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Freshfields advises shareholders on the sale of Leiber to Asahi Group Foods
Global law firm Freshfields has advised the shareholders on the sale of 100% of the shares in Leiber GmbH to Asahi Group Foods, Ltd., a subsidiary of Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. (each with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan). The consummation of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.
Leiber refines brewer’s yeast into innovative product solutions for healthy nutrition, biotechnological and agricultural applications. It has an innovative product range in the field of yeast applications for the food, fermentation, and animal nutrition industries as well as for biotechnology. Leiber GmbH was founded in 1954 and has been family-owned ever since. As a brewer’s yeast specialist, Leiber has been practicing sustainable and reliable upcycling at world market level for seven decades.
Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. is one of the five largest breweries in the world, with brands such as Asahi, Grolsch, Kozel, Peroni and Pilsner Urquell. In addition to beer, the group also produces spirits, soft drinks and food. Asahi Group Foods, Ltd. was established in 2015 to handle the food-related businesses of the Asahi Group.
The Freshfields team was led by Partner Stephanie Hundertmark (Corporate/M&A, Berlin) and Principal Associate Tobias Dreßler (Corporate/M&A, Hamburg) and also included:
- Partners: Alexander Schwahn (Tax, Hamburg), Igor Gerber (Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt), Katrin Gaßner (Antitrust, Düsseldorf), Thomas Granetzny (Employment Law, Düsseldorf), Christoph Werkmeister (Data Protection, Düsseldorf)
- Counsel: Lukas Pomaroli (Compliance, Vienna)
- Principal Associates: Björn Junior (Tax, Hamburg), Katharina Reinhardt (Compliance, Berlin)
- Associates: Alexander Schramm (Corporate/M&A, Berlin), Fabienne Gieshoidt (Tax, Hamburg), Vladimir Korotkov (Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt), André Loock (Corporate/M&A, Hamburg), Geronimo Benedict (Antitrust, Berlin), Gianna-Maria Jungblut (Real Estate, Hamburg), Lena Isabell Loeber (Data Protection, Düsseldorf), Tensin Studer (Compliance, Vienna)
- Senior Transaction Lawyers: Pipitsa Kousoula (Hamburg)
