Sovereign wealth fund GIC of Singapore has acquired the logistics groups P3 Logistic Parks from its former owners TPG Real Estate and Ivanhoé Cambridge. At a volume of EUR 2.4 b, the transaction is one of the large real estate deals of the year in Europe.

P3 is one of the largest owners, developers and managers of logistics real estate properties in Europe. The company has warehouses in 62 locations in nine countries. The portfolio in Germany includes a total of 9 logistics centers and some areas that are currently in development.

Simpson Thacher is representing Apax Partners LLP (“Apax”) in connection with the offer by funds advised by Apax for a controlling stake in Unilabs owned by Nordic Capital and Apax Partners France. The remaining shares in Unilabs are already owned by funds advised by Apax, and by management.

De Brauw has assisted Reed Business Information, part of RELX Group, in the sale of magazines Elsevier Weekly and BeleggersBelangen to New Skool Media. Going forward, RELX Group will associate the Elsevier brand name exclusively with its scientific, technical and medical activities.

Gleiss Lutz has been advising OUTSOURCING Inc. on the acquisition of Orizon Holding GmbH, Germany from the private investment firm Silverfleet Capital Partners. OUTSOURCING will acquire 100% of the shares in Orizon Holding through its subsidiary OSI Holding Germany GmbH. Closing is expected to occur in early 2017.

Delphi has advised Addtech Nordic AB, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Addlife AB (publ) listed on OMX Stockholm Mid Cap, in the acquisition of all shares in Sensor Control Nordic AB and Sensor ECS AB ("Sensor").

Sensor delivers products and solutions in the fields of sensor, control and drives. The business is focused mainly on the Nordic OEM- and automation market. Sensor have 30 employees and a turnover of approximately SEK 160 million.

King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) advised Xiwang Foodstuffs Co., Ltd. (Xiwang Foodstuffs, stock code: 000639) on its successful acquisition of Kerr Investment Holding Corp. (Kerr), a health food giant in North America. The acquisition of 80% shares of Kerr as the first tranche was completed in October 2016 by a joint venture established by Xiwang Foodstuffs and Primavera Capital and the remaining 20% shares of Kerr will be acquired by Xiwang Foodstuffs in the next three years. The benchmark consideration for the transaction was US$730 million.

Ashurst is advising Rothschild in relation to the proposed takeover of Punch Taverns plc by Vine Acquisitions Limited, a newly incorporated company formed at the direction of Patron Capital, and the associated disposal of the Punch A securitisation group and certain other assets to Heineken UK Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Heineken Holding N.V.

Ashurst is advising Deutsche Bank in relation to the takeover bid by 21st Century Fox for Sky plc. Deutsche Bank is acting as lead financial adviser to 21st Century Fox in relation to the bid. Under the terms of the acquisition, 21st Century Fox will acquire the remaining 61% of shares in Sky that it and its affiliates do not already own.

Ashurst is advising Deutsche Bank and Rothschild in relation to the £374 million takeover bid by Loxam S.A.S for Lavendon Group plc, announced today. 

Lavendon is the European and Middle East market leader in the rental of powered access equipment. The company’s equipment enables users to work safely, productively and comfortably at height, whatever the application. From 70 depots in the UK, Continental Europe and the Middle East, Lavendon manages a fleet of almost 22,000 access platform units.

Ashurst advised LGC (Holdings) Limited, an international life sciences measurement and testing company, on the acquisition of BRC Trading Limited ("BRC Trading") from the British Retail Consortium, the UK's leading retail trade association. BRC Trading owns the BRC Global Standards, a global provider of safety and quality standards programmes for food and non-food manufacturers, including packaging, storage, distribution and retail segments.