Linklaters has advised AXA Private Equity on Interchem’s acquisition of Polbita, a Polish distribution chain specialising in personal care products and owner of Drogerie Natura, the Polish personal care chain of 400 retail outlets. Interchem, the largest Polish wholesaler of household, beauty and personal care products, creates the second largest chain of pharmacies in Poland as a result of this acquisition.

AXA Private Equity and Resource Partners, the fund which has owned Interchem since January 2011, entered into a strategic partnership in May 2010 in Central and Eastern Europe.

An international multidisciplinary team led by Vincent Ponsonnaille, Corporate Partner, was formed for the purposes of this transaction. He was assisted by Marine Delaitre and Emilie Vuillin on the corporate aspects. Edouard Chapellier, Partner, advised on the fiscal aspects of the deal.  

Teams from the Luxembourg and Warsaw offices were also involved in the transaction. Laurent Schummer, Corporate Partner, led the Luxembourg team with Manfred Müller, Corporate Associate. 

Linklaters in Paris is regularly involved in major transactions in France. Teams in Paris have notably recently advised Wendel in the context of its exclusive negotiations on the sale of Deutsch, GDF Suez on the merger of its international energy division with International Power and on the acquisition by the Chinese fund China Investment Corporation (CIC) of a 30% stake in its Exploration & Production division and of a 10% stake in the LNG Atlantic liquefaction plant in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caisse des Dépôts on the share capital increase of La Poste, EDF Énergies Nouvelles (EN) on the public tender offer for 100% of EDF EN by EDF, Vodafone on the sale of its 44% shareholding in SFR to Vivendi, and Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc in its role as financial advisor and presenting bank of Solvay in the context of the friendly cash offer for Rhodia.