Terroirs Distillers, a family-run spirits group, has entered into final and exclusive negotiations with Suntory France, the French subsidiary of the Japanese group Suntory Holdings, for the acquisition of the cognac group Louis Royer. The value of the deal is estimated at €100 million. To complete the deal, Terroirs Distillers joined forces with long-term partner Unigrains, a finance provider specialising in the agricultural food industry.
A team from the Reed Smith Paris office is advising Terroirs Distillers and Unigrains on the purchase, including:
- Lucas d'Orgeval, partner, corporate
- Indranee Dursun, associate, corporate
- Diane Forestier, associate, corporate
- Stéphane Letranchant, partner, tax
- Gontran Souweine, associate, tax
- Séverine Martel, partner, employment law
- Fernando Teixeira, associate, employment law
Suntory France is being advised by Gide (Hugues Scalbert, Alexis Pailleret, and Yohan Jabbour Gédéon).
Terroirs Distillers produces and sells the whisky brands Tullibardine and Highland Queen, Charrette rum, Girard pastis and the Stoessle and Moyroud eaux-de-vie, the Sommer bitter, and the flavoured drinks Arômes & Vin.
The acquisition of Louis Royer brings the Terroirs Distillers group an essential addition in the cognac sector. Founded in 1853 in Jarnac, Louis Royer has been owned by Suntory since 1989.
Majority-owned by the arable farming profession in France, Unigrains is a financial company specialising in the agricultural food industry. Unigrains works with agricultural and food companies to provide made-to-measure financial solutions, including equity and quasi-equity finance, and has renowned expertise in the sector. Together with its subsidiaries, it manages more than one €1 billion.
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