Noerr advises investors on sale of European Convenience Food to French LDC Group

A Noerr team led by Martin Neuhaus has advised investors from the German investment company VR Equitypartner and the Swedish German Opportunity Fund on the sale of their shares in the European Convenience Food Group (ECF) to the French LDC Group (Lambert Dodard Chancereul). As part of the exit of the previous ECF investors, LDC, a predominantly family-owned company listed on the Paris stock exchange, is acquiring a leading manufacturer of high-quality frozen foods for the “out-of-home market”.

Together with a group of co-investors, VREP merged in 2014 the two competitors Karl Kemper and Eichkamp as part of a “buy-and-build” strategy under the newly established ECF umbrella. VREP became the largest individual investor in 2013 with a significant minority stake. Its product range comprises over 230 items marketed under the brands Vegeta, Karl Kemper and new leaf. Additionally, ECF offers customized frozen solutions for the food industry as well as private label products. This transaction marks LDC’s entry into the strategically important German market. The agri-food group is a European market leader in the poultry sector, recently achieving a turnover of €6.2 billion with 25,000 employees.

Advisors to the investors: Noerr

Lead: Martin Neuhaus (Partner, Corporate/M&A), Florian Döpking (Associated Partner, Corporate/M&A, both Düsseldorf)

Corporate/M&A: Hannah Besting (Senior Associate), Meret Pettirsch (Senior Associate), Claudia Rinkens (Senior Associate), Martin Dopychai (Senior Associate, all Düsseldorf)

Employment & Pensions: Patrick Mückl (Partner), Sophia-Clara Schulte (Senior Associate, both Düsseldorf)

Data, Tech & Telecoms: Pascal Schumacher (Partner), Henrike von dem Berge (Senior Associate, both Berlin)

Digital Business/Commercial: Torsten Kraul (Partner, Berlin), Felix Muhl (Partner, Hamburg), Evelyn Schulz (Partner, Dresden), Marvin Bartels (Senior Associate, Berlin), Theresa Möller (Senior Associate, Dresden), Jasmin Schulzweida (Senior Associate), Roni Deger (Associate, both Hamburg)

Financing: Pinar Turkac-Christmann (Associated Partner, Frankfurt)

IP: Katja Steinthaler (Senior Associate, Munich)

Antitrust & Competition: Jens Peter Schmidt (Partner), Fabian Hübener (Associated Partner), Sven Betzendörfer (Associate, all Brussels)

Real Estate: Gregor Barbers (Partner, Düsseldorf), Raphaël Hebecker (Senior Associate, London)

Regulatory: Carsten Bringmann (Associated Partner), Ines Mittermeier (Senior Associate, both Düsseldorf)

Tax: Andre Happel (Partner), Thomas Renner (Senior Associate, both Frankfurt)