We advised the Anglo-Australian mining group Rio Tinto on the sale to GFG Alliance of its Dunkirk plant, Europe's largest aluminum smelter with an annual capacity of 280,000 tons, 570 employees and an annual turnover of approximately €500 million.

The purchaser is the Gupta Family Group (GFG Alliance) managed by the Anglo-Indian billionaire Sanjeev Gupta.

The sale is to be completed in the second quarter of 2018, subject to information and consultation with the employee representative bodies and to obtaining the necessary authorizations, particularly in terms of merger law.

GFG Alliance has stated that it wanted to make the Dunkirk plant an international center for aluminum and downstream aluminum product expertise.

Partner Olivier Genevois led the deal, supported by of counsel Emmanuelle De Schepper, and associates Morgane Ferron and Paul Sautier.