ALBATROS MEDIA
Acquisition by Albatros Media Group of shares in Yabyrinth and Elibro
Partner Jan Koval and senior associates Ivo Skolil and Josef Bouchal acted as legal advisors for the publishing group Albatros Media in arranging for an equity entry into Yabyrinth, which operates an e-shop with English literature (enbook.cz) and music and film media (endisc.cz) in Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Romania; and into Elibro, which specialises in buying used books (vykupujeme-online.cz) and operates an online second-hand bookshop and audiobook shop (audiovesmir.cz).
B+N CZECH REPUBLIC FACILITY SERVICES
Acquisition of companies by a European player in the field of facility services
We advised B+N Czech Republic Facility Services from the B+N Referencia Zrt. Group, which provides comprehensive facility services in five European countries, on the acquisition of TESPRANET SERVICES and TESPRANET LANDSCAPING. Partner Jan Koval, counsel Robert Porubský, associate Jan Krejčí and tax advisor Kateřina Havlínová assisted B+N in this transaction, which further strengthened the group’s position on the European facility services market.
GEVORKYAN
IPO of Slovak hightech company Gevorkyan
A HAVEL & PARTNERS team helped with the first IPO of Gevorkyan, a Slovak hightech company and technology leader in powder metallurgy. It was the largest IPO (initial public offering) on the Prague Stock Exchange’s START market to date and the first Slovak company ever to finance production expansion by subscribing for shares through this capital market. The company subscribed CZK 727 million (approx. EUR 30 million) in the IPO. This was a unique case of a Slovak company issuing shares on the Czech capital market. The advice was provided by the Czech-Slovak team led by partner Jan Topinka, managing associate Martin Stančík and associate Kristina Saktorová. Gevorkyan’s IPO also became the Slovak Private Equity Deal of the Year at the CVCA&Slovca Awards 2023.
TURK ELEKTRONIK PARA
Advising a Turkish fund on the purchase of Twisto payments
Partner Jan Koval, managing associate Martin Stančík and senior associate Josef Bouchal, together with associate Martin Rott, provided comprehensive legal services to the Turkish fund TURK Elektronik Para in the acquisition of Twisto payments, the largest fintech company in the Czech Republic specialising in online deferred payments and crowdfunding. On the seller side was the Australian company Zip.
AGILITAS PRIVATE EQUITY
Acquisition of Danish ICT services business
We participated in an international transaction in the field of information and communication technologies (“ICT”), where our office provided counsel to funds advised by Agilitas Private Equity LLP (“Agilitas”) on the carve-out of the IT infrastructure outsourcing business from the NNIT Group in Denmark. The business, which is now named Aeven, has a presence in the Czech Republic, Denmark and the Philippines. Agilitas is a pan-European mid-market private equity firm. Partner Jan Koval, lead associate Silvie Király, senior associate Pavla Kaufmannová and tax associate Kateřina Havlínová assisted.
ICM
Legal services for a construction company in the framework of the Slovak railway modernisation project
Partner Štěpán Štarha and associate Oliver Benda provided comprehensive legal advice to the major international construction company ICM in connection with the project of modernisation of the railway line section Devínska Nová Ves – the state border with Slovakia/Czech Republic. Legal services were provided from the preparation of the project, through the contracting of subcontractors to the resolution of all related legal issues. The line is part of the global interconnection of the pan-European rail corridor.
ROHLÍK GROUP
Acquisition of a competing German grocery store by Rohlík
Our M&A specialists have assisted Rohlík Group, which operates an online shop for groceries and other products in the Czech Republic and abroad, to further expand its business activities in Germany. Partner Václav Audes and senior associate Josef Bouchal assisted Rohlík as legal advisors in the acquisition of Bringmeister, which has been selling groceries to German customers and delivering purchases to their homes for over 20 years. Rohlík bought Bringmeister from the Rockaway investment group. The transaction was subject to approval by the German antitrust authority.
WOOD & COMPANY
Advising on the purchase of a minority stake in Footshop and subsequent listing of the brand on the Prague Stock Exchange
We advised the investment company Wood & Company on the purchase of a minority stake in Footshop, a streetwear shoes and clothing retailer, as well as on the subsequent merger with Wood SPAC One, through which the Footshop brand entered the Prague Stock Exchange. We handled all M&A aspects of the transaction and the subsequent advisory services for the company’s listing on the stock exchange. For HAVEL & PARTNERS, partners Jan Koval, Jaroslav Baier, Jan Topinka and Jiří Kunášek and senior associate Josef Bouchal were involved in the transaction.
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON
Providing advice related to the sale of helicopters to the Slovak Interior Ministry
Comprehensive legal advice to Bell Helicopter Textron, a major U.S. helicopter manufacturer, was provided by partner Ondřej Majer and managing associate Ján Kapec in connection with challenging an illegal procedure of the Slovak Interior Ministry in the direct purchase of two helicopters through a direct negotiation procedure. The legal advice also included the successful application of review procedures where the Ministry, as the contracting authority, was obliged to cancel the procurement procedure in question, and successfully obtaining an interim court measure prohibiting the purchase of helicopters from a competing bidder.
