Clifford Chance has advised Commerzbank and Landesbank Baden-Württemberg on the financing of the acquisition of the Ziegler Group by DPE Deutsche Private Equity GmbH from CODEX Zweite Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Staufen.Invest GmbH and Ralf Stokar von Neuforn.

The Ziegler Group is a global manufacturer of nonwovens with plants in Germany and Hungary. The Group's most important markets include the automotive industry and its suppliers, and the furniture and the plastics processing industries.

DPE Deutsche Private Equity GmbH (DPE) is an independent German private equity investment company investing in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. DPE manages total assets of over EUR 600 million.

The Clifford Chance team was led by partner Thomas Weitkamp (Banking & Capital Markets, Munich) and comprised associate Sabrina Bremer (Banking & Capital Markets) and partner Thorsten Sauerhering (Tax) – both Frankfurt.

Clifford Chance's acquisition and corporate finance team is a market leader in Germany. Their clients include private equity investors, as well as listed and family-owned companies, whom they advise on national and international transactions involving acquisition and corporate finance, restructuring and funding the takeover of listed companies (including public-to-private transactions). The German practice in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich comprises five partners, two counsel, as well as a number of associates and transaction lawyers advising on both, German and English law issues.