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Hamburg – On 25 April 2024, Germany’s Federal Administrative Court dismissed the lawsuits brought by environmental groups Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) and NABU against the planning approval granted by Stralsund Department of Mining on 21 August 2023 for the construction and operation of the first marine section of the Baltic Connector Pipeline (Ostsee An­bindungslei­tung – OAL).A CMS team headed by Dr Christiane Kappes and Dr Neele Christiansen represented the proponent, GASCADE Gastransport GmbH (GASCADE), as summoned party in the proceedings before the Federal Administrative Court. GASCADE operates a natural gas pipeline system in Germany with a total length of around 3,700 kilometres. The team previously advised GASCADE on all aspects of the planning approval procedure for the OAL. At around 50 kilometres long, the OAL offshore pipeline connects the LNG terminal planned by Deutsche ReGas (Floating Storage and Regasification Unit – FSRU) for Mukran on the island of Rügen to the existing long-distance gas grid in Lubmin. This LNG project is set to feed at least ten billion cubic metres of natural gas a year from the OAL into the German gas grid, replacing some of the previous gas imports from Russia and making a significant contribution to energy security. The Federal Administrative Court rejected all the claimants’ objections to the legality of the planning approval. Realising the OAL as quickly as possible serves the key purpose of ensuring a secure and diversified gas supply in Germany. Overriding public interest and the need for public security make the project essential. Fast-tracking its approval is an appropriate way to deal with the continuing gas supply crisis resulting from suspension of Russian gas supplies and destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline. Under the facilitation provisions of the LNG Facilitation Act (LNG-Beschleuni­gungs­ge­setz – LNGG), no environmental impact assessment was therefore required for the OAL. The project is also compatible with current law on the protection of nature and wildlife. No issues were found with the environmental assessment of temporary loss of function for reefs protected by law or the review of the con­struc­tion-re­lated impact on marine mammals and birds on rest stops. The Court held that the planning resolution had also given adequate consideration to the project’s impact on the global climate. The Federal Administrative Court has thus confirmed its previous urgent decisions in which it dismissed several fast-track actions brought by environmental groups DUH and NABU in recent months (BVerwG 7 VR 4.23, 7 VR 6.23, 7 VR 1.24, 7 VR 2.24). The Federal Administrative Court’s case references are 7 A 9.23 and 7 A 11.23. CMS Germany Dr Christiane Kappes, Partner Dr Neele Christiansen, Part­ner Se­basti­an Belz, Counsel Knut Göring-Tisch, Associate Dr Lisa Rueß, Associate, all Real Estate & PublicPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com

Hamburg – Vattenfall has sold 49% of its shares in the Nordlicht 1 and Nordlicht 2 wind farm projects to BASF. The wind farm zone consists of two separate sites and is located in the German section of the North Sea, around 85 kilometres north of the island of Borkum. The two sites, Nordlicht 1 and Nordlicht 2, have planned capacities of approximately 980 MW and 630 MW, respectively. Full commissioning is scheduled for 2028, when a total of around six terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity is expected to be generated per year, enough to power 1.6 million German households. This makes the Nordlicht wind project the biggest offshore wind farm project that Vattenfall has realised to date. Construction is expected to start in 2026, subject to the final investment decision. Vattenfall is acting as developer and builder of both Nordlicht sites.A CMS team headed by partners Dr Holger Kraft and Dr Jacob Siebert advised Vattenfall on all legal aspects of the transaction. Vattenfall and BASF signed a Memorandum of Understanding with regard to the joint project in December of last year, when the CMS team likewise advised Vattenfall. CMS Germany Dr Holger Kraft, Lead Partner Dr Jacob Siebert, Lead Part­ner Dorothée Janzen, Partner, Com­mer­cial Mat­thi­as Sethmann, Principal