Osborne Clarke advises A-Gas on the acquisition of Arthur Friedrichs Kaeltemittel GmbH. The company has supplied refrigerants for more than 60 years and the acquisition gives A-Gas a foothold in the European automotive market, where Arthur Friedrichs Kaeltemittel is a key player. The company also provides products to the OEM market, services equipment and offers expertise on new installations. The acquisition is subject to clearance from competition authorities in Germany and Austria.

Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) has advised leading French private equity investors Naxicap Partners (“Naxicap”) on their acquisition of consumer audio brand Teufel from Hg. It has been agreed not to disclose the purchase price or any further details of the contractual agreements; the transaction is still subject to merger control clearances.

Willkie represented Weener Plastics, a leading manufacturer of innovative plastic packaging products, and Willkie’s longtime client 3i in the deal.

Weener Plastics Group (WP), a leading manufacturer of innovative plastic packaging products for consumer goods companies in which 3i invested in June 2015, is acquiring Proenfar, a Colombia-based manufacturer of pharmaceutical and cosmetics plastic packaging solutions for the Latin American market.

Willkie represented Weener and longtime client 3i in the transaction.

Orrick advised VINCI Airports in the acquisition of nine airports and three partial management contracts following the acquisition of the airport portfolio held by Airports Worldwide, a Dutch cooperative previously owned by the Ontario Municipal Employees' Retirement System (OMERS).

The portfolio acquired by VINCI Airports consists of:

Two freeholds, Belfast International Airport in Northern Ireland, and Skavsta Airport near Stockholm, Sweden;

DLA Piper has advised Waterlogic on its 100% acquisition of Melbourne-headquartered Billi, a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of boiling, chilled and sparkling filtered drinking water under-the-sink units operating in Australia, the UK and international markets.

Waterlogic is a UK-based designer, manufacturer, distributor and service provider of purified drinking water dispensers and is a portfolio company of European PE firm Castik Capital.

Mishcon de Reya advised new client, Minor International ("MINT"), on the purchase of a 75% stake in Benihana Holding Pte. Ltd. ("Benihana"), is one of the leading Japanese-inspired teppanyaki restaurant chains headquartered in the UK. Joining MINT’s restaurant network is a portfolio of 19 Benihana restaurants: 2 owned restaurants in London and 17 franchised restaurants in countries across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

CMS has advised major private equity house Cinven on its acquisition of Partner in Pet Food (PPF) from Pamplona Capital Management.

PPF is a market-leading pet food manufacturer with nine manufacturing operations across Europe. PPF supplies pet food to more than 250 customers in Europe, including traditional retailers, discounters, speciality pet retailers and online specialists. Established in 1999, the company employs more than 1,400 people and produces more than 450,000 tons of pet food per annum, distributed across 38 countries in Europe.

De Brauw has served as Lead Counsel on the acquisition of Veco by Gilde Buy Out Partners.

Client name
Gilde Buy Out Partners

Other parties involved
SPGPrints B.V.

Nature of transaction
Gilde Buy Out Partners announced the acquisition of Veco, which was sold by its parent company SPGPrints. Veco, a leading supplier of high-precision metal components, maintains a track record of innovation and has built a strong development pipeline supporting the future growth of Veco. De Brauw advised Gilde Buy Out Partners on the transaction.

Travers Smith LLP has advised HSBC Bank plc on Epiris' acquisition from De La Rue plc its paper business, including the paper mills at Overton and Bathford.

The business, now named Portals De La Rue Limited, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of paper used in the production of banknotes and security documents (such as passports, vehicle registration documents and birth and marriage certificates).

Head of Finance Matt Ayre led the Travers Smith team, assisted by Associates Will Sheridan and Andrew Surgey.

Simpson Thacher is representing private equity funds managed by Blackstone in connection with their acquisition of Cirsa Gaming Corporation, S.A. from Mr. Manuel Lao Hernández.

Cirsa is an international gaming operator with bingo halls, casinos, arcades, sports betting kiosks and slot machines in more than 70 countries. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary approvals by the relevant regulatory and antitrust authorities.