Corporate and M&A: Experience

PUBLIC COMPANY TAKEOVERS

  • Sumitomo Corporation on its €751m recommended takeover offer for Fyffes plc.
  • Verizon Communications on its acquisition of FleetMatics Group for $2.4bn (European Corporate Deal of the Year - The Lawyer 2017).
  • Towers Watson on its merger with Willis Group.
  • Perrigo Company plc on its successful defence of a hostile takeover attempt by Mylan N.V.
  • Endo International plc on its acquisition of Par Pharmaceutical Holdings, Inc for $8.05bn.
  • XL Group on its $4.2bn acquisition of Catlin Group.
  • élan on the defence of a $6.8bn takeover bid by Royalty Pharma.
  • Trintech on its takeover by scheme of arrangement by Spectrum Equity Investors.
  • Guanabara Holdings on its hostile takeover bid for EcoSecurities.

DOMESTIC DEALS ALL SIZES

  • Link Asset Services on its strategic partnership with Leveris.
  • KN Group on its proposed sale to Circet.
  • Kapp & Peterson on the disposal of the family businesses to the Scandinavian Tobacco Group and to the Laudisi Distribution Group respectively.
  • The sale by Achmea BV of the Friends First Group to Aviva. 
  • Aegon on the sale of Aegon Ireland plc to Athora Life Re Ltd for €195m.
  • NJJ on its acquisition of a 66% interest in eir, Ireland's leading telecoms, broadband and media company.
  • Euronext on its acquisition of the Irish Stock Exchange.
  • The sellers on the sale of Noonan to Bidvest for €175m.
  • Allianz Europe on its proposed acquisition of the remaining shares in Allianz-Life Holdings for €160m.
  • Carton Group in relation to Scandi Standard AB's proposed acquisition of Manor Farm.
  • Cardinal Carlyle on its acquisition of Sam McCauley Chemists.
  • Scape Opportunities on the acquisition of Kesteven.
  • Xylem on its acquisition of the Selc Group.
  • ABP Food Group on its joint venture with Slaney Foods.
  • Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard on the sale of Paddy Whiskey for €90m.
  • Cardinal Carlyle on the investment in AA Ireland for €156m.
  • Aviva and AIB in relation to the sale of Aviva Health to Irish Life.
  • Dalata Hotel Group on a number of acquisitions including  the Clarion Hotel Sligo, Maldron Hotel Cork, DS Charlemont and the entire issued share capital of DT Sussex Road Operations.
  • Hibernia REIT on its acquisition of its investment manager, WK Nowlan REIT Management.
  • Britvic/Counterpoint in relation to the acquisition of the business of East Coast Suppliers and Knockton.
  • Aegon on the sale of Aegon Ireland to Athora Life Re Limited for €195m.
  • Bewley's on a number of acquisitions.
  • Noonan on the acquisition of the RPS business and the Resource Group.
  • AIG on its acquisition of Laya Healthcare.
  • Spar Group on its investment in the BWG Group.
  • Setanta Sports Broadcasting on the sale of the entire issued share capital of Setanta Sports Channel Ireland to Eir.
  • Investec Bank on the disposal of Start Mortgages and Nua Mortgages.
  • Malin on its investments in Immunocore, Altan Pharma 3D4Medical.
  • The shareholders of Irish animation company Brown Bag Films on its merger with Canadian animator 9 Story Media Group.

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS AND SELLERS

  • Cushman & Wakefield on its acquisition of Sherry FitzGerald's commercial property business.
  • Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC) and its subsidiary Matheson Tri-Gas (MTG) on the Irish aspects of the acquisition of Praxair's European industrial gas business for approximately €5bn.
  • JBS SA, on the $1.3bn sale of Moy Park.
  • UPS on its acquisition of Parcel Motel's owner, Nightline Logistics.
  • Citibank on the Crossborder merger of Citibank International and Citibank Europe.
  • Heaven Hill Brands on its US$165m acquisition of Carolans and Irish Mist brands from Campari.
  • ASL Aviation Group on its acquisition of the Farnair Group, company operations in Europe, South Africa, South East Asia and India.
  • Bossard Group on its acquisition of Arnold Industries.
  • Spotify in relation to the acquisition of the Soundwave business.
  • Pyramid Hotel Group on the sale of the Temple Bar Hotel to Ascott.
  • Brookfield on the disposal of the Killhills and Knockacummer Wind Farms to Greencoat.
  • Amundi in relation to the acquisition of the Pioneer Asset Management business.
  • UDG Healthcare plc on the €407m sale of its pharmaceutical distribution businesses to global pharmaceutical wholesaler McKesson.
  • Travelport on its acquisition of the mobile travel platform developer, Mobile Travel Technologies Limited.
  • Irish Government on the sale of Bord Gáis Energy.
  • Special Liquidators of IBRC on all corporate aspects of the sale process in respect of the assets of IBRC.
  • GenCell Biosystems on its acquisition by Becton, Dickinson and Company.
  • Telefónica on its sale of Telefónica O2 Ireland to Hutchison Whampoa Group.
  • Nestlé on its acquisition of Pfizer infant nutrition business.
  • Irish Life Group on Great-West Lifeco’s acquisition of the company from the Government of Ireland.
  • Bloomberg on its acquisition of PolarLake.
  • Icon plc on a number of acquisitions including its acquisition of Mapi, Cross Country Healthcare, Firecrest, Oxford Outcomes.
  • CPPIB on its proposed €830m acquisition of Shell's interest in the Corrib Gas Field.

