Hristov & Partners acted for S.A. Spadel on the acquisition of Devin, the leading water bottling company in Bulgaria

Hristov & Partners teamed up with the global law firm Dentons to advise Group Spadel, a European family-owned company specializing in the production of natural mineral water, spring water and natural fruit drinks, on the acquisition of a 93.29 percent stake in Devin AD, the market-leading producer of bottled water in Bulgaria, from private equity firm Advent International. The transaction was based on an enterprise value of €120 million.

Devin employs 478 people and has 2016 forecasted sales of €46 million and EBITDA of €10.7 million. The acquisition of Devin will enable Spadel to further extend its position from its existing operations in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the UK, in line with its strategy to market natural water brands, such as Spa in Belgium and Brecon Carreg in the UK, with a strong regional position. Completion of the transaction is subject to the approval of Bulgarian Commission for Protection of Competition.

Rob Irving, Co-head of Dentons’ global Private Equity group, said: “Spadel is well-known in Europe for its innovation, sustainability, water resource protection and product development. Dentons is excited about having helped this quality of an investor make its first investment in the CEE/SEE region.”

The Hristov & Partners team was lead by name partner Pavel Hristov, assisted by counsels Bilana Shagova, Yana Karserdareva, and Dragomir Stefanov, assistant. The Dentons team on the deal was led by Partner Rob Irving (Budapest), supported by Partner Chris Watkinson (Budapest/Prague) and Counsel Zita Albert (Budapest), with Associate Ivan Jelocnik (Budapest).

For details please write to office@hristovpartners.com.