Linklaters has advised the international food group VION N.V. on the sale of its German “Convenience Retail” segment. The new main owner is a consortium of consisting of PARAGON PARTNERS, a Munich-based private equity company, as well as Jürgen Abraham and Norbert Barfuß.

The “Convenience Retail” segment comprises the production of sausage products, boiled ham, escalopes, burgers and vegetarian products and consists of 7 production sites, 29 branches, 9 fresh meat centres and 3 meat markets. The segment also includes the “Lutz”, “Weimarer”, “Nocker”, “Artland”, “Vegetaria” and “Heiter – Ihr Rheingauer Metzger” brands. “Convenience Retail” generates a total turnover of around 435 million euros and employs 1700 persons.

VION is an internationally operating food group based in Boxtel (the Netherlands). The new owners’s intention and ability to competently and professionally continue operations was crucial to VION’s choice. Furthermore, it was always VION’s objective to sell the entire segment to one investor. By opting for this consortium consisting of the medium-sized Munich-based investor PARAGON PARTNERS and JARA Holding, this segment was awarded to a financially strong buyer with many years of experience in the German and European food industry. Jürgen Abraham is shareholder and managing director of JARA Holding. He is the former owner of Abraham Schinken, the leading German ham producer, and as such an acknowledged expert in the development of regional approaches.

PARAGON PARTNERS and JARA Holding intend to combine VION’s Convenience Retail activities and continue to operate them under the umbrella of Lutz Fleischwaren GmbH, a holding company with a long history which is based in Landsberg am Lech.

A Linklaters team led by Wolfgang Sturm, Dr Michael Krömker (both Corporate, Düsseldorf) and Oliver Rosenberg (Tax, Düsseldorf) advised on the transaction. The team also included Bernd Meyring (Competition/Antitrust, Brussels), Kirsten Placke (Tax, Düsseldorf), Dr Christian Ley (Employment, Munich), Daniel Buchinger (Real Estate, Frankfurt), Thorben Eisenbeiß (Employment, Munich), Przemyslaw Lipin (Banking, Frankfurt), Karin Hribar, Rebecca Ridder, Ricarda Grzeschik (Corporate, Düsseldorf), Lars Suhr (Competition/Antitrust, Brussels) and Christian Wegener (Tax, Düsseldorf).