The Freshfields team was led by partners Richard Perks and Arend von Riegen

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP (‘Freshfields’) has helped Chinese home appliances manufacturer Midea Group Co., Ltd. (‘Midea’) to successfully complete its $5bn takeover offer for German robotics supplier KUKA AG (‘KUKA’).

On 29 December 2016 the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and Directorate of Defense Trade Controls cleared the takeover. All closing conditions of the tender offer thus having been met, the settlement of the offer took place on 6 January 2017.

The transaction is the largest ever acquisition of a German company by a Chinese bidder.

The Freshfields team was led by partners Richard Perks and Arend von Riegen.