Clifford Chance has advised Thai Union Group Public Company Limited (TU), Thailand, the world's largest self-stable tuna processor and owner of some internationally leading seafood brands on the acquisition of a majority stake in Rügen Fisch AG. Rügen Fisch is one of the leading producers of shelf-stable canned seafood in Germany. The current shareholders will stay in the company and will continue its successful development together with Thai Union.

The deal is expected to be completed by the end of January 2016. The transaction is subject to approval by the German competition authorities.

Rügen Fisch, based in North-East Germany, currently generates revenues in excess of 140 million Euros. The company supplies ambient and chilled fish including herring, mackerel and salmon across Germany to all the leading retailers under key brands such as Rügen Fisch, Hawesta, Ostsee Fisch und Lysell along with a significant private label business. The company employs over 850 people across four primary state-of-the-art facilities in Germany and Lithuania.

The Thai Union Group PCL generated in 2014 more than 3.8 billion US dollars annual sales with a global workforce of over 46,000 people. The company's global brand portfolio includes besides various Thai brands also international brands such as Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Parmentier, Mareblu, Kingoscar and Century.

The Clifford Chance team comprised partner Jan F. Wrede with counsel Gwendolyn Müller, associates David Schwenneker and Dr. Wenzel Richter (all Corporate/M&A, Munich), partner Dr. Stefan Simon (Frankfurt) and senior associate Dr. Philipp Schäuble (Munich, both Employment Law), partner Marc Besen (Antitrust, Düsseldorf/Brussels) and associate Anne Filzmoser (Antitrust, Düsseldorf), partner Tim Schreiber and senior associate Dr. Alexander Weiss (both Litigation) and partner Christian Trenkel and associate Agnieszka Anna Pikul (both Real Estate), all Munich.

A team with partner Jan F. Wrede and counsel Gwendolyn Müller had advised the Thai Union Group already in September 2014 on the acquisition of 100 % of the shares in King Oscar Holding AS (Norway) from Private Equity Fonds Procuritas Capital Investors IV.