Allen & Overy LLP advised the syndicate banks BNP Paribas, J.P. Morgan and UBS Investment Bank (joint global coordinators and joint bookrunners), as well as Berenberg and Goldman Sachs (joint bookrunners), on the initial public offering by chimney and rooftile manufacturer Braas Monier Building Group S.A. (Braas Monier).
At an issue price of EUR 24.00 per share, Braas Monier has a market capitalisation of approximately EUR 940 million.
Simpson Thacher represented the initial purchasers, led by global coordinators, Barclays Capital Inc. and BNP Paribas, in the sale of an aggregate principal amount of $300 million 7.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2021 by Kosmos Energy Ltd. (“Kosmos”). The notes are secured by a first ranking fixed equitable charge on all shares held by Kosmos in its direct subsidiary, Kosmos Energy Holdings. The notes are guaranteed on a subordinated, unsecured basis by Kosmos’ subsidiaries that guarantees its credit facilities.
Burges Salmon has advised Principality Building Society on the sale of its estate agency business Peter Alan to the Connells Group for more than £16 million.
A cross-firm team, led by partner Rupert Weston and senior associate Tim Roberts, and comprising members of the firm’s Corporate, Commercial and Real Estate teams, advised Principality Building Society on the sale which concluded on Wednesday 30 July 2014.
Ashurst advised Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank on the financing of the acquisition of ten Stadler FLIRT II electrical multiple units. Crédit Agricole CIB provided a subsidiary of BeNEX GmbH, a Hamburg-based holding company for rail and bus transport, with circa €27 million for the purchase of the previously leased trains.
Corporate partner Richard Spedding advised Investec Bank plc on the £30m AIM IPO of easyHotel plc. easyHotel is the international owner, developer, operator and franchisor of branded hotels. Its strategy is to target the "super budget" segment of the hotel industry.
Investec acted as sole bookrunner, broker and NOMAD to the issue. Admission and the commencement of unconditional dealings on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange took place on 30 June 2014.
International law firm Taylor Wessing has advised a syndicate of lenders led by The Royal Bank of Scotland plc as agent and arranger, and also comprising Wells Fargo and Legal & General Pensions, in connection with the refinancing of a portfolio of over 160 multi-let industrial properties in England, Wales and Scotland having a gross asset value of over £1 billion. The portfolio is owned by the Industrial Property Investment Fund, an investment fund managed by Legal & General Property Limited.
Amsterdam - On 25 July 2014, Westermeerwind B.V. reached financial close for the turn key construction of the Westermeerwind wind farm (144 MW) in the IJsselmeer, The Netherlands. A group of banks led by ING and Rabobank in the role of structuring banks acted as financiers of the Westermeerwind wind farm in the Noordoostpolder. In addition to ING and Rabobank, ASN Bank and Triodos Bank were also is involved and Danish export credit agency EKF guarantees part of the financing. The total funding comprises approximately EUR 320m.
Global legal practice Norton Rose Fulbright has advised Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank (CACIB) on the sale and leaseback of three car carriers from Hoegh Autoliners, a leading global provider of roll on roll off (Ro/Ro) vehicle transportation services.
The three car carriers have a combined value of US$167m and were purchased by a CACIB subsidiary, financed by CACIB, and leased back to Hoegh Autoliners.
Norton Rose Fulbright has advised private bank Berenberg and equinet bank on the successful capital increase of RIB Software AG by way of issuance of about 3.9 million new shares from authorised capital with exclusion of pre-emptive rights.
In total, about 5.9 million shares, including 2 million from the holdings of existing shareholders, have been placed with institutional investors in Germany, other European countries and the USA at a price of €12.50 per share by means of an accelerated book-building process. The total placement volume amounted to €74.3 million.
Squire Patton Boggs’ Capital Markets team has advised Numis Securities Ltd, in its capacity as nominated adviser and broker, on the AIM IPO of ULS Technology plc. ULS is the provider of online B2B platforms for the UK conveyancing and financial intermediary markets. ULS commenced trading on AIM on 28 July with a market capitalisation of approximately £26 million, and raised £4.6 million for the company on admission.
Birmingham Corporate partner Edward Dawes led the Squire Patton Boggs team which included Nina Martyres and Lucy Partridge.