The US company Arrow Electronics Inc. entered into a binding agreement for the acquisition of the Computerlinks group, a leading distributor of IT security and internet technology. The purchase price amounts to approx. EUR 230 millions. The sellers are funds advised by Equistone Partners Europe, and the management of Computerlinks. The transaction is subject to official approvals and is expected to be closed in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Computerlinks, headquartered in Munich, currently has branches in 22 countries in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia. The anticipated sales for 2013 amount to approx. USD 950 millions (as per US-GAAP).

Arrow Electronics is a global provider of products, services and solutions to industrial and commercial users of electronic components and enterprise computing solutions. Arrow serves as a supply channel partner for over 100,000 original equipment manufacturers, contract manufacturers and commercial customers through a global network of more than 470 locations in 55 countries.

An international Taylor Wessing team led by Stefan Kroeker (Partner, Corporate, Munich) provides comprehensive advice to Arrow in connection with this takeover.

Further team members from Germany are Hildegard Gunzel (Associate), Dr Oliver Treptow (Associate), Dr Cornelius Weitbrecht (Partner) (all Corporate, Munich), Dr Sascha Grosjean (Partner), Dr Michael Pils (Associate) (both Employment, Dusseldorf), Dr Bert Kimpel (Partner), Dr Simon Weppner (Associate), Dr Steffen Kranz (Associate) (all Tax, Dusseldorf), Claus Goedecke (Partner, Finance, Frankfurt), Andreas Haak (Partner), Dr Michael Bruggemann (Partner), Athina Thamm (Associate) (all Competition, EU and Trade, Dusseldorf), Dr Dirk Lorenz (Partner), Dr Timo Fahrion (Associate) (both Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Munich), Dr Nicolai Wiegand (Partner), Dr. Sibylle Gierschmann (Partner) (both IT, Munich), Dr Martin Rothermel (Partner), Dr Michael Kieffer (Associate) (both Commercial, Munich), Ortrun Gunzel (Partner, IP, Munich) and Dr Adrian Birnbach (Partner, Real Estate, Munich).

Furthermore, lawyers from the following international Taylor Wessing offices are involved: Willliam Belcher (Partner, Corporate), Paul Callaghan (Partner, Employment), Chris Cooper (Associate, Employment) (all London), Alfred Fink (Partner, Corporate), Peter Charles Schafer (Associate, Corporate), Markus Asshof (Partner, Employment) (all Paris), Bart De Moor (Partner, Corporate), Virginie Van Steenkiste (Associate, Corporate) (both Brussels), Dr. Raimund Cancola (Partner, Corporate), Philipp Hoflehner (Partner, Corporate), Norbert Wiegele (Associate, Corporate) (all Vienna), Torsten Braner (Partner, Corporate), Daniel Kazmer (Associate, Corporate) (both Budapest), Marketa Deimelova (Partner, Corporate) (Prague), Ewelina Stobiecka (Partner, Corporate), Przemystaw Walasek (Partner, Corporate) (both Warsaw), Ben Constance (Partner, Corporate), Dr Michael Kraemer (Associate, Corporate), Marize Coetzer (Associate, Employment) (all Dubai) as well as Chong Huat Tan (Partner, Corporate) and Dennis Tan (Associate, Corporate) (both Singapore).