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Having advised S IMMO on its purchase of the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Vienna’s “Viertel Zwei” district, Dorda Bruegger Jordis has now advised the company on the sale of the hotel to Deka Immobilien. Wolf Theiss advised Deka Immobilien on the deal.

The four-star hotel has over 251 rooms and suites, and offers 136 parking spaces in its underground parking facilities. Together with the OMV Head Office, the hotel forms a gateway to Viertel Zwei, the established residential and office complex in Vienna’s second district. The property changed hands for a transaction price of approximately EUR 35 million. The hotel will continue to operate as a Courtyard by Marriott hotel under its new owner, Deka Immobilien. 

“Our team has already advised on several transactions in the Viertel Zwei quarter,” said DBJ Managing Partner Stefan Artner, who led the firm’s work on the transaction. “This new district of Vienna is still very much an attractive prospect for investors, both from Austria and abroad.” 

S IMMO is listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange and invests in real estate in Austria and Germany, as well as in six countries throughout Central and South-eastern Europe. Its portfolio encompasses housing, offices, commercial space and hotels. Erste Group and Vienna Insurance Group are strategic key shareholders in S IMMO.

Deka Immobilien is a subsidiary of the DekaBank Group, one of Germany’s leading providers of open real estate funds. Partner Erik Steger and Counsel Karl Koller led the Wolf Theiss team advising Deka Immobilien

Image source: marriott.com

Sorainen Lithuania has advised Hotspring Ventures Limited, a UK company operating an online platform for health, beauty, and wellness services under the Wahanda brand name, on its acquisition of Lemon Labs, a leading mobile applications developer in Lithuania.

Established in 2011, Lemon Labs develops mobile apps for Vinted, Hashtag, Mr Word, Coffee Inn, Lunchbox, LOGIN, and others. 

Sorainen advised the client on the acquisition structure (which included several transactions), performed legal and tax due diligence, and provided other related advice. The SORAINEN team in the project was led by partner Laimonas Skibarka and associate Vytautas Sabalys.

Berwin Leighton Paisner has announced that Scott Antel, previously a Senior Partner and Head of the Hospitality & Leisure sector for Russia/CIS at DLA Piper Moscow, has been hired by BLP and will join the firm as a Partner in the Abu Dhabi office on February 2, 2015.

According to BLP, Antel “has many years’ emerging markets experience, specializing in hospitality and franchise advisory work, real estate, general corporate transactions, tax and compliance. His client portfolio in Russia consists of some of the biggest names in global hotel investment, development and management and his knowledge of the market will also benefit the team at GoltsblatBLP, BLP’s Russian practice. In 2012 Scott was awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Russian Hotel Investment Forum for his significant contribution to the industry’s development in Russia, the only lawyer/consultant ever to receive the Award.”

Antel will be based in BLP’s Abu Dhabi office and will lead the firm’s Hotels Team in the MEA region. As a member of BLP’s International Hotels Team, the firm reports, Antel will be working closely with London-based Hotels Partner Karen Friebe and with Bob Charlton, BLP’s newly appointed Head of Asia – both of whom are also former DLA Piper Partners. Antel’s remit will extend to helping develop the firm’s Asia Pacific hotels business.

Speaking of his move, Antel commented that: “Investor confidence in the UAE has increased over the last year and has been underpinned by strong trading performance and tourism demand growth in the area. This is bolstered by strong government commitment to the sector[as an economic and international relations driver. As tourism and leisure offerings develop, the hospitality sector is poised to witness growth in the medium to long term. This is an exciting time to be involved in this area of the world and with BLP which has such a renowned brand in the hospitality and leisure and wider real estate market. I am joining the best in my industry sector and am confident that we will play a significant part in the growth in the region’s hospitality and leisure offering.”

Allen & Overy and CHSH Cerha Hempel Spiegelfeld Hlawati have advised Ferrexpo on the acquisition of Erste Donau-Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft (DDSG).  

The acquisition was effected indirectly, through the acquisition of all shares of Helogistics Holding, the holding company of DDSG. The cross-border transaction was successfully closed on January 19, 2011, once merger control clearance was obtained. 

