Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP was counsel to Centro Retail, Australia’s largest manager of retail property investment syndicates, in negotiations to sell its portfolio of 588 U.S. shopping centers and its U.S. Service Business to BRE Retail Holdings, Inc., an affiliate of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VI, L.P. The sale is expected to close in mid-2011 and is part of Centro’s proposed restructuring of its capital structure. Blackstone will acquire the Centro’s U.S. business for an enterprise value of approximately $9.4 billion, with total equity proceeds for Centro, Centro Retail Trust, and its other managed funds totaling $1.38 billion. Centro’s proposed restructuring will result in a new entity with a leading Australian portfolio of retail centers.

Watson, Farley & Williams, a leading international law firm, is pleased to announce that it has advised Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale (“NORD/LB”) on the acquisition financing of one of two sections of Finsterwalde, one of Germany’s largest solar parks (42 MWp), located in Brandenburg.

In deals totaling $940 million in cash, WilmerHale represented Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. in the sale of two of its businesses. Thermo Fisher has entered into definitive agreements to sell Athena Diagnostics to Quest Diagnostics for $740 million and to sell Lancaster Laboratories to Eurofins Scientific SE for $200 million, subject to a post-closing adjustment. Thermo Fisher expects to close these transactions in the second quarter of 2011.

Ashurst advised an international dealer group led by WestLB AG as arranger in connection with the establishment of the €20bn debt issuance programme (DIP) by Erste Abwicklungsanstalt, Dusseldorf (EAA).

Munger, Tolles & Olson represented the Co-Executors of the Estate of Craig H. Neilsen (the “Neilsen Estate”) in a stock purchase agreement worth $457 million with Ameristar Casinos, Inc.

International legal practice Norton Rose LLP has advised Barclays Capital as arranger on the establishment by Piraeus Bank S.A. of a €3 billion covered bond programme, as well as the first issue of €1,250,000,000.

International law firm Salans was the principal legal adviser for Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI) in its asset acquisition of the steel production facilities in Redcar (known as Teesside Cast Products). The deal exchanged on 24 February 2011, following the entry into a Memorandum of Understanding in August 2010. This major steel production site was sold to SSI by Tata Steel Group, who in turn had inherited the site as part of its takeover of Corus UK Limited in 2007.

The Firm recently represented J.P. Morgan and Jefferies & Company in an offering by Dave & Buster’s Parent, Inc. of $180,790,000 aggregate principal amount at maturity of 12.25% Senior Discount Notes due 2016, generating gross proceeds of approximately $100 million.  The offering was conducted in reliance on Rule 144A and Regulation S.