Counsel Dr Christoph Löffler, Counsel Dr Stefan Kühl, Senior Associate Dr Christian Seeburger, Associate, all Corporate/M&A Dr Niklas Ganssauge, Partner Mathias Cordero, Senior Associate, both Real Estate & Public Christoff Soltau, Partner Dr Denis Schlimpert, Counsel Dr Robert Bodewig, Senior Associate, all Antitrust, Competition & Trade Dr Kerstin Block, Partner, Banking & Finance Prof. Malte Grützmacher, Partner, TMC Dr Nikolas Gregor, Partner, Intellectual Prop­erty Se­basti­an Belz, Counsel Katja Meisel, Senior Associate Knut Göring-Tisch, Associate, all Public Dr Arne Burmester, Principal Counsel  Birgit Wagner, Legal Manager Shae Lynn Washington, Legal Co­ordin­at­or  Sarah Przybylski, Senior Legal Specialist Edris Trabzadah, Senior Legal Specialist Jule Marie Holz, Legal Specialist, all Smart OperationsPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com

Ham­burg/Stut­tgart – Main Street Capital Corporation, a publicly traded financial investor based in Houston, Texas, has acquired Maass Global Group through one of its portfolio companies, Gulf Manufacturing, LLC. The Essen-based company is a global leader in the manufacture and sale of flanges and forged specialty products, forged steel bars, seamless tubes and fittings made of duplex, stainless steel and high-nickel alloys. In addition to its headquarters in Essen, the Maas Global Group has further locations in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, India, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.A CMS team led by Dr. Eckart Gottschalk and Dr. Kai Wallisch provided comprehensive legal advice to Main Street Capital Corporation on this transaction. In addition to corporate law advice, the focus was on the legal implementation of the financing. As part of the transaction, CMS Germany worked closely with CMS law firms from the Netherlands, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates as well as the American law firm Locke Lord and AZB & Partners from India. Main Street Capital Corporation is a publicly traded investment company with a market capitalization of approximately USD 3.9 billion. It specializes in long-term financing of middle-market companies in various industries through management buyouts, re­cap­it­al­iz­a­tions, growth financing and acquisitions. With the investment to acquire Maas Global Group, Main Street Capital Corporation is deepening its existing investment in the manufacturing of flanges, fittings and other specialty products for industrial applications. CMS Germany Dr. Eckart Gottschalk, Lead Partner Dr. Kai Wallisch, Lead Partner Dr. Paul Kintrup, Senior As­so­ci­ate Mil­itsa Decheva Petrova, Senior Associate Dr. Alexander Weinhold, Senior As­so­ci­ate Tjorben Drawe, Associate Sonja Schanze, As­so­ci­ate Kath­rin Dengel, Associate, all Corporate/M&A Dr. Marc Seibold, Partner Anne Waßmuth, Counsel Carla Kaeber, Associate, all Banking & Finance Dr. Hans Fabian Kiderlen, Principal Counsel Theresa Friedle, Associate, both Real Estate & Public Dr. Michael Kraus, Partner Thomas Fröhlich, Counsel, both TMC Dr. Jacob Hinze, Counsel, Employment Law Dr. Martin Mohr, Partner, Tax Christoff Henrik Soltau, Partner Dr. Robert Bodewig, Senior Associate, both Antitrust, Competition & Trade Kai Neuhaus, Partner Moritz Pottek, Counsel, both Brussel EU Law Office CMS Netherlands Roman Tarlavski, Partner Maarten Feenstra, Associate Fleur Assendelft de Coningh, Associate Anne Fleur Krijthe, Candidate civil law notary CMS Singapore Toby Grainger, Partner Leslie Tay, Associate CMS UAE Patrik Daintry, Partner Fawzi Oueidat, Associate Locke Lord Greg Heath, Partner Nicholas Jennings, Partner Jason Ulezalka, Partner Case Towslee, Associate Jake Chagoury, Associate Mason Marek, Associate AZB & Partners Srinath Dasari, Senior Partner Gautam Rego, Partner Yash Anand, Associate Gopika Menon, AssociatePress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com

