Macfarlanes has advised the incoming management team on Bridgepoint’s acquisition of the master franchise of Burger King UK.

The agreement with Burger King Europe GmbH (BKE), an affiliate of Restaurant Brands International Inc. (RBI), sees private equity firm Bridgepoint become the UK master franchisee of BURGER KING®, with exclusive rights to the brand in the UK. It will simultaneously acquire Caspian UK Group, one of the UK’s largest BURGER KING® franchisees with 74 restaurants.

DLA Piper has advised Aristocrat Leisure, one of the largest global manufacturers of gaming solutions, on its successful acquisition of developer Plarium Global.

Both companies are involved in producing popular entertainment content. Australia-based Aristocrat Leisure Limited is one of the largest manufacturers of gaming solutions in the world.

Plarium Ltd, headquartered in Herzliya, Israel, is a social gaming developer with over 1,200 employees worldwide, and offices in both the US and Europe, including Ukraine.   

DLA Piper has advised the Luxembourg-based investment company Active Ownership Capital on the voluntary public takeover offer for exceet Group SE, a technology company specializing in electronics and security technology in Luxembourg which is listed on the regulated market in Germany.

Clifford Chance has advised Alter Domus, a leading provider of Fund and Corporate Services, on its agreement to acquire independent investment servicing company Cortland Capital Markets Services LLC in the U.S.

The Clifford Chance team advising Alter Domus was led by private equity partner Christopher Sullivan with support from corporate partner Kevin Lephamer, who joined the firm last year as a partner in New York, finance partner Andrew Husdan, regulatory partner Owen Lysak and private equity senior associate Neil Barlow.

Matheson has advised global insurer Aviva on its €130 million acquisition of the Irish life assurance, pensions and investment firm, Friends First.

The deal, which was announced on 14 November 2017, is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to complete in the first quarter of 2018.

Dentons advised Bounty Brands, part of the South African Coast2Coast fund, in connection with the acquisition of the Unitop group, a Polish manufacturer of sesame snaps, halva and other confectionary products and snacks. The group employs 450 people. It exports to many European countries as well as to North America, Australia and Asia.

Dentons provided a full range of advisory services on the transaction, including due diligence, negotiation support, as well assistance in obtaining merger clearance from the Office for Competition and Consumer Protection.

Simmons & Simmons together with Indian lead counsel Khaitan & Co., Mumbai, has advised Larsen & Toubro Infotech Limited and Larsen & Toubro Infotech GmbH on its acquisition of Luxembourg-based Syncordis S.A, a leading core banking implementation services provider, along with its identified subsidiaries in France, UK, Luxembourg and India.

The acquisition is expected to be completed within a period of six to nine weeks from execution.

CMS has advised Savills plc. (“Savills”) on the acquisition of SB Property Services, a Czech company providing asset management services. Since entering the Czech market in 2016, Savills, a leading global real estate company listed on the London Stock Exchange, has expanded further throughout CEE. The acquisition of SB Property Services provides Savills with a market leading property management platform in the Czech Republic.

Clifford Chance has advised a consortium led by Shanghai Ground Food Tech Company (Ground Food) on its purchase of Western Australia based dairy group Brownes. Shanghai Stock Exchange-listed Ground Food is one of the biggest cheese manufacturers in China. Brownes will now form part of its network of four existing dairy manufacturing plants all in China (Jilin, Changchun, Tianjin, and Shanghai).

Clyde & Co has advised Gama Aviation Plc ("Gama Aviation") on the acquisition of a 51% interest held by Jet Set Equity Partners ("Jet Set") in Gama Group MENA ("Gama MENA") in the United Arab Emirates. Following the acquisition, Gama Aviation now owns 100% of Gama MENA.