Frankfurt/Main – UK-based B&M Group is entering the German discounter market by acquiring a majority stake in the J.A. Woll Group. The Soltau-based firm mainly sells clearance and end of line stock under the JAWOLL and HAFU brands in the north-west of Germany. The transaction is currently awaiting approval from the competition authorities; the purchase price was not disclosed.

A team from CMS Hasche Sigle led by Dr Oliver C. Wolfgramm advised Stern Vertriebs GmbH and its shareholders on all legal aspects of selling the J.A. Woll Group to B&M.

The current owners and CEOs of J.A. Woll, Ingo Stern and Ralf Hartwich, retain a shareholding in the company and will continue to manage the business together with Nils Hansen. B&M's involvement is intended to speed up expansion of the branch network over the medium to long term.

B&M Retail Ltd, which is headquartered in Liverpool and owned by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, LLC and the Arora family, is a leading discount retailer in the UK. Its more than 370 stores and 17,000 employees generate sales of over EUR 1.4 billion a year. The product range comprises both food and non-food items. The J.A. Woll Group is a leading regional discount retailer in Germany with 49 branches of its own and five franchise stores.

CMS Hasche Sigle

Dr Oliver C. Wolfgramm, Lead Partner
Matthias Heilmeier, Coordination
Dr Johannes Baare
Till Benjamin Liebau, all Corporate/M&A
Dr Markus Pfaff
Dr Roman Gaitzsch
Vanessa Harms, all Banking & Finance
Heinrich Schirmer
Johanna Hofmann
Beate Engin, all Real Estate & Public
Marcus Fischer, Tax
Anja Dombrowsky, Employment
Dr Dirk Smielick, Intellectual Property
Michael Kamps, Technology