Procter & Gamble sells Duracell to Berkshire Hathaway for $2.9 billion

Jones Day is advising The Procter & Gamble Company (“P&G”) in the sale of its Duracell personal power business to Berkshire Hathaway Inc. for $2.9 billion. Following the sale of P&G’s interest in its Nanfu joint venture, which operated P&G’s battery business in China, P&G entered into a Transaction Agreement on November 13, 2014 with Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and certain of its affiliates under which P&G will transfer its Duracell business to Berkshire Hathaway in a private split-off transaction. In this unusual tax-free structure (sometimes referred to as a “cash rich private split”), P&G will convey its Duracell business (which will be infused with $1.8 billion in additional cash) to a newly formed subsidiary (SplitCo) and will exchange its shares in SplitCo for approximately $4.7 billion of outstanding P&G shares currently held by the Berkshire Hathaway group. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of calendar year 2015.

In addition to M&A representation, Jones Day is providing intellectual property, employee benefits, and antitrust advice regarding this transaction.

Source:  www.jonesday.com