Slaughter and May, working as an integrated team with Corrs Chambers Westgarth, is advising Coca-Cola European Partners plc on its proposal to acquire Australian listed Coca-Cola Amatil Limited. CCA is one of the largest bottlers and distributors of ready-to-drink non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages and coffee in the Asia Pacific region.
Under the terms of the proposal, CCEP will acquire 69.2% of CCA’s existing share capital from its independent shareholders by way of an Australian scheme of arrangement and will enter into separate arrangements to acquire the remaining 30.8% interest indirectly held by The Coca-Cola Company.
The proposed transaction would create a broader and more balanced footprint for CCEP, whilst almost doubling its consumer reach. The proposal implies an equity value of CCA on a fully diluted basis of approximately A$8.7bn (c.€5.2bn) and an enterprise value of A$10.8bn (c.€6.5bn).
Slaughter and May and Corrs are supporting the in-house legal team at CCEP, led by Clare Wardle (General Counsel & Company Secretary), Paul van Reesch (Vice President, Corporate Legal) and Jane Wang (Director, Corporate Legal). The Slaughter and May team is being led by Roland Turnill and Rob Innes, and the Corrs Chambers Westgarth team by Sandy Mak and Adam Foreman. The Slaughter and May team also includes teams headed up by Matthew Tobin (Finance) and Steve Edge (Tax).