Linklaters advised the private equity investment firm Triton on the sale of Expert, Compo's professional business unit and a leading manufacturer of branded goods for home and garden as well as speciality fertilizers for commercial use. The buyer was XIO Group, a global alternative investment firm with offices in London, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Compo Expert is a leading supplier of speciality fertilizers and plant protection products for professional users. The company employs a staff of approximately 500 worldwide. Since Compo was acquired by Triton in 2011, Compo's management has taken numerous steps to improve the market position of the Expert business unit. These include expanding into new markets in Latin America, opening an office in Asia and growing the product portfolio.

Compo's Consumer business unit, a European market leader in high-quality speciality goods for home and garden, will remain with Triton.

Triton's funds invest in small and medium-sized businesses in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. These investments focus on companies in manufacturing, the services sector and consumer goods/healthcare.

Triton's portfolio currently holds investments in 30 companies with total revenue in excess of €14.5 billion and more than 66,500 employees. The Triton funds are managed by a team of experienced investment professionals located in Germany, Sweden, the UK, Luxembourg and Jersey.

The Linklaters team was led by Dr Rainer Traugott (Corporate, Munich). The team also included Dr Timo Engelhardt (Corporate, Munich), Dr Daniela Seeliger (Antitrust, Düsseldorf), Dr Konrad Berger (TMT), Dr Jann Jetter (Tax), Hanno Witt, Jennifer Kramar, Dr Niclas von Woedtke (all Corporate), (all Munich), Christina Trebing (Antitrust, Düsseldorf), Annegret Eding (Public Law, Berlin), Stefanie Huber (Real Estate, Frankfurt), Alfonso O´Donell (Corporate, Madrid), Louis Prades, Christophe Carrière (both Corporate, Paris) and Valentina Gariboldi (Corporate, Milan).