Ashurst advised NIBC Bank Deutschland AG (NIBC) and SEB AG (SEB) on financing the acquisition of think! project GmbH (think!), a Germany-based provider of cloud solutions for cross-enterprise collaboration on projects, by private equity firm TA Associates. think! was sold by its founder Thomas Bachmaier and SME-investor Walter Beteiligungen und Immobilien AG.

Slaughter and May advised Deutsche Bank as arranger on the financing of HC-One’s acquisition of Helen McArdle Care. The acquisition consists of 19 existing care homes and another care home currently under construction, as well as the ‘At Home’ business which offers homecare in the Newcastle upon Tyne area.
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Norton Rose Fulbright has advised German financial services group Wustenrot & Wurttembergische AG (W&W) on the acquisition of 75 per cent of the share in Munich-based FinTech company treefin AG. This marks an important step in W&W Group's digital strategy.

Shearman & Sterling advised PINOVA Capital on the financing of the acquisition of the Wertheim-based WEETECH GmbH (“WEETECH”), a leading manufacturer of cable- and function-test systems. PINOVA Capital’s investment in WEETECH strengthens the company’s leading market position and advances its internationalization strategy, especially its expansion in the Asian market.

EQT, the private equity investment firm, completed in January 2017 an acquisition through fund EQT VII of AutoStore – a unique automated storage and retrieval system which uses robotics for collecting stored goods in a warehouse with more than 130 installations to date in 22 countries.

The acquisition was financed inter alia by a senior secured credit facility made available by five Nordic banks with DNB Bank ASA acting as agent. For further information, see press release by EQT here.

DLA Piper  has advised Greenstone Finance and long-standing client Aurium Capital on the acquisition of the business and assets of the Green Deal Finance Company, including its existing loan book of Green Deal loans.

Green Deal loans provide homeowners with accessible financing to improve their homes by installing energy efficiency products and are repaid as part of the homeowners' energy bill. The new owners hope to commence financing new Green Deal loans in Q1, 2017.

Herbert Smith Freehills has advised ANZ, BNP Paribas and Westpac on a A$150 million debt financing package for the development of Dacian Gold Limited’s Mt Morgans gold project in Western Australia.

Located in the Goldfields approximately 750km northeast of Perth, construction for the A$220 million Mt Morgans project is due to start in early 2017, with first production scheduled for the March 2018 quarter.

740 Jobs Saved As Liberty Acquires British Automotive Supplier

Leading law firm Irwin Mitchell has advised on a deal which has seen vehicle pressings and assemblies manufacturer, CovPress, being acquired by fast-growing industrial group, Liberty House.

CovPress, a professional metal stamping and robotic assembly specialist, is a Tier 1 supplier to, among others, Jaguar Land Rover, Renault and GM and Landis+Gyr.

DLA Piper advised the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency (MassDevelopment) in connection with General Electric's plan to relocate its corporate headquarters to Boston.

The firm represented MassDevelopment on the acquisition, leasing and financing of two vacant warehouses and approximately 2.5 acres of surrounding land for GE in the South Boston Seaport from the Gillette Company. MassDevelopment, which will lease the property to GE, will also fund rehabilitation of the warehouses and improvements to the surrounding land.

Watson Farley and Williams LLP (“WFW”) advised Nordea Bank AB (publ), filial i Norge (“Nordea”) in relation to a US$409.5m revolving credit loan facility for Euronav.  The loan will refinance a US$500m facility signed in 2014 on which WFW also acted for Nordea and will provide Euronav with funds for general corporate and working capital purposes.  Mandated lead arrangers are ABN AMRO Bank NV, Danish Ship Finance, DNB (UK) Limited, ING Bank, Nordea Bank AB (publ), filial i Norge and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ).  The facility refinances 11 VL