International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has advised Bridgepoint on the acquisition of CABB, a German global provider of fine and specialty chemicals and custom manufacturing solutions, from AXA Private Equity for an undisclosed sum. 

CABB, based in Sulzbach/Taunus, near Frankfurt, is one of the world’s leading suppliers of chemical building blocks based on chlorine and acetic acid and the world market leader in monochloroacetic acid (MCAA), an essential component used in a wide range of applications ranging from herbicides, personal care to the food industry. It is also a leading custom manufacturer for global agrochemical, food, pharma and chemical companies. CABB currently operates four manufacturing sites in Germany, Switzerland and India, with sales offices in the UK, China, Argentina and the USA. It has 750 employees and in 2010 had sales of €311 million. 

The Freshfields team advising Bridgepoint includes partners Markus Paul (Corporate, Frankfurt am Main), Uta Itzen (Competition, Düsseldorf), Torsten Schreier (IP/IT, Frankfurt am Main), Adrian Maguire, Pratap Amin (both Corporate, London), Heiner Feldhaus, Hendrik Braun, Sarah Widmaier (all Corporate, Frankfurt am Main), Kerstin-Blau-Hansen, Georg Schmittmann (both Competition, Düsseldorf), Michael Leicht (IP/IT, Frankfurt am Main), Ulla Rupp (EPB, Frankfurt am Main) and Marcus Emmer (Environment, Planning and Regulatory, Frankfurt am Main).