Global law firm Reed Smith is advising Sonoco Products Company (NYSE: SON), one of the world’s largest diversified global packaging companies, on the acquisition of family-owned Weidenhammer Packaging Group, headquartered in Hockenheim, Germany, for US $383 million. The transaction is subject to regulatory review in both Germany and Russia and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2014.
The acquisition will expand Sonoco’s global consumer-related packaging and services business.
Weidenhammer Packaging has approximately 1,100 employees and operates 13 production facilities, including five in Germany, along with individual plants in Belgium, France, Greece, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States, Chile and Russia. In addition to producing composite cans, drums and luxury tubes, Weidenhammer produces unique rigid plastic containers using state-of-the-art thin-walled injection moulding technology with modern in-mould labelling. Markets served by the company include processed foods, powdered beverages, tobacco, confectionery, personal care, pet food, pharmaceuticals and home and garden products.
Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and displays and packaging supply chain services. The company which boasts annual sales of approximately $4.9 billion will add the 1,100 employees of the Weidenhammer organization to its nearly 20,000 employees working in 335 operations in 33 countries, serving some of the world's best known brands in some 85 nations.
The Reed Smith team is advising Sonoco on all aspects of the acquisition, including corporate, tax, real estate, and labor and employment law issues as well as on IP and merger control. Lex Eley and Caroline Klocko led the deal team from the Washington office; the team also included lawyers from the Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York, Chicago, Munich, London, Paris, and Athens offices, as well as local counsel in Russia, Poland, Belgium and the Netherlands. Constantin Conrads, Michael Fischer, Sabine Meinert and Florian Keller (Munich); Marjorie Holmes, Catherine Johnson, Abigail Jones, Julia Fagelman and Andrew Clark (London); Anthony Poulopoulos, Constantin Fatsis, and Konstantinos Roppas (Athens); Bertrand Baheu-Derras and Isabelle MacElhone (Paris); also played key roles in getting the deal signed. All told, some 40 Reed Smith lawyers have contributed to the matter to date.
Financial advisor to Sonoco was Macquarie Capital.
ENDS
Note to Editors:
For more information please see the company press release:
http://investor.sonoco.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=82014&p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=1960555
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm, with more than 1,800 lawyers in 25 offices throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the United States.
For further information, please visit www.reedsmith.com or contact Annabelle Price (Branding & Communications Executive EME) on +44 (0)20 3116 3787.