Paris, 6 January 2021 – Jeantet advised the German group GEA, one of the largest systems suppliers specialised in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical sectors, within the frame of an auction process and the subsequent divestment of two entities that until now have been part of the group’s Farm Technologies division, to Mutares SE & Co. KGaA, a German stock listed private equity company. The closing of the transaction has occurred on 31 December 2020.

The concerned companies are GEA Farm Technologies Japy SAS, a French manufacturer of milk cooling tanks based in Saint-Apollinaire, and Royal De Boer Stalinrichtingen B.V., a leading European supplier of various types of barn equipment based in Leeuwarden in the Netherlands. Combined, the two companies generated revenues of approximately EUR 50 million in 2019 and have 230 employees.

As one of the largest systems suppliers, generating group revenues in the amount of EUR 4.9 billion in 2019 and having a total workforce of approximately 18,500 employees, GEA makes an important contribution to a sustainable future with its solutions and services, particularly in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical sectors. GEA is listed on the German MDAX and the STOXX® Europe 600 Index and also included in the DAX 50 ESG and MSCI Global Sustainability indexes.

Mutares SE & Co. KGaA, acquires medium-sized companies and parts of groups with headquarter in Europe that are being sold in the course of a repositioning process at their owners and show a clear potential for operational improvement. Mutares actively supports and develops its portfolio companies with its own investment and consulting teams as well as through acquisitions of strategic add-ons. In 2019, Mutares’ portfolio companies generated consolidated revenues of EUR 1,016 million and employed more than 6,500 people worldwide. The shares of Mutares SE & Co. KGaA are listed on Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Jeantet’s team advising GEA within the frame of the two above mentioned simultaneous divestments included Karl Hepp de Sevelinges, Partner, as well as Ruben Koslar and Perrine Fuchs, Associates (all Corporate/M&A), Laetitia Ternisien (Counsel, Employment Law) and Gabriel Di Chiara (Counsel, Tax Law).

Jeantet also involved the Dutch law firm Houthoff (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) for Dutch Law aspects, with a team composed of Michiel Pannekoek, Partner, Philip van der Eijk, Counsel, Jessica den Dekker et Alessia Ponticorvio, Associates (all Corporate/M&A), as well as Naomi Dempsey (Counsel, Employment Law).

Mutares SE & Co. KGaA was advised by CMS Francis Lefebvre (Paris, France), with a team composed of Thomas Hains, Partner, Sara Gharbi, Associate (Corporate/M&A), Guillaume Bouté, Partner and Clémentine Quintard, Associate (Restructuring) and CMS Derks Star Busmann (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), with Isabelle van den Hoogen.