MIGRATIONS

  • Nabriva Therapeutics on the redomiciliation of its Holding Company from Austria to Ireland, by means of an Exchange Offer.
  • Johnson Controls Inc. on its merger with Tyco plc.
  • Pfizer on its proposed $160bn merger with Allergan plc.
  • Pozen on its proposed acquisition of Tribute Pharmaceuticals and setting up its Irish structure.
  • Endo International plc on its acquisition of Auxilium Pharmaceuticals in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $2.6bn.
  • Medtronic, Inc on its $49bn acquisition of Covidien plc.
  • élan on the sale of EDT to Alkermes Inc and Alkermes' related corporate inversion into Ireland.
  • Vidara Therapeutics on the acquisition of Irish listed pharmaceutical company AGI Therapeutics and subsequently on its proposed merger with Horizon Pharma and related inversion to Ireland.
  • Endo Health Solutions on its $1.6bn acquisition of Paladin Labs and related corporate inversion into Ireland.
  • élan on its formal sale process and Perrigo's recommended $8.6bn takeover offer and related corporate inversion into Ireland. (Global M&A Deal of the Year 2014 - American Lawyer)
  • XL Group on the migration of the holding company of the XL Group to Ireland.

CAPITAL MARKETS

  • Yew Grove REIT plc on its IPO on ESM and AIM.
  • Glenveagh Properties plc on its €550m IPO on the Irish and London Stock Exchanges and €200m Firm Placing and Placing and Open Offer.
  • The joint global co-ordinators on the sale by the Department of Finance of a proportion of its shareholding in Allied Irish Banks and on the related IPO and admission to the official lists of the Irish and London Stock Exchanges of Allied Irish Banks.
  • Numis Securities and Goodbody Stockbrokers on the £95.2m placing and subscription by Draper Esprit.
  • UBS, JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch and J&E Davy as Placing Agents in CRH’s €1.6bn “cash-box” placing.
  • Prothena in respect of its March 2017 $155m primary offering on NASDAQ.
  • Cairn Homes on its admission to the main securities market of the Irish Stock Exchange.
  • Malin on its latest private placement equity fundraising (May 2017).
  • Dalata Hotel Group on its €455m reverse takeover of Moran Bewley Hotel Group and associated equity raise.
  • Hibernia REIT on its €300m placing and open offer - UK, US, Ireland and internationally.
  • Nabriva Therapeutics on the redomiciliation of its Holding Company from Austria to Ireland, by means of an Exchange Offer.
  • The underwriters on the $750,000,000 rights issue by Tullow Oil plc.
  • Providence Resources on its €65m secondary capital raise by way of placing and open offer.

PRIVATE EQUITY

  • Hg Capital on the sale of a majority stake in Invis Energy to Sojitz Corporation, Mitsuibishi UFJ Lease and Finance and Kansai Electric Power.
  • Volpi Capital, a UK private equity fund, on its €90m equity investment in Version 1.
  • Bertram Capital Management on the acquisition of the Anord Group of companies.
  • Cardinal Carlyle on its acquisition of Sam McCauley Chemists.
  • Cardinal Carlyle on the investment in AA Ireland.
  • InfraVia Capital Partners on its acquisition of the telecoms infrastructure business of Coillte.
  • Lily O'Brien's Chocolates' vendor on the sale to Carlyle Cardinal Ireland's first private equity deal in Ireland.
  • Fountain Healthcare on a number of acquisitions.