Taylor Wessing advises REWE Digital on 130 million Euro Deal with Insight Partners

Led by the Düsseldorf-based Partner Ernst-Albrecht von Beauvais, Taylor Wessing has advised REWE Digital GmbH on the participation of Insight Partners in its subsidiary company commercetools GmbH. Commercetools is a worldwide leading provider of e-commerce software. With an investment of 130 million Euros, the global venture capital and private equity company supports growth plans in the USA, Asia Pacific and Europe. commercetools is a software company that uses its cloud-based e-commerce platform to enable shopping via various channels: from mobile apps to language assistants, chatbots, AR/VR and IoT applications to car commerce. In 2014, REWE Digital, which is part of the REWE Group, took over commercetools. REWE Digital remains the shareholder and investor in commercetools.

Completion is still subject to the condition precedent of various approvals by the cartel authorities.

A Taylor Wessing team made up of Ernst-Albrecht von Beauvais and Stephan Manuel Nagel already successfully advised the REWE Group in the early part of this year on the acquisition of the Lekkerland Group and previously in 2016 on the take-over of the coop society. Taylor Wessing also advised the REWE Group at the end of 2017 on the takeover of 70 Kaiser’s Tengelmann branches in the course of settling a dispute with EDEKA concerning ministerial permission.

About REWE Digital GmbH

The REWE digital unit, created in 2014, is at the core of REWE Group's digital transformation. All strategic and partly operative online activities of REWE Group are bundled at the Cologne Carlswerk site. REWE digital aims to become the leading provider of online solutions in all markets relevant to REWE Group. One of REWE digital's most important tasks is to digitise food retail in Germany. As an additional alternative to the stationery business, customers can order their groceries online, which are then delivered to their homes fresh and chilled at the desired time. With its delivery service, REWE is setting a trend in online shopping and has become Germany's No. 1 online supermarket for fresh food (IFH 2016). In addition, REWE digital develops omni-channel solutions together with the business units and is a driver of innovation topics. In addition to the location in Carlswerk with more than 600 employees, REWE digital operates nine Food Fulfilment Centres (FFC) with a total of more than 1,500 employees. Since the end of 2018, the technological FFC 2.0 in Cologne-Niehl, with a high degree of automation, has been a trendsetter in continental Europe. REWE digital also includes the specialist online shops ZooRoyal and Weinfreunde, which are also at the Cologne Mülheim premises.

About Insight Partners

Insight Partners is a leading global venture capital and private equity firm investing in high-growth technology and software companies that are driving transformative change in their industries. Founded in 1995, Insight currently has over $20 billion assets under management and has cumulatively invested in more than 300 companies worldwide. Insight's mission is to find, fund, and work successfully with visionary executives, providing them with practical, hands-on growth expertise to foster long-term success. For more information on Insight and all its investments, visit www.insightpartners.com or follow @insightpartners on Twitter.

About commercetools GmbH

commercetools is a next-generation software technology company that offers a true cloud commerce platform, providing the building blocks for the new digital commerce age. Its leading-edge API approach helps retailers create brand value by empowering commerce teams to design unique and engaging digital commerce experiences everywhere – today and in the future. Its agile, componentized architecture improves profitability by significantly reducing development time and resources required to migrate to modern commerce technology and meet new customer demands. It is the perfect starting point for customised micro services.

Legal Advisers to REWE Digital

Taylor Wessing Deutschland:

Lead Partner Dr. Ernst-Albrecht von Beauvais (Partner), Dr. Kathrin Monen (Partner), Daniel Mursa (Associate), Dr. Dennis Häger (Associate) all M&A, Prof. Dr. Jens Escher (Partner), Dr. Philipp Weiten (Associate) both Tax Law, Dr. Michael Brüggemann (Partner), Julia Lechtenböhmer (Associate) both Competition, EU & Trade, Stephan Manuel Nagel (Partner, Cartel Law), Sebastian Fischoeder (Salary Partner, IP), Fritz-Ulli Pieper (Partner, IT), Dr. Michael Pils (Partner), Meike Brecklinghaus (Associate), Nadine Pott (Associate) all Employment, Pensions & Mobility, Dr. Daniel Kunz (Salary Partner, Insolvency Law) all Düsseldorf, Dr. Dieter Lang (Partner), Lars Borchardt (Associate) both Environment, Planning & Regulation, both Hamburg