Ferrexpo is a Swiss stock company wholly owned by Ferrexpo plc, a company listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. Ferrexpo plc is a resource company with assets in Ukraine that is principally involved in the production and export of iron ore pellets used in the manufacture of steel. Ferrexpo plc’s asset base is one of the largest iron ore resources in the world. 

DDSG and its subsidiaries provide inland water freight transport services between the North Sea and the Black Sea on the Rhine, Main, and Danube rivers. 

The transaction was conducted for Ferrexpo by Allen & Overy in London and by CHSH in Vienna. A&O Partner Philipp Wahl and CHSH Partner Albert Birkner led the transaction. The CHSH team also included Johannes Buchinger, Stefan Gurmann, Elke Sagmeister, and Christian Thaler.

Asters has provided legal advice in connection with the exit of minority shareholders of the Ardis Group, a Ukrainian importer and distributor of food products.

The firm’s role included deal structuring, preparation of the transaction documents, and assistance at closing.

Asters’ team consisted of Partner Oleksiy Demyanenko, Associate Yuriy Radko and Junior Associates Kateryna Bezarova and Aida Karagezian.

Wolf Theiss reports that its “procurement know-how” helped Bombardier succeed before the Higher Administrative Court in Austria, which upheld the order by Wiener Linien (Vienna Rails) of 156 new trams with a value of EUR 526 million from the Canadian company.

The dispute revolved around objections raised by Siemens, a competitor of Bombardier’s, to the accessibility of the winning model. According to a statement by Wolf Theiss, “however, after a six hour debate, the court followed the argumentation of the procurement specialists of Wolf Theiss, who proved ‘comprehensibly’ that the Bombardier Flexity model fulfilled all criteria. The Bombardier plans were explained to the three judges who decided that ‘especially, the offeree fully complied with the requirements of the offerer, especially all accessibility criteria.’” There is no appeal possible.

As a result, Bombardier’s Flexity trams — each 34 meters long and with space for 211 passengers — will be delivered between 2018 and 2026 to replace the old E2 models. They will be built by Bombardier at the company’s factory in Vienna-Donaustadt.

The procurement team of Wolf Theiss was led by Partner Manfred Essletzbichler, assisted by Senior Associate Philipp Marboe and Associates Nina Lassner and Yvonne Herwich. 

Image source: Tupungato / Shutterstock.com

Randa Havel Legal has advised EKOL Brno, a leading Czech manufacturer of turbines (with 2014 sales of CZK 1.5 billion (approximately EUR 54.1 million)), on the sale of a 75 per cent share to the Chinese engineering firm Xi’An Shaangu Power, for CZK 1.3 billion (approximately EUR 48.3 million). King & Wood Mallesons represented Shaangu Power.

According to Randa Havel, this is the first acquisition of a Czech company by a publicly-traded Chinese company. ShaanGu is China’s largest manufacturer of industrial compressors and one of the largest Chinese companies focused on supplies to the power, metallurgical, and petrochemical industries.

Partner Alois Satava led the Randa Havel team representing EKOL Brno.

Dentons has announced that it is merging with one of the largest law firms in China.

According to Dentons, its tie-up with the firm (pronounced “da CHUNG”, although the CEE Legal Matters website is unable to present Chinese pictograms) is the first combination of a leading Chinese firm and a top 10 global firm, and Dentons states that: “the result will be the only firm to offer seamless service across Africa; Asia Pacific; Canada; Central Asia; Europe; the Middle East; Russia, CIS and the Caucasus; the United Kingdom; the United States; and all 34 of China’s regional administrative divisions.”

Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Beijing, the Chinese firm has more than 4,000 licensed attorneys and professionals working in more than 51 branches and offices. Combined, then, the new firm will have more than 6,500 lawyers and professionals in 120 locations in more than 50 countries. It will have five regions—Asia, Canada, Europe, the UK and the Middle East, and the US—each led by a regional chief executive officer. A 19-member Global Board—comprised of 14 members from Dentons, and five from the Chinese firm —will include representatives from each region, and a Global Advisory Committee will be comprised of all members of each region’s board. The new firm will be structured as a Verein, a structure common among the world’s top global law firms.

