Kirkland & Ellis International LLP Advises on £1.6 Billion Disposal of Somerfield to Co-op Group

Kirkland & Ellis International LLP is representing the private equity consortium Apax Partners, Barclays Capital and The Tchenguiz Group on its £1.6 billion disposal of UK grocer Somerfield to the Co-operative Group. The transaction is one of the largest private equity deals this year in the United Kingdom.

A definitive agreement was signed Tuesday evening. The sale is subject to regulatory approval from the Office of Fair Trading and the Pension Regulator, but is expected to close by the end of this year. The combined business will operate more than 3,000 grocery stores, making it the UK's fifth largest food retailer.

Corporate partner Graham White is leading the Kirkland team on the deal. Also on the Kirkland team are corporate associates Daniel Oates, Ross Allardice, Chris Kennedy and Matthew Gerber, intellectual property partner Pierre-André Dubois and associate Shannon Yavorsky, and finance partner Stephen Gillespie.

"Having also represented CCMP on its £565 million disposal of Safetykleen earlier this year, as well as Madison Dearborn Partners, Apax Partners and TA Associates on its €1.1 billion investment in Weather Investments, Kirkland's corporate group is keeping very busy," said partner Graham White.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is a 1,400-attorney law firm representing global clients in complex corporate, restructuring, tax, litigation, dispute resolution and arbitration, and intellectual property and technology matters. The Firm has offices in London, Chicago, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.