Hamburg – SEFE Securing Energy for Europe GmbH (SEFE) has acquired all the shares in WIGA Transport Beteili­gungs-GmbH & Co. KG (WIGA) from its co-shareholder Wintershall Dea AG. The transaction is currently awaiting approval from the competition authorities. SEFE is wholly owned by the Federal Republic of Germany. WIGA owns regulated gas pipeline operators GASCADE Gastransport GmbH and NEL Gastransport GmbH, who operate one of the largest high-pressure gas networks in Germany with a combined length of around 4,150 kilometres. These networks have a key role to play in European energy security and the green energy transformation. The transaction will strengthen SEFE in its role of ensuring secure and reliable energy supply in Germany and Europe, as well as boosting its hydrogen ex­pert­ise.“With the full acquisition of WIGA as sole shareholder, we are strategically strengthening SEFE as an independent and autonomous midstream company,” commented Reinhard Gorenflos, Chairman of the SEFE Supervisory Board.“SEFE being the sole shareholder of WIGA will ensure that GASCADE can convert the existing high-performance infrastructure to hydrogen in the future. In this way, we can help drive forward the green energy transformation. Transportation infrastructure is a pivotal part of the future hydrogen value chain,” said Dr Egbert Laege, CEO of SEFE. “The two WIGA subsidiaries, GASCADE and NEL, will continue to operate independently and market their capacity in a transparent and non-dis­crim­in­at­ory manner.”SEFE CFO Dr Christian Ohlms highlighted the importance of WIGA with regard to the privatisation of SEFE, which is due to take place by the end of 2028: “With this transaction, which is expected to complete by summer 2024, we are strengthening SEFE’s asset base. Our aim is to continue the long-term development of SEFE on a stable financial footing.”A multinational CMS team headed by Hamburg-based partner Dr Holger Kraft advised SEFE on all aspects of acquiring WIGA. In addition to extensive due diligence on the entire WIGA Group, including GASCADE and NEL, which are regulated under energy law, this work covered negotiation of the share purchase agreement and separate agreements with the shareholders of Wintershall Dea AG. Alongside negotiating the transaction agreements, the advice focused on safeguarding the transaction through several W&I insurance agreements, including negotiating the policies, and handling regulatory issues relating to gas network operation and other public-law matters. CMS Germany worked closely with the CMS law firms in the UK and Luxembourg, and with US law firm Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. CMS previously advised the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action in 2022 and 2023 around their trusteeship over SEFE and its subsequent nationalisation by way of corporate actions. The instructions for this transaction followed on from that successful cooperation. About SEFE:As an integrated midstream energy company headquartered in Berlin, SEFE Securing Energy for Europe ensures the security of energy supply in Germany and Europe and is driving the green energy transformation. SEFE is active in trading & portfolio management, sales, transportation and storage of energy and has its strongest presence in Germany and the UK. SEFE employs around 1,500 people and supplies over 50,000 customers, in particular industrial customers and municipal utilities in Germany and seven other European markets. With a sales volume of around 200 TWh of power and gas, SEFE plays a central role in stability of the energy supply in Germany and Europe. SEFE is owned by the Federal Government of Germany. CMS Germany Dr Holger Kraft, Lead Partner Dr Jan Schepke, Partner Matthias Sethmann, Principal Counsel Dr Dirk Baukholt, Principal Coun­sel Char­lotte von der Heydt-von Kalckreuth, Counsel Dr Stefan Kühl, Senior Associate Dr Paul Kintrup, Senior Associate, all Corporate/M&A Dr Rolf Hempel, Partner Dr Friedrich von Burchard, Partner Nicole Köppen, Senior Associate, all Regulatory Dr Hermann Müller, Partner Dr Arno Görlitz, Associate, both Public Commercial Law Dr Martin Mohr, Partner Dr Olaf Thießen, Principal Counsel, both Tax Dr Alexandra Schluck-Amend, Partner Manuel Nann, Senior As­so­ci­ate Pit-Jo­hannes Wagner, Associate, all Restructuring Dr Andreas Hofelich, Partner Dr Mario Brungs, Counsel Dr Lena Pingen, Associate, all Em­ploy­ment/Pen­sions Dr Fritz von Hammerstein, Partner Jan Gröschel, Senior Associate Heike Weyer, Senior Associate, all Public Law Dr Stefan Voß, Partner Tamara Bux, Associate, both Real Estate Dr Sebastian Cording, Partner Martin Krause, Partner Dr Shaya Stender, Associate Joel Coché, Associate, all Commercial Dr Julia Runge, Principal