International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges has advised Ono’s principal shareholders, Providence Equity Partners, CCMP, THLee and Quadrangle on the €7.2 billion sale of Grupo Corporativo Ono, S.A. (Ono) to Vodafone.
The sale is one of the largest and most significant in the European market for several years and was agreed against the backdrop of a well-advanced dual track IPO process.
This cross-border European deal was led by London private equity partner, Marco Compagnoni, assisted by Lewis Blakey. Tax advice was provided by Oliver Walker and competition advice was provided by Doug Nave. Local Spanish advice was provided by Renata Mendana at Spanish firm Garrigues. Juan Picon at DLA Piper advised Vodafone.
In 2010, Weil also advised the majority of Ono shareholders, including Providence Equity Partners, Thomas H. Lee, Quadrangle Capital Partners and funds affiliated with J.P. Morgan Partners, LLC (advised by CCMP Capital), on their participation in the refinancing plan for Ono.
This latest transaction follows a busy start to 2014 for the London private equity team, having advised on numerous Q1 deals including The Gores Group on the Hovis Joint Venture Agreement with Premier Foods and HgCapital’s acquisition of Zenith Vehicle Contracts Group.
