Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Gütersloh, WEMAS Group is a full-service provider of certified products for passive road safety. Since its acquisition by Gimv and Paragon in 2017, the company has expanded its market-leading position in traffic safety technology through significant investments in product innovation, production automation and capacity expansion. This has enabled WEMAS to launch new products and expand its customer base, accelerating its growth both in Germany and abroad.
The Reed Smith team, co-led by Munich corporate partners Dr Nikolaus von Jacobs and Dr Germar Enders, advised Gimv and Paragon on all legal aspects of the transaction. The team included Matthias Weingut (senior associate, corporate), Dr Martin Bünning (partner, tax), Dr Michaela Westrup (partner, antitrust), Dr Oliver K. Hahnelt LL.M. (partner, finance), Dr Nikolas T. Koutsós (counsel, finance) and Robert Werzlau (associate, corporate).
Dr Nikolaus von Jacobs, Dr Germar Enders and Matthias Weingut already advised on the acquisition of WEMAS by Gimv and Paragon in 2017.
About Gimv
Gimv is a European investment company listed on Euronext Brussels.
As a recognized market leader, Gimv acts as a partner for entrepreneurial and innovative companies in five forward-looking investment sectors.
Gimv currently manages a portfolio of around 60 companies with a total turnover of EUR 3.7 billion and 20,000 employees.
About Paragon
Founded in 2004, Paragon is one of the leading private holding companies in the DACH region. Paragon works closely with its portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth and operational excellence. Paragon’s portfolio covers various industries and currently consists of 14 companies. The firm is headquartered in Munich, Germany, and has more than EUR 2.4 billion of equity under management.
For more information about the firm, please visit www.paragon.de.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a dynamic international law firm dedicated to helping clients move their businesses forward. With an inclusive culture and innovative mindset, we deliver smarter, more creative legal services that drive better outcomes for our clients. Our deep industry knowledge, long-standing relationships and collaborative structure make us the go-to partner for complex disputes, transactions and regulatory matters.
For more information, please visit reedsmith.com.
