Clifford Chance has advised HgCapital on the sale of toy manufacturer Schleich GmbH, Schwabisch Gmünd (Germany), to the LBO Fund V managed by Ardian, Paris. The deal is subject to approval from the competent antitrust authorities.

Schleich is one of Germany's biggest toy manufacturers and internationally renowned for its naturalistic figurines. In 2013, Schleich generated a turnover of approx. EUR 106 million with about 340 employees.

HgCapital, headquartered in Munich and London, is one of the leading Private Equity investors in Europe. The company manages funds with a total volume of more than EUR 5 billion and focuses its investments on the areas of technology, media and telecommunications, industry, service providers, healthcare and renewable energies.

The Clifford Chance team was led by partner Oliver Felsenstein and comprised senior associates Susanne Decker and Dr. Hendrik Röhricht, associate Laurent Müller (all Private Equity, Frankfurt), partner Nicole Engesser Means and senior associate Priscilla Ries (both Employment law, Frankfurt), partner Dr. Bernd Meyer-Witting and senior associate Jan Wittrodt (both Corporate, Frankfurt) as well as partner Dr. Claudia Milbradt and counsel Dr. Wolfgang Schönig (both IP, Düsseldorf).

Oliver Felsenstein had previously advised HgCapital on the acquisition of Schleich back in 2006. He and his team have been advising HgCapital on transactions for several years, for instance in 2013 in the context of the acquisition of P&I personal & Informatik Aktiengesellschaft or the sale of KVT Verbindungstechnik to Bossard Group. Further transactions included the acquisition of the German Qundis Group in 2012 and the sale of Mondo Minerals as well as the sale of SLV Group to Cinven. In 2010, HgCapital was advised on the acquisition of Teufel Group with subsequent acquisition of Raumfeld GmbH together with Teufel and on the co-investment in KVT Group.