Simpson Thacher represented the Ibáñez brothers, Nicolas and Felipe and related companies, in connection with the exercise of a put option and related negotiations for the sale of the family’s remaining  25.06% equity interest in Walmart Chile S.A., previously Distribucion y Servicio D&S, S.A. (“Walmart Chile”). Walmart Chile is a Chilean company traded on the Santiago stock exchange, engaged in the supermarket and hypermarket retail business in Chile.  In connection with the exercise of the put option, the controlling stockholder of Walmart Chile, Inversiones Australes Tres Limitada (“Inversiones Australes”), a subsidiary of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., has agreed to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares owned by the Ibáñez family in Walmart Chile. Inversiones Australes and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. acquired control of Walmart Chile in 2009. Upon the consummation of such acquisition, which is expected to happen before February 28, 2014, Inversiones Australes has agreed to initiate a tender offer in the Santiago stock exchange for the acquisition of the remaining shares of Walmart Chile. The price will be US$0.9124 per share.

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Mayer Brown represented the London-based GW Pharmaceuticals plc, a biopharmaceutical company, in a $101.1 million US public offering and listing of American Depositary Shares on the Nasdaq Global Market in an offering led by Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Cowen and Company, LLC. The transaction follows GW Pharmaceuticals’ US initial public offering in May 2013, on which Mayer Brown also represented the company.

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Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy’s Latin America capital markets practice ended 2013 on a strong note, closing three transactions in December with a total value of $2.25 billion in Chile, Argentina and Mexico. Including these three deals, Milbank’s Latin America securities practice in 2013 advised on over 55 transactions across the region with an approximate value of over $26 billion.

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Shearman & Sterling represented Deutsche Bank AG New York Branch, as administrative agent, and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., as joint lead arranger and joint book-running manager, in the consummation of a US$1 billion multi-currency unsecured revolving credit facility for Brookfield Office Properties (trading symbol: TSX-BPO) and certain of its US and Canadian subsidiaries.

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The Firm recently represented the underwriters, led by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, in connection with a public offering by FedEx Corporation of $750 million aggregate principal amount of 4.000% Notes due 2024, $500 million aggregate principal amount of 4.900% Notes due 2034 and $750 million aggregate principal amount of 5.100% Notes due 2044. The Notes are guaranteed by 10 subsidiaries of FedEx.

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Akin Gump attorneys advised an affiliate of Hicks Equity Partners LLC in a merger and share exchange agreement between Infinity Cross Border Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company, and Glori Energy Inc., an oil technology company that deploys its proprietary AERO™ System to significantly increase oil production from mature oil fields.

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Cooley advised on Fidelity National Financial’s (NYSE: FNF) combination of its ServiceLink business with Lender Processing Services, Inc. into a new holding company — Black Knight Financial Services, Inc. Black Knight Financial Services will have two operating subsidiaries — Black Knight Financial Services,  LLC and ServiceLink Holdings, LLC. Cooley also advised Fidelity National on its issuance of a 35 percent interest in each of the Black Knight operating subsidiaries to funds affiliated with Thomas H. Lee Partners LP and certain related entities.

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Covington & Burling represented Gannett Co., Inc. in obtaining Federal Communications Commission approval of its acquisition of Belo Corp. Completed today, the $2.2 billion transaction nearly doubles the broadcast television portfolio of Gannett. More >>

Ballard Spahr advised contact lens and eyewear retailer 1-800-Contacts in its sale by WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE:WLP), to private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. The firm also advised the company in the sale of its glasses.com website and virtual try-on technology to Luxottica Group, the Italian eyewear company. The transactions are expected to close in the first quarter of 2014 pending customary regulatory approval. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

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