Counsel, Finance Dr Michael Bauer, Part­ner Chris­toff Henrik Soltau, Partner Dr Robert Bodewig, Senior Associate Luisa Thomasberger, Associate, all Antitrust, Competition & Trade CMS UK Russel Hoare, Partner Sam De Silva, Part­ner Jean-Fran­cois Willems, Of Counsel Jennifer Louch, Senior As­so­ci­ate Max­imili­an Weaver, Senior Associate Louisa Mottaz, Associate CMS Luxembourg Angelique Eguether, Senior As­so­ci­ate Guil­laume Flagollet, Managing Associate Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP (USA) Mollie D. Sitkowski Inhouse at SEFE Securing Energy for Europe GmbH Dr Jörg Kammerer Jörn RimkePress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com

Hamburg – Hanseatic Energy Hub GmbH (HEH) has achieved financial close for the project financing to develop and realise the planned terminal for liquefied gases in Stade. Total investment is some EUR 1.6 billion. Achieving financial close represents a major milestone for Hanseatic Energy Hub GmbH’s land-based terminal.A multi-dis­cip­lin­ary and multi-location CMS team headed by Dr Hilke Herchen and Dr Holger Kraft advised Hanseatic Energy Hub GmbH on developing the project and on preparations to secure the project financing. This included corporate law advice with a particular focus on developing and optimising corporate governance, and on the associated links to the project financing. This advice marks a continuation of the existing close cooperation between HEH and CMS. The CMS team has been providing advice on an ongoing basis since the start of the project, with support for project development around corporate, operation & maintenance and real estate matters in particular. This has included advising on various shareholders joining the project, with a recent example being Enagás S.A. as industrial partner in June 2023. The CMS team conducted a comprehensive due diligence check to put the project financing on a solid footing. The first expansion phase of the project will see an emission-free terminal begin operating in 2027. Its infrastructure is also approved for bio-LNG and synthetic natural gas (SNG). At a later stage, the project will be switched over to hydrogen-based energy carriers such as ammonia. The planned regasification capacity is 13.3 billion cubic metres per year and the send-out capacity is 21.7 gigawatt. From March 2024 until the onshore terminal becomes operational, Hanseatic Energy Hub GmbH will also accommodate one of the five FSRUs (Floating Storage and Regasification Units) chartered by the German federal government. CMS Germany Dr Hilke Herchen, Lead Partner Dr Holger Kraft, Lead Partner Matthias Sethmann, Principal Counsel Dr Luise Pelzer, Counsel Dr Stefan Kühl, Senior Associate Dr Carl-Friedrich Thoma, Senior Associate Dr Josephine Doll, As­so­ci­ate Domin­ic Zimmer, Associate Dr Christian Seeburger, Associate, all Corporate/M&A Dr Fritz von Hammerstein, Partner Katja Meisel, Senior Associate Jan Gröschel, Senior Associate, all Per­mit­ting Mar­tin Krause, Partner Dr Sebastian Orthmann, Partner Dr Hans Fabian Kiderlen, Principal Coun­sel Chris­toph­er Schmeckel, Senior Associate Wiebke Westermann, Associate, all Real Estate Dr Friedrich von Burchard, Partner, Energy & Climate Change Dorothée Janzen, Part­ner  Chris­toph Zarth, Partner Robin Azinovic, Associate, all Commercial Dr Kerstin Block, Partner, Banking & Finance  Dr Martin Mohr, Partner Dr Olaf Thießen, Principal Counsel, both Tax Dr Sebastian Cording, Partner Dr Anna Lena Füllsack, Senior Associate, both TMC Dr Michael Bauer, Partner Luisa Thomasberger, Associate, both Antitrust, Competition & Trade Dr Philipp Nonnenmühlen, Counsel, Labor, Employment & Pensions Dr Martin Gerecke, Partner, IP Birgit Wagner, Legal Manager, Smart OperationsPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com

