CMS advises Seafort on sale of shares in Avedo Group to Ströer

Stuttgart – Acting in conjunction with the management team, private equity firm Seafort Advisors has sold 75% of the shares in the Avedo Group to digital multi-channel media company Ströer. The existing management team with founder and CEO Torsten Krause at the helm retains a significant shareholding and will continue to manage Avedo’s operational business. This acquisition in the performance-oriented dialogue marketing segment opens up a new sales channel for Ströer. The existing Avedo Group management team will continue to manage the operational business after the sale. The purchase price was not disclosed. The transaction is currently awaiting approval from Germany’s Federal Cartel Office.

A CMS team headed by lead partner and private equity lawyer Dr Tobias Schneider successfully advised Seafort Advisors and the other sellers on the transaction. CMS lawyers regularly provide Seafort and its portfolio companies with transactional support. Most recently, CMS advised the PE firm on the sale of the Dieter Braun Group at the end of 2016.

Seafort Advisors is a collaborative private equity firm which is headquartered in Hamburg. It invests in medium-sized and technology-oriented companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The Avedo Group is a German marketing specialist based in Leipzig. It currently focuses on telesales and dialogue marketing. Established in 2004, the company has six call centres and 30 million customer contacts each year.

Ströer SE & Co. KGaA is a listed German firm with international operations. It is active in the marketing of online and outdoor advertising and is one of the largest providers of out-of home media in Germany. Ströer expects the acquisition to boost sales by EUR 60 million a year.

CMS Hasche Sigle

Dr Tobias Schneider, Lead Partner
Christina Lung, Associate, both Private Equity/M&A
Dr Marc Seibold, Partner
Dr Andreas Grunert, Senior Associate, both Banking & Finance
Carsten Domke, Partner, Labor, Employment & Pensions
Christopher Köth, Associate, Corporate/M&A
Dr Christian Haellmigk, Partner, Competition & EU

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