CMS has advised regular client Algonquin SA, the Belgium-based hotel investor and asset manager, on its latest major multi-jurisdictional transaction. A consortium consisting of Benson Elliot, Walton Street Capital and Algonquin has acquired a portfolio of eight prime hotels in key European gateway cities across five countries for approximately €420 million from the US REIT, Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. CMS advised Algonquin on their joint venture aspects of the acquisition.

Global law firm White & Case LLP has advised Equens SE, one of the largest payment service providers in Europe, on a strategic business combination with Worldline SA, the European market leader in payment and transactional services.

Slaughter and May advised the Arsenal Football Club on its recent five year facilities management outsourcing contract with Norland Managed Services Limited. The transaction involved two Arsenal group companies outsourcing the operation and maintenance of all plant and machinery at both the Emirates Stadium in London and the training ground in London Colney.

CONTACTS

Jane Edwarde (partner), Tom Inker (associate).

King & Wood Mallesons has harnessed the strengths of its international platform to advise Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) on its landmark agreement with German exchange operator Deutsche Börse AG and China Financial Futures Exchange, to jointly establish the China Europe International Exchange (CEINEX).

Wikborg Rein has assisted NorgesGruppen in connection with the signing of a 10-year alliance agreement with Esso Norway AS and the purchase of shares in Esso subsidiary, Tiger AS. The agreement means that Norgesgruppen ServiceHandel AS will be responsible for operating the shops and car washes at Esso`s company-owned stations in Norway.

WME | IMG, a global leader in sports and entertainment based in New York, and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and analytics leader AGT International, incorporated in Zurich, announced the creation of a new joint venture. The new JV's offerings include a consumer-facing Social IoT platform based on AGT's world-class Big Data analytics and deep web social analytics, data science and creative IoT technologies. The platform will connect individuals before, during and after events, infusing their online interactions with their physical, real-life experiences.

A Norton Rose Fulbright life sciences transactions team recently advised longtime client Telesta Therapeutics (TSX:TST; PNK:BNHLF) on an exclusive licensing agreement with Ipsen (Euronext: IPN - ADR: IPSEY).

Chia Tai Co., Ltd. (CT Group), China Mobile Ltd. (China Mobile), CITIC Holdings, Itochu Corporation (Itochu) and Shanghai Information Investment Inc. (SII), signed a joint shareholders agreements and Memorandum of Cooperation to establish a Face to Face (F2F) Cayman Islands Holding Co., Ltd. to be used as the joint venture’s platform for equity incentive management. All four parties have agreed to invest approximately US$480 million in total to establish the joint venture.

Dentons has advised London-based Education group Riverston on its joint venture arrangement with Dubai-based Tarbia (part of Daud Investments and the Belhasa Group) to establish Riverston throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The new company, Riverston Tarbia LLC, will operate multiple Riverston Children Centres and early intervention nurseries initially in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and thereafter in other GCC states, a specialist Riverston Training Academy, and a number of new Riverston International Schools throughout the territory.

Davis Polk advised Meituan Corporation in connection with its strategic cooperation with DianPing Holdings Ltd., through which they jointly established a new holding company that is expected to be a market leader in China’s O2O (online-to-offline) market.

Headquartered in Beijing, China, Meituan is a leader in China’s O2O market that focuses on providing O2O booking services ranging from restaurants to movie tickets to other leisure deals. DianPing is based in Shanghai, China, and specializes in providing restaurant review, rating and booking services.