Munich – Listed private equity firm Mutares SE & Co. KGaA has signed an agreement to acquire Magirus from the Iveco Group. Magirus is one of the world’s leading providers of firefighting equipment. This new platform investment will enable Mutares to strengthen its Goods & Services segment. The transaction is expected to complete no later than January 2025.A CMS team headed by partner Dr Michael Wangemann advised Mutares on all legal aspects of the acquisition. Mutares regularly relies on the expertise of the CMS team led by Dr Wangemann, including during the recent acquisition of High Precision Components Witten GmbH. Mutares SE & Co. KGaA is a private equity firm based in Munich. It acquires medium-sized companies in transitional situations and parts of large corporations (carve-outs), with the aim of putting them onto a profitable growth path. Mutares’ revenues currently stand at around EUR 5 billion and are expect to rise to 10 billion by 2028. Ulm-based Magirus generates annual sales of more than EUR 300 million. The company has around 1,300 employees across locations in Germany, Italy, Austria and France. It offers products and related aftersales services in the firefighting and disaster control field. CMS Germany Dr Michael Wangemann, Lead Partner Viktoria Barthel, Senior As­so­ci­ate Mar­i­elouise Emmer, Senior Associate, all Corporate/M&A Anna-Lena Löcherbach, Counsel, M&A/Real Estate Susanne Schwalb, Partner, Dispute Res­ol­u­tion Stefan Lüft, Partner Martin Maurer, Senior Associate, both IP Inhouse Legal at Mutares Jan Thöle, General Counsel Inhouse Tax at Mutares Denis Ahluwalia, Head of Tax Julia Hellwig, Senior Manager TaxPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com

Frankfurt/Main – Bruker has agreed to acquire ELITechGroup, a provider of specialty in vitro diagnostic (IVD) systems, from TecFin S.à r.l., a controlled affiliate of PAI Partners, a pre-eminent private equity firm, for EUR 870 million in cash, excluding the carved out ELITech clinical chemistry business. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2024, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.A team of CMS Germany headed by lead partner Dr Hendrik Hirsch acted as lead transaction counsel on this landmark transaction for Bruker's MDx business covering all M&A aspects of the transaction, IVDR and other regulatory aspects, antitrust and FDI filings, the carve out of the clinical chemistry business and support on the employee consultation processes in France and the Netherlands. ELITechGroup, with over 500 employees and over 40 active patents, develops and commercializes innovative, proprietary molecular diagnostic (MDx) systems and assays, as well as niche biomedical systems and microbiology products. Its molecular diagnostic business accounts for the majority of the to-be-acquired revenues and provides the unique sample-to-answer (S2A) instruments InGenius® and Be-Genius® in the mid-to-high throughput MDx category with PCR diagnostic assays for infections and diseases. ELITechGroup, excluding the clinical chemistry business, achieved approximately EUR 150 million in revenues in 2023. ELITechGroup generates the majority of its revenues from Europe, with significant business also in North and Latin America. Its major R&D and production sites are in Italy, the United States, France and Germany. CMS Germany Dr Hendrik Hirsch, Partner, Co-Lead Dr Jacob Siebert, Partner, Co-Lead Dr Dirk Baukholt, Principal Counsel Dr Berrit Roth-Mingram, Counsel Dr Maximilian Stark, Senior Associate, all Corporate/M&A Dr Roland Wiring, Partner Lukas Burgdorff, Associate Noah Rodenkirchen, Associate, all Regulatory & Lifesciences Dr Thomas Hirse, Part­ner Se­basti­an Vautz, Senior Associate Lisa Dietrich, Associate, all IP Dr Michael Bauer, Partner Stefan Lehr, Partner Kai Neuhaus, Partner Moritz Pottek, Counsel Dr. Denis Schlimpert, Counsel Kirsten Baubkus-Gerard, Senior Associate David Rappenglück, As­so­ci­ate Be­ne­dikt Christian Voss, Associate, all Antitrust, Competition & Trade Dr Thomas de la Motte, Partner Dr Markus Pfaff, Partner Dr André Frischemeier, Partner Hatice Aykel, Counsel Alisa Brehm, Senior Associate Thomas Schaak, Senior Associate Dr Sait Dogan, Associate, all Banking & Finance  Dr André Lippert, Part­ner Con­stan­ze Schweidtmann, Associate, both Real Estate & Public Dr Boris Alles, Partner Dr Theresa Kipp, Senior Associate, both Labor, Employment & Pensions CMS France Benoît Gomel, Partner Vincent Desbenoit, Associate Dylan Allali, all Corporate/M&A Caroline Froger-Michon, Partner Aurélie Parchet, As­so­ci­ate Ca­m­ille Baumgarten, Associate Sophie Yin, all Em­ploy­ment Claire Vannini, Partner Eleni Moraïtou, Coun­sel Lilia-Ori­ana Dif, Associate Ariane Rolin, all Competition & EU  Jean-Bap­tiste Thiénot, Partner Anaïs Arnal, Associate, both Intellectual Property Laurine Mayer, Associate, TMC