News & Events | News

Friday 14th December 2007

Leading private equity firm SJ Berwin LLP advises key client Duke Street Capital (“Duke Street”), the mid-market private equity house, on the £68.5 million acquisition of The Original Factory Shop, the value retailer with 84 outlets across the UK.

This is the latest in a string of transactions for which SJ Berwin LLP has advised Duke Street, including the £215 million acquisition of Burton's Foods (Holdings) Limited (a group of companies that manufacture biscuits, including Cadbury fingers, Jammie Dodgers and Wagon Wheels); the £76.9 million offer for British dentistry operator Oasis Healthcare Plc and the £22 million acquisition of Brambles Food, the UK based supplier of salads and sandwiches for Adelie Food Holdings Ltd, the UK based processed foods producer owned by Duke Street Capital.

Oliver Mayer at Duke Street Capital commented “We were delighted with the team at SJB once again on The Original Factory Shop acquisition.  The timetable we needed to work to was a tight one, and the SJB team were highly responsive and enabled us to get there.”

The deal team was led by corporate partners Tim Wright and Ed Harris.  The banking team was led by Gillian Smith.

For further information please contact:

Tim Wright, Corporate Partner on 020 7111 2575 or by emailing tim.wright@sjberwin.com

Aurelia Pretorius, Business Development Manager on 020 7111 2060 or by emailing aurelia.pretorius@sjberwin.com

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• With more than 200 corporate finance lawyers, the depth and breadth of expertise of our pan-European Corporate Finance Department is considerable. We offer the complete range of corporate finance services, which extends to all aspects of domestic and cross-border M&A and buy-outs, private equity, equity capital markets, financial services and tax.
  
  
• SJ Berwin was created and thrives as a leading-edge legal services business, focusing on the European and international market place. Our clients are sophisticated buyers of legal services, principally entrepreneurial companies and financial institutions, whom we advise on a comprehensive range of services including Corporate, Commercial, Real Estate, Finance, Reconstruction & Insolvency, Financial Services, Litigation, Employment & Pensions, EU & Competition and Tax.
  
  
• The private equity team has won a number of recent awards including:
  
  -“UK Firm of the Year” 2007 at the Chambers Global Awards
  
  -“Private Equity Team of the Year “ 2007 at the Financial News Legal Awards
  
  -“Mid Market Law Firm of the Year” 2007 at The Lawyer Awards
  
  -“Fund Formation Team of the Year” 2006 and 2007 at the Financial News Awards for Excellence in Private Equity Advisory Services
  
  -“European Law Firm of the Year" 2004 -  2006 at the EVCA/Real Deals -European Private Equity Awards,
  
  -”European Law Firm of the Year" (fund formation) 2001 - 2007 by subscribers to PrivateEquityOnline and Private Equity International
  
  -"Private Equity Law Firm of the Year" 2004 -  2007 at the European Venture Capital journal awards 2004
  
  -"LBO Firm of the Year" 2004 at the Finance and Law Awards in Paris
  
  
• On 1 June 2005, SJ Berwin became SJ Berwin LLP, a limited liability partnership.  www.sjberwin.com. SJ Berwin LLP or an affiliated undertaking has an office in Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris and Turin.