Peng Xuefeng — the present Director and Founding Partner of the Chinese firm, and Chairman of its standing committee — will become Chairman of the Global Board and the Chairman of the Global Advisory Committee of the new firm. In a statement released by Dentons, Peng is quoted as saying that: “This combination between the premier law firms of China and the West is truly the first of its kind. Our new firm will serve as a highly integrated platform for efficient legal services, and build bridges that facilitate cooperation and exchange for Chinese and Western clients alike. We will help our clients navigate the most complex legal and business environments worldwide, providing unique professional legal services. Together, we are taking an unprecedented step forward in our profession–a ground-breaking milestone in the history of international law firms.”

Joe Andrew, currently the Global Chairman of Dentons, will be the Global Chairman of the new firm. He is quoted as saying that: “With more lawyers in more places where our clients do business, this combination is not about being the largest law firm in the world it is about understanding what our clients need and delivering it. As the only big 10 firm not headquartered in the US or UK, our polycentric approach reflects how the global economy has fundamentally changed and the legal profession must change with it.”

And Elliott Portnoy, currently the Global Chief Executive Officer of Dentons, will be the Global Chief Executive Officer of the new firm. According to Portnoy: “With the largest and fastest growing economy in the world, the attraction of China to our clients is strong. All of our competitors are looking East,” said Portnoy. “By uniting East and West in one firm—not merely through a few offices in large cities, but with a deep presence across China—we can provide Chinese businesses with global ambitions and international clients with interests inside China a reach and depth that simply can’t be found elsewhere.” Portnoy will be the Global Chief Executive Officer of the new firm. 

Weber & Co., Binder Groesswang, White & Case, Eversheds, and Baker Botts have advised on the sale of the MeadWestvaco Group’s European-based tobacco-folding carton and general packaging business to AR Packaging Group.

According to a Weber & Co. press release, “the relevant business includes manufacturing facilities for folding cartons, tobacco products and general packaging in Austria (Graz), Russia (Moscow) and Poland (Krakow) as well as assets in the Czech Republic (Svitavy). The purchase agreement was signed in mid-January 2015. The parties agreed to keep the purchase price confidential. Closing of the transaction is intended to take place in the first half of 2015.”

AR Packaging Group, established in 2011, with its corporate seat in Lund, Sweden, is one of Europe’s leading companies in the special packaging sector, including in particular paperboard cartons, flexible packaging, and trays. MeadWestvaco Group is a global acting player in the field of packaging for solutions in particular in the fields of healthcare, beauty and personal care, food and beverage, electronics, and tobacco. 

Weber & Co. Partners Stefan Weber, Katharina Kitzburger, and Christoph Moser advised the purchaser AR Packaging, with White & Case advised the company on Russian, Polish, and Czech law. W&C also is in charge of ongoing merger-control proceedings. 

Binder Groesswang Partners Michael Kutschera and Gottfried Gassner and Attorneys Martin Frenzel and Christine Dietz advised the seller MeadWestvaco. Eversheds advised the company on labor law matters, and Baker Botts advised it on antitrust law. 

Vegas Lex has reported that a September 2014 ruling by the Commercial Court of Russia’s Stavropol Territory in favor of the firm’s client, the Second Generating Company of the Wholesale Power Market (OGK-2), has been upheld on appeal.

On September 30, the Vegas Lex law firm reported that the Commercial Court of the Stavropol Territory had ordered NPO Saturn to fully repair a gas turbine engine (GTD-110) it had supplied to the Second Generating Company of the Wholesale Power Market (OGK-2) after a breakdown, free of charge. On January 14, according to Vegas Lex, the Sixteenth Commercial Court of Appeals upheld the lower court’s ruling, which could cost NPO Saturn up to RUB 1 billion in repairs.

The Vegas Lex team obtaining the successful result on behalf of OGK-2 was led by Managing Partner Alexander Sitnikov and Head of Litigation Practice Kirill Trukhanov.