Alexandre Chazot, Counsel, Banking & Fin­ance  Thi­erry Granier, Partner Renaud Grob, Partner, both Tax Arnaud Valverde, Senior Associate, Real Estate Olivier Kuhn, Partner Cécile Rebiffé, Counsel Mylène Garrouste, all Dispute Res­ol­u­tion Kawthar Ben Khelil, Coun­sel Jean-Pierre Malili, Associate, both Public law/In­fra­struc­ture CMS Italy Massimo Trentino, Partner, Corporate/M&A Maria Letizia Patania, Partner, Lifescience & Healthcare Gian Marco Lettieri, Senior Associate, Employment & Pensions Giulio Poggioli, Counsel Valerio Giuseppe Daniele, As­so­ci­ate Francesca Durante, Junior As­so­ci­ate  Arianna Toccaceli, Junior Associate, all Banking & Finance CMS Luxembourg Gérard Maitrejean, Partner Miruna Poenaru, Coun­sel Max­imili­an Helfgen, Associate, all Corporate/M&A CMS UK Jack Letson, Partner Lindsay McAllister, Associate, both Corporate/M&A David Dennis, Partner, Commercial CMS Netherlands Pieter van Duijvenvoorde, Partner Robert Jong, both Corporate/M&A Nigel Henssen Fleur van Assendelft de Coningh, both Employment Edmon Oude Elferink, Partner Marijke van der Vossen, both Antitrust, Competition & Trade CMS Serbia Radivoje Petrikić, Partner Mila Drljević, both Corporate/M&A CMS Austria Dieter Zandler, Partner Vanessa Horaceck, both Competition & EU CMS Ukraine Maria Orlyk, Partner Diana Valyeyeva CMS Turkiye Döne Yalçın, Partner Arcan Kemahlı,  Sa­ba­hat­tin Öztemiz Taner ElmasPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com

Stuttgart – The founder of medical laboratory MVZ Laaff, Prof. Helmut Laaff, has sold MVZ Laaff GmbH with its facilities in Freiburg, Heilbronn and Ulm to the amedes Group. amedes is a leading German lab services provider, operating a number of healthcare centres throughout Germany with different specialisations. MVZ Laaff provides services in fields of medicine including derma­to­path­o­logy, general pathology, immunohistology, molecular pathology and cytology, and is one of the leading laboratories in these specialist areas. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.A CMS team headed by lead partner Dr Christoph Lächler advised Prof. Helmut Laaff on all legal aspects of the transaction. The sale took place by way of an auction process. A particular focus of the advice was on structuring the transaction and the associated regulatory issues. CMS Germany Dr Christoph Lächler, Lead Part­ner Stefan-Ul­rich Müller, Partner Dr Jacob Siebert, Partner Viktoria Barthel, Senior Associate Tobias Kalski, Senior As­so­ci­ate An­dreas Kazmaier, Associate, all Corporate/M&A Dr Roland Wiring, Partner Dr Siham Hidar, Senior Associate, both Regulatory Dr Harald Kahlenberg, Partner Angelika Wieczorkowski, Senior Associate, both Antitrust, Competition & Trade Dr Stefan Voss, Partner Lukas Potstada, Counsel, both Real Estate Dr Martin Mohr, Partner, TaxPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com

Cologne – Webasto, a leading global automotive supplier headquartered in Stockdorf near Munich, has sold a majority stake in its charging solutions business. The business includes charging cables, mobile chargers and wallboxes. The German company is one of the 100 largest suppliers to the automotive sector worldwide and will remain invested in the division as a minority shareholder. It intends to focus on its core business segments going forward. In 2022, Webasto took the strategic decision to seek an investor for the charging solutions business. The buyer is private equity firm Transom Capital Group, based in Los Angeles, USA. The two companies signed a purchase agreement on 7 February 2024. Further details of the transaction were not disclosed.A CMS team headed by lead partner Klaus Jäger advised Webasto on all legal aspects of the sale. The German CMS team worked closely with CMS teams from Mexico City and Beijing, as well as US law firms Miller & Martin PLLC and Locke Lord LLP. The sales process was highly complex, partly due to the fact that prior to the sale the unit in question needed to be restructured by taking appropriate action across a number of different jurisdictions. Webasto has relied on the expertise of CMS in the past, most recently when acquiring all the shares in Luxembourg company Carlex Glass. Established in 1901, automotive supplier Webasto focuses on roof systems and on vehicle electrification in its