Marieke Breijer looks back over private equity activity throughout the region this year, based on Latin Lawyer reporting
BRAZIL
Actis
UK investment firm Actis hired Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr e Quiroga Advogados in the acquisition of Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul (UNICSUL), a leading Brazilian university, for US$105 million in early 2012. The firm then also assisted when UNICSUL acquired competitor Universidad Ciudade de São Paulo (UNICID) a couple of months later. Actis also hired the firm for an investment into Brazilian language-teaching company Editora CNA Cultural Norte Americano.
Apollo Global Management
Apollo Global Management led a group of private equity investors in the US$7.15
billion leveraged buyout of El Paso’s oil and natural gas exploration business, for which it hired Mattos Filho and US firms Vinson & Elkins LLP, O’Melveny & Myers LLP, Willkie Farr, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
Banco Modal
Mattos Filho was also called upon to help Banco Modal’s Fundo de Participações Óleo e Gás FIP acquire a minority stake in oil and gas pipe manufacturer Brastec for US$37.7 million.
BRZ Investimentos
Vieira, Rezende, Barbosa e Guerreiro Advogados advised the sellers, including BRZ Investimentos-managed private equity fund FIP Logística, in the US$220 million sale of Poit Energia to global power generator leasing company Aggreko.
BTG Pactual
Brazilian investment bank BTG Pactual’s private equity and venture capital investment arm BTG Pactual Gestora de Recursos hired Pinheiro Guimarães - Advogados to help form a US$520 million joint venture B&A Mineração with mining company AGN Mineração, to develop mining assets in Latin America and Africa.
The Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group sought help from Lefosse Advogados in its US$344 million acquisition of a 60 per cent stake in Brazil’s largest furniture retailer, Tok & Stok. Earlier in the year, the US private equity firm used Mattos Filho to purchase 25 per cent of equipment rental company Grupo Orguel, and hired Pinheiro Neto Advogados to snap up 85 per cent of Brazil’s largest retail toy chain, Ri Happy.
Fundo Florestas do Brasil FIP
Caravelas Florestal, subsdiary of the Fundo Florestas do Brasil FIP investment fund, turned to Souza, Cescon, Barrieu e Flesch - Advogados in the acquisition of land and eucalyptus forests from forestry products company Fibria Celulose for US$117.5 million.
GP Investimentos / Thomas H. Lee Partners
GP Investimentos sought counsel from Vaz, Barreto, Shingaki & Oioli Advogados in selling the holding company of Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão Churrascaria to Thomas H. Lee Partners, a US private equity fund, for US$400 million. Thomas H. Lee retained Pinheiro Neto and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.
Insight Venture Partners
Mattos Filho, Gaudêncio, McNaughton e Toledo Advogados and US firm Wilkie Farr & Gallagher LLP represented a fund managed by Insight Venture Partners, as well as individual shareholders Gilberto Caiuby Fischel, Rony Blinder and Mauricio Frizzarin, in selling 75 per cent of business software provider Folhamatic to Sage, UK’s largest listed software company, for some US$200 million.
KPS Capital Partners
KPS Capital Partners portfolio company International Equipment Solutions relied on US firm Paul Weiss and Brazil’s Machado, Meyer, Sendacz e Opice Advogados to acquire Siac do Brasil, a leading manufacturer of truck cabins in Brazil from its Italian parent company. The investors providing financing for the transaction, Regiment Capital Advisors and PNC Bank, National Association, were represented by US firm Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP and Mattos Filho in Brazil.
P2 Brasil Infraestrutura
Pinheiro Neto represented Hidrovias do Brasil and private equity investor P2 Brasil Infraestrutura – Fundo de Investimento em Participações in issuing new shares of the waterway logistics company, which were subsequently bought by investment funds AIMCo and Temasek. The buying parties hired TozziniFreire Advogados and Lefosse Advogados.
Riviera GR Industrial Fundo de Investimento em Participações
This Santander-administered local private equity fund relied on the assistance of Brazil’s Bocater, Camargo, Costa e Silva Advogados in its first public share offering, which raised US$123 million in October.
Vinci Partners
Vinci Partners hired Mundie e Advogados to help one of its investment funds acquire a US$160 million stake in Brazilian chain store Le Biscuit. Vinci turned to Lobo & de Rizzo Advogados in the purchase of a stake in Cecrisa Revistimentos Cerâmicos, one of Brazil’s leading ceramics manufacturers and exporters.
(Latin Lawyer 26.11.2012)
(Notícia na Íntegra)