CMS assisted Circle Media Group with the acquisition of the CPI group, one of the leading players in the European book printing market. The CMS team was comprised of more than 70 associates from six jurisdictions – Germany, Austria, Spain, France, the Netherlands and the UK – who worked on all legal aspects of the operation.
This operation makes Circle Media Group the largest independent group in Europe in the book printing sector. The group will have 26 printing sites in 10 European countries as well as operations in the United States, 135 printing presses (including 29 digital presses), more than 5,000 employees and a combined annual turnover of €900 million. It is a strategic development for the industry at a time when the use of ebooks is slowing down.
For this operation, the CMS team, led by Alexandra Rohmert, partner (CMS France) and Charles Kerrigan and Anne Chitan, partners (CMS UK), comprised:
- CMS France: Alexandra Rohmert, Pierre Bondu et Vincent Desbenoit, associates, for Corporate/M&A aspects; Benjamin Guilleminot, counsel and Benoît Fournier, associate, for financing aspects; Caroline Froger-Michon, partner and Aurélie Parchet, associate, for labour and social welfare law aspects; Céline Cloché-Dubois, counsel and Clotilde Laborde, associate, for environmental aspects; Anne-Laure Villedieu, partner, Diane De Tarr-Michel and Victoire Delloye, associates, for contract aspects.
- CMS UK: Charles Kerrigan and Anne Chitan, partners for Banking & Finance aspects.
- CMS Germany: Dr. Claus-Peter Fabian, partner, Patrick Schultz, LL.M., and Cornelius Bareiß, associates for Corporate/M&A aspects.
This team was supported by CMS teams in Austria, Spain and the Netherlands.
Circle Media Group was also advised by the business bank REYL, with Teofilo Masera, Cyril Cervety and Nathalie Dobeli and assisted by Deloitte for the tax and financial audit.
The sellers were advised by Weil, Gotshal & Manges (Paris) LLP, with Jean Beauchataud, partner, Pierre-Adrien Achard and Julien Faure, associates.
