Bird & Bird LLP has advised Sojitz Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) on the acquisition of all shares in solvadis holding S.à r.l. (Luxembourg).

Completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals. The parties agreed to maintain confidentiality regarding the purchase price.

solvadis is a portfolio company of Special Situations Venture Partners II, a fund advised by Orlando Management AG. It specialises in the distribution and international sale of chemical and pharmaceutical products from leading producers. solvadis will become a fully-owned Sojitz subsidiary.

Sojitz is one of the largest trading companies in Japan. Its chemicals division produces and sells more than one million tons of methanol in the Asia region annually, which is mostly used for the production of paints, plastics, adhesives and medicines. With the acquisition of solvadis, Sojitz aims to expand its annual trading volume to more than two million tons and enlarge its position as a global player within the methanol industry. Furthermore, Sojitz aims to create synergies within the basic and specialty chemicals sector, integrating the marketing and distribution strengths of solvadis group in Europe into its own global sales network.

The Bird & Bird team advising Sojitz Corporation was led by partner Alfred Herda, who was assisted by associates Dr. Stefanie Orttmann and Dr. Peter Coenen (both Corporate/M&A, Dusseldorf). They were supported by partner Dr. Matthias Lang and associate Alexandra Bednarek, (both regulatory/environmental, Dusseldorf), partner Dr. Dirk Barcaba, associates Elie Kaufman and Andreas Mondel (all real estate, Frankfurt), partner Dr. Fabian Niemann, associates Lea Noemi Mackert and Dr. Natallia Karniyevich (all commercial, Dusseldorf), partner Dr. Matthias Winter and associate Stanislav Schmidt, both banking & finance, Frankfurt, counsel Dr. Martin Jäger and associate Dr. Stephan Waldheim, (both competition, Dusseldorf), counsel Dr. Catharina Klumpp (employment, Dusseldorf), counsel Dr. Julia Natzel (IP, Hamburg), as well as lawyers from Bird & Bird offices in France, Belgium, Netherlands, England, Italy and Poland.