Taylor Wessing advises Hillebrand on the takeover of Braid

A Taylor Wessing team, led by Frankfurt partner Clemens Niedner, advised J.F. Hillebrand Group AG on the financing of the acquisition of Braid Group. Besides advising in relation to the acquisition financing for the transaction, the mandate also included advice on amending the existing corporate financing and the group's German law governed loan notes (Schuldscheine). The acquisition financing will be provided by way of a syndicated bridge financing under the lead of DZ Bank, Helaba and LBBW.

"Given the existing financing structure, we had the privilege of closely advising our client in this exciting and internationally oriented mandate from day one to closing. This is a real landmark transaction for a global strategic acquisition", said Clemens Niedner, Partner at Taylor Wessing.

Hillebrand, one of the world's leading logistics service providers for the alcoholic beverage industry, is taking over Braid, a globally operating logistics company. With this acquisition, Hillebrand further expands its position as a leading global logistics service provider for alcoholic beverages.

Hillebrand was founded in Mainz in 1844. Through its global freight carrier network, the company manages the logistics and transport of batches of different sizes, from a single bottle to bulk goods. The company offers its customers tailor-made solutions for greater efficiency along the supply chain. With 2,300 employees in 90 countries, Hillebrand has a turnover of around 1.2 billion euros.

Braid was founded in Scotland in 1955. With more than 400 employees worldwide and a global network of offices and staff in all major trading centres, the company specialises in bulk container transport, especially in flexitank and tank container transport. Braid is not only a service provider and forwarder for flexitanks, but also a producer.

Legal counsel of Hillebrand

Taylor Wessing Germany: Lead Clemens Niedner (Partner), Dr. Michael Beyer (Salary Partner), Stella Diez (Associate) all Finance, all Frankfurt

Local Counsel: TW NL Andrei Babiy, TW F, Eric Charvillat, TW UK Martin Yells, Baker Hostetler (USA) – John Allotta, McCullough (Australien) – David Gilham, Arthur Cox (IRL) – Kevin Lynch, Roca Junyent (Spanien) - Pablo Rodríguez Abelenda