development, manufacturing and sales operations. The product range includes openable and fixed roofs, electric high-voltage heaters and batteries and thermo management solutions. Webasto’s customers range from manufacturers of passenger cars, commercial vehicles and boats to dealers and end customers. In 2022, the group generated sales of over EUR 4 billion and employed some 16,800 people across more than 50 locations worldwide. CMS Germany Klaus Jäger, Lead Part­ner Anna-Lena Löcherbach, Counsel Philipp Knopp, Senior As­so­ci­ate Domin­ic Zimmer, Associate Nina Fink, Associate, all Corporate/M&A Dr Angela Emmert, Partner Lennard Martin Lürwer, Counsel Marcel Heinen, Senior Associate, all Labor, Employment & Pensions Dr Sebastian Cording, Partner Lars Howe, Associate Dr Markus Kaulartz, Partner Dr Reemt Matthiesen, Partner, all TMC Dr Alexandra Schluck-Amend, Partner Manuel Nann, Senior As­so­ci­ate  Fran­ziska Fuchs, Senior Associate, all Restructuring and Insolvency Lars Eckhoff, Partner Dr Philipp Rohdenburg, Counsel, both Commercial Dr Dirk Smielick, Principal Counsel, Intellectual Property Dr Christian Scherer, Partner, Real Estate & Public Barbara Bayer, Counsel, Banking, Finance & Insurance Moritz Pottek, Counsel, Antitrust, Competition & Trade Dr Arne Burmester, Principal Counsel Conrad Gräwe, Legal Coordinator Romy Rosenhahn, Legal Co­ordin­at­or Stephanie Schulz, Legal Co­ordin­at­or Steven Washington, Legal Co­ordin­at­or Tag­rid Chahrour, Senior Legal Specialist Anke Clippingdale, Senior Legal Specialist Lisa Mattmann, Senior Legal Specialist Sarah Przybylski, Senior Legal Specialist Edris Trabzadah, Senior Legal Specialist Faraz Ahmad, Legal Specialist Jule Marie Holz, Legal Specialist Sofia Schreiner, Legal Spe­cial­ist Al­ex­an­der Stadahl, Legal Specialist, all Smart Operations CMS China Dr Falk Lichtenstein, Partner, Corporate/M&A CMS Mexico Giancarlo Schievenini, Partner, Corporate/M&A MILLER & MARTIN PLLC, Attorneys at Law, Atlanta, USA Mike Marshall, Partner Joe De Lisle, Partner Locke Lord LLP, Boston, USA Jonathan Young, PartnerPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com   

Düsseldorf – US developer Scannell Properties has sold a newly developed logistics property in the Bavarian town of Kitzingen to asset management company Aviva Investors. Strategically located close to the A3 and A7 motorways, the property in ConneKT Logistics Park was completed in July of last year and offers around 12,000 sq m of warehousing. The property is leased to an online retailer for 15 years.A CMS team headed by partner Philipp Schönnenbeck and Dr Franz Maurer advised Scannell Properties on all legal aspects of the transaction. The CMS team previously advised Scannell Properties during the acquisition, development, construction and letting of the logistics property. CMS Germany Philipp Schönnenbeck, Lead Partner Dr Franz Maurer, Counsel, Co-Lead Dr Christian Scherer, Partner Dr Yves Steingrüber, Senior Associate Martin Krause, Partner Maike Füchtmann, Senior Associate, all Real Estate & Public Inhouse at Scannell Properties Marko Klemt, General CounselPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com

Cologne – KANSAI HELIOS has acquired the entire industrial coatings business of GREBE Holding, based in Weilburg in Hessen, Germany, which operates under the name WEILBURGER Coatings. WEILBURGER Coatings is a well-known manufacturer of industrial coatings and comprises of WEILBURGER Coatings GmbH in Weilburg and WEILBURGER Asia Limited in Hong Kong. The share purchase agreement was signed on February 9, 2024. With the acquisition, KANSAI HELIOS intends to significantly expand its strategic position as a system supplier and manufacturer of industrial coatings and extend its geographical presence internationally. The company will also gain additional expertise, distribution channels, production and storage capacities. The parties involved have agreed not to disclose further details of the transaction. An international CMS team headed by Lead Partner Klaus Jäger and Christoph Schröer provided KANSAI HELIOS with comprehensive legal advice on the acquisition. The complexity of the transaction is characterized in particular by the size of the acquired Weilburger Coatings Group, which, in addition to the German companies, includes subsidiaries in