Gilde Buy Out Partners AG announced that it has reached an agreement to sell Spandex AG to Chequers Capital.

Headquartered in Switzerland, the Spandex-group is a leading distributor of graphic media and equipment to the signage and visual communication industry. Spandex has leading market positions in 13 European countries and in Australia. Completion of the transaction is subject to merger clearance and other customary conditions and is expected to be finalized early 2016. Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

King & Wood Mallesons advised Equistone Partners Europe and the other sellers on the sale of Sogetrel to a company controlled by Quilvest Private Equity and Bpifrance.

Quilvest and Bpifrance signed a sale agreement with the current shareholders of Ponycom (Sogetrel group), which are Equistone Partners Europe, Capzanine ICG, Ardian and Idinvest. Equistone originally invested in Ponycom in 2006. The sale is pending regulatory approval and is expected to close in early 2016.

Linklaters has advised UniCredit Group on its sale of UkrSotsBank to Alfa Group's ABH Holdings, a privately owned Luxembourg-based holding company for banking activities in the CIS.   As part of the deal, UniCredit Group will contribute its shares in UkrSotsBank to ABH Holdings in exchange for newly issued shares representing a 9.9% stake of ABH Holdings post transaction. Closing of the transaction requires regulatory approvals and is expected to take place in 2016.

The Swedish media group Bonnier has agreed to sell Dagbladet Børsen A/S and Børsen Associated Media A/S to JP/Politikens Hus A/S for DKK 800m. Plesner assisted Bonnier with the transaction.

With the new owner the Danish financial newspaper Børsen will continue as an independent medium with complete editorial independence. The newspaper will join the other national publications by JP/Politikens Hus.

In addition to Dagbladet Børsen, the sale includes Børsen Associated Media which also publishes the Danish magazine Dagens Medicin.

CHSH has advised Mitterbauer Beteiligungs-Aktiengesellschaft in connection with the voluntary takeover offer for shares in Miba AG, the subsequent squeeze-out of the remaining shareholders and delisting of the company.

On 30 July 2015, Mitterbauer Beteiligungs-Aktiengesellschaft published an offer to acquire all shares in Miba AG, which shareholders were able to accept until 26 November 2015. A total of 86,688 Miba AG shares were tendered into the offer, corresponding to an acceptance threshold of 71.5%.

Herbert Smith Freehills has advised PA Consulting Group on a 51% investment by The Carlyle Group. The investment values PA Consulting at US$1 billion and was implemented by way of a court-sanctioned Scheme of Arrangement, which became effective on 11 December 2015.

Kirkland & Ellis is advising the special committee of the board of directors of NYSE-listed Trina Solar Limited, a global leader in photovoltaic modules, solutions and services, in connection with its review and evaluation of a proposed acquisition by its Chief Executive Jifan Gao and Shanghai Xingsheng Equity Investment & Management Co. The non-binding ‘going-private’ proposal was announced on December 12, 2015. To read more about the deal, please click here.
 

Allen & Overy is advising Mr. Lorenz Hampl, one of the two inventors, founders, owners and managing directors of the company behind the fritz-kola brand, on the exit from the company as shareholder and managing director. His business partner and co-founder Mirco Wolf Wiegert will take over his shares.

Shearman & Sterling is advising the Special Committee of the board of directors of iDreamSky Technology Limited (“iDreamSky”) in connection with its US$592 million going-private transaction.

The buyer group is led by a group of management members, existing shareholders and new investors that include V Capital, Prometheus Capital, Legend Capital, We Capital, and Star VC. The transaction is expected to close during the second quarter of 2016, subject to certain closing conditions.

Dr Frank Steffel is selling his business activities to Brüder Schlau Group in order to further devote himself to new tasks and his Bundestag mandate

Berlin—Dentons has advised Dr. Frank Steffel, owner of Steffel Holding GmbH & Co. KG, on the sale of his business activities to Brüder Schlau GmbH & Co. KG. It was agreed to keep the purchase price confidential. The sale has become effective today and is retroactively effective as of January 1, 2016.