Morgan Lewis advised We Soda Ltd on a $1.66 billion loan facility provided by a consortium of international lenders led by Goldman Sachs, Bank of China, Denizbank, and Isbank. The facility will be used primarily to refinance existing indebtedness.

Owned by the Ciner Group, We Soda is the world’s largest soda ash producer with operations in Turkey and Wyoming. Soda ash and sodium bicarbonate are used in the production of glass, detergents, food, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals.

Travers Smith LLP has advised long-standing client Exponent on its buyout of Dennis Publishing.

The Travers Smith team was led by Private Equity Partners Ian Shawyer and Lucie Cawood and also included Private Equity Senior Counsel Alex Dixon, Private Equity Senior Associate Victoria Bramall, and Private Equity Associates Robert Coward and James Thomson. Finance Partner Donald Lowe advised on financing matters, Tax Partner Russell Warren advised in relation to tax, and Commercial, IP and Technology Partner Richard Brown advised in relation to IP issues.

Addleshaw Goddard's market-leading banking team is delighted to have advised online beauty Retail Company The Hut Group on its latest funding facility taking its debt facilities to $1bn.

The company, which owns a number of brands including recently acquired eye cosmetics brand Eyeko, on which Addleshaw Goddard also advised, will use the cash boost to fund further acquisitions and grow its already impressive portfolio.

Dentons is pleased to announce that Geoff Bowman has joined the Firm as a partner in our Construction, Infrastructure and PPP, and Litigation and Dispute Resolution groups.

Geoff’s practice focuses on resolving construction disputes, as well as disputes relating to tendering and procurement. He is regularly sought out by both project owners and contractors with regard to significant construction projects. Geoff is also well-known for helping his clients take practical and strategic steps throughout the life of a project to reduce legal risk and resolve disputes efficiently.

Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has added leading intellectual property litigator Elizabeth Valentina as a shareholder in its Litigation Practice. Valentina previously worked at Fox Entertainment Group, where she led global precedent-setting litigation in the online content and platform space. She joins Greenberg Traurig’s Los Angeles office, as part of the Media and Entertainment Litigation and Intellectual Property Litigation Groups.

A team comprised of lawyers from several offices, led by Stuttgart-based partner Dr. Peter Ladwig, advised the shareholders of SyBIT GmbH, Radolfzell, on the sale of initially 60 percent of their shares in the company to itelligence AG and accompanied the transaction. Eventually, itelligence aims to acquire a 100 percent stake in SyBIT.
 

The corporate team from national law firm Shoosmiths has advised its client Coppergreen, a major UK holiday park developer, on the purchase of two new properties - an existing park in Lincolnshire and a brand-new development in Nottinghamshire.

Coppergreen has acquired Kenwick Park Hotel and Spa and Lodge Park, as well as the Clumber Park site in Nottinghamshire, which has planning permission for 129 lodges and a host of other new facilities.

Allen & Overy LLP has advised Marel hf, a public limited company listed on the Icelandic Nasdaq OMX under the ticker symbol MARL, on the acquisition of MAJA group.

MAJA Group, based in Kehl, Germany, is a highly innovative manufacturer of food processing machinery, specializing in skinning and portioning with main focus on the meat market, as well as ice machines for the preservation of fresh food.  The transaction is still subject to merger control clearance.  The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

Ashurst advised EQT Real Estate (EQT) on the acquisition and the financing of the "Allee-Center" shopping centre in the German city of Leipzig from Investa Capital Management. The centre, which is located on Ludwigsburger Strasse in the city's Grünau district, covers an area of almost 40,000 square meters. Its largest single tenants are Rewe, Saturn and Aldi. EQT intends, together with center manager ECE, to continue to work on the stabilisation of the property. EQT entered the German real estate business about two years ago and was initially primarily focused on office real estate.

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has advised international solar operator, Sonnedix Group, as sponsor, and Sonnedix Santa Lucia, the borrower, on the limited recourse refinancing of a portfolio of 23 photovoltaic parks in Italy. The portfolio has a total installed capacity of 47.3MW.