Baker McKenzie is advising longstanding client, Unilever, on its acquisition of the personal care and homecare brands of Quala, the Latin American consumer goods company. The acquisition will strengthen Unilever's footing in Latin America, and reinforces Unilever's commitment to its long-term model of compounding growth and sustainable value creation.

Commenting on the deal, Baker McKenzie London-based corporate partner, David Scott, said: "We're delighted to have partnered with Unilever on another important, strategic acquisition for its home and personal care portfolio. The deal involved multiple Baker offices, including London, New York, Bogota, Mexico City and Lima, and is another great demonstration of our cross-border transactional capability on key deals."

The Baker McKenzie team was led by corporate partner, David Scott, out of our London office, together with corporate senior associate, Tom Edwards, and partners, Samantha Mobley (Competition), Michelle Blunt (IP) and Duncan Reid-Thomas (Commercial Contracts). The team was supported by other Baker McKenzie lawyers throughout the world.

The mandate is the latest example of the work of Baker McKenzie's newly launched global Consumer Goods & Retail Industry Group, which uses industry insight and knowledge to best understand and anticipate clients needs.

Founded in 1980, Quala now has a strong presence in ten countries in Latin America: Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Peru, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Its personal care and homecare portfolio includes leading local brands, Savital/Savilé (Haircare and Skin Cleansing), eGo (Male Haircare and Styling), Bio-Expert (Haircare), Fortident (Oral Care) and Aromatel (Fabric Conditioners); with a combined turnover of over USD 400M in 2016.

The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.