William Fry is proud to have advised on seven award winning transactions in Finance Dublin’s Deals of the Year Awards 2017:
Loans & Financing – Loans & Financing Deal of the Year
Project Jewel – advising Hammerson plc and Allianz Real Estate Germany
“The sheer complexity of this deal, with its multiple phases, cross-border jurisdictions—the UK and Germany, in addition to Ireland— joint venture arrangements, taxation aspects and the complex cross securitisation in the loan portfolio as well as being the largest loan to own real estate transaction on this scale in Europe to date, is what made its handling innovative. William Fry advised both Hammerson and Allianz on all aspects of Irish law across multiple practice areas – Real Estate, Financial Services, Investment Funds, Corporate, Competition/Regulation, Employment/Pensions and IP.” Andrew Muckian, Real Estate Partner
Financial Services (Ireland) – Most Innovative
Glanbia Milkflex Fund
“The Milkflex fund is an innovative funding model which provides flexible financing for milk suppliers and internationally is the first of its kind. It is innovative because the loans are tailored specifically for milk suppliers – loan repayments are designed to match the cash flow generated by a dairy farm and to adapt to dairy market volatility with no/reduced repayments during times of low prices and milk production and increased repayments at times of high prices and milk production. Given the current global dairy market price instability it is politically significant and received widespread publicity and interest.” Siobhan Carlin, Banking & Finance Partner
Equity Capital Markets – Redomiciliation
Innocoll’s cross border merger into Ireland
“This was the first time that a listed company moved its domicile to Ireland using mechanisms from European cross-border merger law. We had to marry the commercial imperatives of the client to move domicile and fundraise with the technical requirements of the cross-border merger directive and related Irish and German Court approvals.” David FitzGibbon
Mergers & Acquisitions – M&A (Public)
Sumitomo’s acquisition of Fyffes – advising the bidder’s financial adviser
Sumitomo Corporation’s €751m acquisition of Fyffes brought together the largest banana distributers in Europe and Asia, creating greater scale, reach and resources in order to broaden and accelerate delivery of the enlarged company’s strategic objectives
Mergers & Acquisitions – Merger
Paddy Power Betfair merger – advising the Sponsor
The merged entity, with a market value of approx €8bn, is one of the world’s largest public online betting an gaming companies and remains an Irish business headquartered in Ireland.
Debt Capital Markets – Debt Capital Markets Deal of the Year
Ardagh debt issuances
“What is of significance about these bond issues (together with the January/February 2017 bond issues) is that they were completed in record time, demonstrating the ability to assess current debt capital markets much more quickly than traditionally would have been the case.” Elaine Hanly, Banking & Finance Partner
Loans & Financing – SME Growth Capital
Cup Print
“This was an interesting transaction involving a number of different types of finance being provided to fast-growing Irish company with international ambitions. We were delighted to be involved.” Jason Hollis, Banking & Finance Associate
The winning deals provide a picture of vibrant global markets and a robust Irish market, which continues strong in 2017 despite some momentary hesitation in the latter half of 2016, due principally to the Brexit-related slide in sterling.
Read the full version of Finance Dublin here.
