Stuttgart – Dutch private equity investor Rhein Management B.V. (“Rhein Invest”) and investor and buy-in manager Dr Andree Kang signed an agreement at the end of December 2020 to acquire all the shares in the Spiegel Institut Group companies. The existing Spiegel Institut Group owners will continue to support the group going forward as shareholders by reinvesting in the business, and also as advisory board members and consultants.
A team headed by CMS partner Dr Maximilian Grub and principal counsel Dr Sabina Krispenz advised the Spiegel Institut Group and its shareholders on all legal aspects of structuring the transaction, contract design and the contract negotiations. The deal was completed in mid-January 2021.
By acquiring the Spiegel Institut Group, Rhein Invest is gaining a leading research and consulting institute for consumer research and user experience consulting. It was established in 1950 by Prof. Bernt Spiegel as the first market psychology institute in Germany. The Spiegel Institut now has over 130 employees across locations in Mannheim, Ingolstadt, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Munich, Beijing and Shanghai. In particular, the Spiegel Institut offers its global clients in the automotive, medical technology and household equipment sectors insights from the user and consumer perspective that are vital for the development process.
As a private equity investor, Rhein Invest invests mainly in mid-sized companies with a high level of innovation and an expandable market position in the Netherlands and Germany. Target firms operate in the industrial, software, services, food and agricultural technology and specialist distribution sectors.
CMS Germany
Dr Maximilian Grub, Lead Partner
Dr Sabina Krispenz, Lead Principal Counsel
Dr Kai Wallisch, Partner
Dr Tobias Will, Senior Associate
Simone Philipp, Senior Associate, all Corporate/M&A
Dr Peter Ruby, Partner
Dr Andreas Grunert, Principal Counsel, both Banking & Finance
Dr Maximilian Koschker, Partner, Employment & Pensions
Dr Martin Mohr, Counsel, Tax
CMS China
Dr Ulrike Glück, Head of Corporate Practice Area and Managing Partner, Shanghai Office
Xiao Xiao, Associate, Corporate and Commercial
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