Kirkland & Ellis Advises Vision Capital on the Acquisition of Speyside Equity’s Investments in Portfolio Companies United Initiators and Sweet Ovations
Kirkland & Ellis International LLP advises Vision Capital LLP, an international private equity investor, on the acquisition of investments in two portfolio companies from Speyside Equity. Vision Capital acquired a majority stake in United Initiators GmbH & Co. KG, based in Pullach, Germany, as well as a minority stake in U.S.-based Sweet Ovations Corporation.
United Initiators is a leading specialty chemical business focused on the manufacture of persulfates and organic peroxides, with operations in Germany, the United States, China and Australia. Sweet Ovations is a leading supplier of custom formulated food ingredients to North American food companies. The value of the transaction is confidential. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory clearances. Kirkland advises Vision Capital on an ongoing basis regarding its funds and funds structuring, but this is Kirkland's first announced portfolio acquisition for Vision Capital.
The Kirkland team in Munich was led by corporate partner Dr. Martin Ströhmann and included tax partner Dr. Roderic Pagel, corporate associates Florian Bruder, Carl Pickerill and Dr. Kai Terstiege as well as tax associate Dr. Ulf Kieker. The U.S. team was led by corporate partners Michael Edsall and Kester Spindler and included tax partner Thomas Evans, antitrust partner Ellen Jakovic, environmental partner Walter Lohmann and associate Stefanie Gitler, and corporate associates Edward Stone and Jordan Koss. From Shanghai, the team was supported by corporate partner Chuan Li and associate Cynthia Wang.
About Vision Capital LLP
Vision Capital (www.visioncapital.com) is an international private equity investor. Vision Capital buys companies, mainly in whole portfolios, from organizations that wish to exit from their investments or divest subsidiaries for strategic reasons. Between 1997 and 2011, Vision Capital raised seven funds totaling over US$1.9 billion and invested in 10 portfolios with an underlying enterprise value of over US$2.5 billion. Vision Capital's funds own and actively manage controlling interests in a multi-sector portfolio of companies, based in Europe and the Americas.
About Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Kirkland & Ellis LLP (www.kirkland.com) is a 1,500-attorney law firm representing global clients in complex corporate/private equity and tax, restructuring, litigation and dispute resolution/arbitration, and intellectual property and technology matters. The Firm has offices in Munich, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Shanghai and Washington, D.C. The Munich office consists of approximately 30 attorneys focused primarily on private equity, mergers & acquisitions, restructuring/insolvency, acquisition financing and tax matters.