Brazil, China, France, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Turkey and the USA. In addition to the actual purchase agreements in Germany and Hong Kong, CMS drafted and negotiated numerous other contracts. In addition to CMS teams in Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Italy, Turkey, France, Serbia, Austria and the United Kingdom, the law firms MILLER & MARTIN PLLC from the USA and Vaish Associates Advocates from India also provided support. KANSAI HELIOS regularly relies on the expertise of CMS, most recently in connection with the acquisition of all shares in CWS Lackfabrik GmbH (CWS), which specializes in powder coatings and synthetic resins, including the group companies in Germany, the USA, Denmark and Poland. KANSAI HELIOS, headquartered in Vienna, is part of the Japanese KANSAI PAINT Group. The company has a history of more than 170 years and is one of the major global players in the paints and coatings market. KANSAI HELIOS designs, produces and distributes industrial coating solutions, bleaching and cleaning chemicals, materials for sticking and sealing, high-quality resins, architectural paints and refinishing coatings throughout Europe and beyond. WEILBURGER Coatings was founded in 1900 at its current headquarters in Weilburg and has group companies in Germany, Italy, France, Turkey, the USA, Brazil, India and China. With around 600 employees at seven production sites and several sales offices, the company is active worldwide and generates a turnover of around 150 million euros. CMS Germany Klaus Jäger, Lead Partner Dr Kai Wallisch, Part­ner Chris­toph Schröer, Senior Associate Dr Katharina Kapp, Associate Dr Henrik Meurer, As­so­ci­ate Domin­ic Zimmer, As­so­ci­ate Kath­rin Dengel, Associate, all Corporate/M&A Dr Björn Herbers, Partner Moritz Pottek, Counsel Dr Denis Schlimpert, Counsel Kirsten Baubkus-Gerard, Senior Associate Dr Robert Bodewig, Senior Associate David Rappenglück, Associate, all Antitrust, Competition & Trade Dr Dirk Smielick, Principal Counsel Claudia Böhmer, Counsel, both IP Dr Angela Emmert, Partner Dr Andreas Hofelich, Partner Dr Mario Brungs, Counsel Lennard Martin Lürwer, Counsel Marcel Heinen, Senior Associate, all Labor, Employment & Pensions Michael Kamps, Partner Thorsten Hemme, Principal Counsel Dr Arne Schmieke, Senior Associate, all TMC Dr Martin Friedberg, Partner, Tax law Dr André Lippert, Partner Maike Füchtmann, Senior Associate, both Real Estate & Public Dorothée Janzen, Partner Dr Philipp Rohdenburg, Counsel, both Com­mer­cial Birgit Wagner, Legal Manager Conrad Gräwe, Legal Co­ordin­at­or Steven Washington, Legal Coordinator Anke Clippingdale, Senior Legal Specialist Edris Trabzadah, Senior Legal Specialist Faraz Ahmad, Legal Specialist Sofia Schreiner, Legal Spe­cial­ist Al­ex­an­der Stadahl, Legal Specialist, all Smart Operations CMS Beijing Falk Licht­en­stein Roxy Meng CMS Milan Daniela Murer Alessandra Cuni CMS Rome Fabrizio Spagnolo CMS Istanbul Döne Yalçın Merve Akkuş CMS Paris Thomas Hains Marion Berberian CMS Belgrade Maja Stepanović CMS Vienna Dr Dieter Zandler CMS London Russell Hoare Melanie Lane Focaccia Amaral L S Advogados, Brazil in association with CMS Renata Homem de Melo Fontes Carla Anastácio Lau, Horton & Wise LLP, Hong Kong in association with CMS Shirley Lau Albert Jok MILLER & MARTIN PLLC, USA Joe DeLisle Vaish Associates Advocates, India Shrinivas SankaranPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com

Stuttgart – Japanese technology company DMG MORI has leased 10,000 square metres in the Go Four It business park at Hanauer Straße 91 in Munich’s Moosach district.A CMS team headed by partner Dr Volker Zerr provided DMG MORI with legal advice on the leasing process. With only five office lettings of more than 5,000 square metres in Munich in 2023, this is the largest transaction in over a year. Machine tool manufacturer DMG MORI has signed a lease for the entire Go Four Red building as part of its plans to establish a European headquarters. Starting in 2026, DMG MORI will move into office space for administration, sales, human resources and engineering, as well as a two-storey showroom with a gross floor area of 1,500 square metres. CMS Germany Dr Volker Zerr, Lead Partner Sandra Scheib, Counsel Michelle Bucher, Senior Associate, all Real Estate & PublicPress Con­tact presse@cms-hs. com