Arc International, headquartered in Arques, France, is the world leader in tableware. In 2010, Arc International generated total revenues of 1.1 bn euros with 12,900 employees worldwide and leading brands such as Luminarc , Arcoroc, Cristal d’Arques Paris and Pyrex.

OSZ is the Russian leader in drinkware (in terms of tonnage), with an 1200 employee strong production facility at Gus-Khrustalny, about 300 kms to the east of Moscow, in the heart of the historical Vladimir glassware region. 

Through its acquisition of a majority shareholding in OSZ, Arc International will reinforce its presence in Russia by offering a full range of tableware (drinkware, dinnerware and cookware), in Russia and the CIS countries, at competitive prices. The acquisition will be followed by an industrial expansion programme at the Gus facility funded by EBRD and an international consortium of banks. Following this expansion in Russia and CIS and taking into account its presence in China and UAE, Arc expects that emerging markets will account for 50% of its turnover by 2015. In Russia, with a population of more than 140 million, Arc International foresees growth of about 15% per year in the tableware sector for the next three years.

The DLA Piper team advising Arc International was led by Moscow and Brussels corporate partner Delphine Nougayrède together with senior associates Yulia Koroleva and Julien Hansen. In Russia the team also comprised competition counsel Elena Kurchuk, tax partner Ruslan Vasutin and corporate associates Andrei Sheetkin and Narine Grigoryan. Our assistance included due diligence, transaction structuring, negotiation and documentation, and obtention of regulatory (including competition) approvals. 

Arc International has been a global client of DLA Piper for many years. Prior to this Russian transaction a DLA Piper team led by New York partner David Hryck advised Arc International on their American operations.