CMS advises J.A. Woll Group on expanding its branch network by acquiring nine discount stores

Frankfurt/Main – The J.A. Woll Group, majority owned by the UK's B&M Group, is strengthening its presence in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate by acquiring nine "Knüller" stores. These will continue to sell mainly clearance and end of line stock under the JAWOLL brand. The competition authorities have approved the transaction; the purchase price was not disclosed.

A team from CMS Germany headed by Dr Oliver C. Wolfgramm advised the J.A. Woll Group on all legal aspects of this transaction.

Last year, Dr Oliver C. Wolfgramm advised Stern Vertriebs GmbH and its shareholders on the sale of the J.A. Woll Group to B&M. The current owners and CEOs of J.A. Woll, Ingo Stern and Ralf Hartwich, retained a shareholding in the company at that time and continue to manage the business together with Nils Hansen. B&M's involvement was intended to speed up expansion of the branch network over the medium to long term. The acquisition of the "Knüller" stores is an important milestone, alongside increased organic growth.

Soltau-based J.A. Woll Group is a leading regional discount retailer in Germany with 62 branches of its own and six franchise stores. B&M Retail Ltd, which is headquartered in Liverpool, is a leading discount retailer in the UK. Its more than 500 stores in the UK and Germany and 22,500 employees generate sales of over EUR 2.7 billion a year. The product range comprises both food and non-food items.

CMS Hasche Sigle

Dr Oliver C. Wolfgramm, Lead Partner
Dr Navid Anderson, Senior Associate, both Corporate/M&A
Johanna Hofmann, Counsel
Tobias Rüb, Senior Associate, both Real Estate & Public
Dr Rolf Hempel, Partner
Martin Cholewa, Associate, both Competition & EU
Yvonne Wolfgramm, Partner, Labor, Employment & Pensions
Marcus Fischer, Counsel, Tax

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