Deals round-up: Eversheds’ bumper H1; Hurst; JMW & more
THE corporate team at Eversheds in Manchester has hailed a “fantastic” first half of 2014, where according to department head Simon Masters it has advised on “some of the most important strategic transactions in the region.”
Highlights include: acting for Cheshire-based Chinese lottery operators DJI Holdings on its £150m AIM admission; advising lesiure group Holidaybreak on the £92m sale of its camping division; working for Lancashire-based Fairpoint on its £15m acquisition of Yorkshire law firm Simpson Millar and most recently advising Manchester-based domestic energy efficiency company Entu (UK) on its £65m admission to AIM, which was led by Zeus Capital.
Mr Masters said: “Our straightforward, client centred approach ensures that we provide clients with the highest quality advice and service, wherever they do business.”
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SEVERAL Manchester-based lawyers at Mills & Reeve were involved in a major international deal valued at more than US $3bn.
The national firm advised Columbus International Inc and its shareholders on its sale to telecoms giant Cable & Wireless Communications.
Columbus is a privately-owned diversified telecommunications company with operations in the Caribbean, Central America and the Andean region. Cable & Wireless has agreed to pay approximately US$1.85 billion for Columbus and will also assume Columbus’s existing net debt of approximately US$1.17 billion.
The Mills & Reeve team, led by corporate partners Tom Pickthorn and Stephen Hamilton and including associates Natalie Wade, Nicola Hanglin, Simon Warburton and Jonathan Greenwood, gave strategic advice and support on due diligence and worked alongside City firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.
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MANCHESTER advisers from Hurst Corporate Finance and law firm JMW advised recruitment group Kinetic on the sale of one of its subsidiaries, Navartis, to its management team.
Yorkshire-based Navartis, which provides technical and management professionals to the transportation, civil engineering and utility sectors worldwide, was sold by Greater Manchester-based Kinetic for an undisclosed sum.
The advisory team included Nigel Barratt and Ian Dawson, of Hurst Corporate Finance, and tax specialist Liz Gallagher. Mark Heppell and Vicky Protano of JMW, also advised Kinetic.
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LAW firm Bond Dickinson’s chemicals and manufacturing team advised US-based Vertellus Specialties on its acquisition of North West fine chemicals manufacturer Pentagon Chemical Holdings.
Pentagon’s shareholders were advised by a Manchester-based team from Clearwater International.
