Herbert Smith Freehills Paris has recently advised Icade, a listed French real estate investment company and subsidiary of the Caisse des Dépôts, on the sale of a portfolio of "Mr. Bricolage" stores, after a call for proposals from investors, via the sale of Icade's entire stake in the company "Icade Bricolage" to the Tikehau Capital group.

This portfolio, mostly acquired by Icade in early 2008, comprises 36 assets located throughout France. The transaction was carried out based on a value of 126.2 million euros excluding duties.

Clifford Chance advised AEW Europe on a €820mn capital raising for LOGISTIS. This represents the largest equity raising to date for AEW Europe and brings the total equity of LOGISTIS to more than €1.3bn. The new equity has been raised from a number of leading institutional investors from Europe and Asia, including APG and PGGM among others. The capital raised exceeded the original equity target, with the five largest new investors committing in excess of €600mn in aggregate.

Roschier represented Karolinska Development in approx. USD 50 million offer of convertible bonds. The convertibles will be listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and as a result Karolinska Development will be one of the few companies in Sweden with convertible bonds listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.

Karolinska Development aims to create value for patients, researchers, investors and society by developing innovations from world class science into differentiated products that can be partnered.

Macfarlanes has advised Venn Partners, an asset manager of real estate and other secured credit, on its appointment by the Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government to operate the £3.5bn ‘Private Rented Sector Housing Guarantee Scheme’.

Macfarlanes has advised Avant Homes and its management on its acquisition by funds managed by a consortium comprising Alchemy Special Opportunities, Angelo, Gordon & Co and Avenue Capital.

Avant Homes is a leading brand in the UK housebuilding sector, operating through well-known regional brands Bett Homes, Ben Bailey Homes Country & Metropolitan Homes.

The Macfarlanes team was led by corporate and M&A partner Stephen Drewitt.

AllBright partner Philip Zhang recently led a team to provide GLP, Inc. with legal services regarding its investment project in Dalian, Liaoning Province. The project involves the establishment of a project company, winning land use rights through public bidding, and converting the project company into a Sino-Foreign joint venture through investment. AllBright’s service included due diligence investigations over the land plot as well as drafting an investment agreement and joint venture corporate charter.

PLMJ advised Blackstone on its purchase of five retail properties and five logistics facilities from Espírito Santo Activos Financeiros (ESAF), the fund manager that was transferred from BES to Novo Banco. It was the American investment company’s first acquisition in Portugal in this sector.

Pinsent Masons advised the Aberdeen Roads Limited consortium which reached financial close today on the £550m Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/ Balmedie-Tipperty Project (AWPR / B-T).

The Aberdeen Roads Limited consortium (known as Connect Roads prior to financial close), comprising Balfour Beatty, Carillion and Galliford Try, was selected as preferred bidder in June for the design, build, finance and operate (DBFO) contract to deliver the project for Transport Scotland in partnership with Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils.

Slaughter and May is advising Carillion plc (Carillion) on its offering of £170 million of convertible bonds due December 2019 (the Bonds).

GSK Stockmann + Kollegen advises Multiplex European Property Fund, a property trust listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) which owns more than 90% interest in property assets located throughout Germany, on the sale of five nursing homes in Germany to Patrizia Pflege-Invest Deutschland I, a real estate special fund focussing on modern, high-quality health care properties.