Brachers wins Insider South Yorkshire Dealmakers Award 2022 for cross-border acquisition

Brachers has advised German listed group SIMONA AG on its acquisition of PEAK Pipe Systems Limited in a cross-border deal that won the hotly-contested ‘International Deal of the Year’ category at the Insider South Yorkshire Dealmakers Awards 2022.

The award judges praised this ‘strategic and synergistic cross-border deal’, and commented that PEAK Pipe Systems has done very well to generate revenues of around €40m with 66 employees. The deal itself is set to provide an opportunity for ongoing investment and growth in the long-established business, within Europe and the Middle East.

SIMONA is one of the leading producers and development partners in the field of thermoplastics, headquartered in Germany and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Operating worldwide, they offer technical solutions centred around industry and infrastructure, within the chemical process and semiconductor industry.

PEAK is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of high-quality polyethylene pipe systems in the UK infrastructure market.

Brachers worked with Mazars Legal, the German member of the international Marcalliance network of law firms, bringing together both UK and German legal expertise to successfully complete the transaction.

DLA Piper acted as advisors to Bridgstock Limited, with Mazars advising on corporate finance aspects of the matter.

James Bullock, Head of Corporate, led the multi-discipline deal team at Brachers. James was supported by Partner Claire Williams and solicitors Sunil Landa and Kieron Cummins in the Corporate team, along with Partner Colin Smith from the Employment team and Partner Lee May from the Commercial Property team. The team advised on all UK legal aspects of the transaction, including negotiating the sale agreement and undertaking due diligence.

James Bullock said: “I am thrilled this deal has been recognised by Insider. It is a great honour to win the ‘International Deal of the Year’ category at the Insider South Yorkshire Dealmakers Awards, particularly as the standard of entries was so high this year.

“It was a pleasure to work with the team at SIMONA and with Philipp Wullrich and his team at Mazars Legal in Germany on the transaction. SIMONA is a global leader in their field and their acquisition of PEAK reinforces the notion that the UK is a great place for foreign companies to invest. We wish them all the best and look forward to working with them in the future.”

Michael Schmitz, Chief Financial Officer at SIMONA, said: “This is a great deal for SIMONA, and we are delighted to continue our growth, both in our target markets in our product portfolio through the acquisition of PEAK. We would like to thank James and the team at Brachers for their expert advice throughout the process, which ensured a smooth transaction.”

Brachers works with a number of international clients, with its capabilities supported by its membership of the Marcalliance network, an international alliance of independent law firms. As part of the network, the firm is able to access extensive local-jurisdiction legal experience to help clients operating internationally, and to carry out complex cross-border work.

Brachers has also recently secured a Corporate and Commercial Band 1 ranking in The Legal 500 2022, with a client quoted in the directory commenting that the team provide “great local customer service but with London knowledge and expertise.”

This content is correct at time of publication