development of a 31.5-megawatt portfolio of eight photovoltaic power plants in Romania to companies owned and operated by Photon Energy NV.

Photon Energy NV is the solar arm of the Photon Energy Group, a provider of clean energy focusing on sustainable solutions.

According to Dentons, “this transaction represents the first project financing of European photovoltaic plants that operate on a merchant basis, selling energy directly to the market without a power purchase agreement or state subsidy.”

Dentons’ team included Warsaw-based Partner Mark Segall and Bucharest-based Partners Claudiu Munteanu-Jipescu and Bogdan Papandopol, Counsel Maria Tomescu, and Associates Cristina Staicu and Alexandra Sofineti.

Sorainen has advised BaltCap on its acquisition of a 70% stake in the Hansab Group. Cobalt advised Hansab’s majority shareholders on the sale.

The transaction remains contingent on regulatory approval.

BaltCap is a Baltic private equity and venture capital investor covering buyouts, growth, venture, and infrastructure investments.

Founded in 1991, Hansab develops and provides security, cash handling, point of sales, parcel handling, queuing, parking, and other automation solutions and services. The company operates in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland, with 18 offices and service points.

“Hansab is an established business that has developed a high quality and efficient service model in the fast-growing area of automation,” BaltCap Partner Kristjan Kalda commented. “We see many avenues to grow the business further, using BaltCap’s long-term experience in taking Baltic companies to the international arena.”

“During the past 32 years, we have successfully grown the company organically,” Hansab CEO Aigar Urva added. “Now we intend to accelerate the development and enter new fields of activity and territories. We are happy to join forces with BaltCap, a financially strong and effective partner, helping us fulfill our growth strategy.”

The Sorainen team included Estonia-based Partner Toomas Prangli, Counsels Hetti Lump, Piibe Lehtsaar, and Pirkko-Liis Harkmaa, Senior Associates Mirell Prosa, Liisa Maria Kuuskmaa, Andra Grunberg, and Olivia Kranich, and Associate Kadri Puu; Latvia-based Partner Nauris Grigals, Counsels Renate Purvinska and Andis Burkevics, and Senior Associate Marika Grunte; and Lithuania-based Senior Associates Mindaugas Dominykas Baniulis, Edita Dauksiene, Aurelija Daubaraite, and Jurgita Tekoriene, Associate Raminta Matulyte, and Assistant Lawyer Ryte Reciunaite.

The Cobalt team included Estonia-based Partner Martin Simovart, Managing Associate Jesse Kivisaari, and Associate Getter Villmann; Latvia-based Partner Guntars Zile and Senior Associate Diana Zepa; and Lithuania-based Partner Irmantas Norkus and Managing Associate Deimante Pagiriene.

Vasil Kisil & Partners and Stratulat Albulescu have advised the Avrora Group on entering the Romanian market. 

The Avrora group of companies is a Ukrainian dollar-store market company operating more than 900 stores.

The Vasil Kisil & Partners team included Partner Volodymyr Igonin, Senior Associate Artem Shmatov, and Junior Associate Olha Lynnyk.

Stratulat Albulescu’s team included Managing Partner Silviu Stratulat, Managing Associate Adrian Hlistei-Muresan, and Associates Amanda Csaki and Cezara Mitea.

Clifford Chance has advised LCN Capital Partners on the sale-and-leaseback acquisition of a portfolio of 11 car showrooms located in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and the related financing from UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia.

According to Clifford Chance, “LCN Capital Partners is a real estate investment firm that specializes in originating primary sale-leaseback built-to-suit transactions and managing its commercial real estate properties leased to leading companies in their respective industries. LCN delivers a long-term solution for its tenant-clients by providing a non-bank capital resource, efficient monetization of on-balance sheet real estate, continued operational control of key assets, enhanced financial metrics, and potential tax benefits. Founded in 2011 by Edward V. LaPuma and Bryan York Colwell, LCN now manages nearly USD 7 billion in assets across several funds.”

Clifford Chance’s team included Partner Emil Holub, Counsel Milan Rakosnik, Senior Associates Tereza Rehorova and Stanislav Holec, Associate Josef Lysonek, and Junior Associates Simon Dusek, Jan Christelbauer, and David Herich.

Clifford Chance did not respond to our inquiry on the matter.