The transaction includes the Rhenser brand rights, as well as the company's real estate, production facilities, and inventories at its Rhens site. The majority of the company's approximately 140 employees will be retained through a transfer of business.
On behalf of insolvency administrator Dr. Alexander Jüchser of Lieser Rechtsanwälte, who was supported during the proceedings by attorney Dr. Xaver Hofmeier, Philippe Piscol, Partner at W&P, and Moritz Duffner, Manager at W&P, advised on the search for a suitable strategic investor and managed the structured sale process through to the successful completion of the transaction. With the acquisition, international beverage producer Refresco strengthens its mineral water offering in the glass bottle segment, while the Rhenser brand is set to be further developed.
"The successful sale process for Rhenser Mineralbrunnen under the demanding conditions of ongoing insolvency proceedings and the challenging market environment in the German mineral water and beverage industry demonstrates that well-prepared M&A processes can deliver attractive transaction solutions even in special situations," said Philippe Piscol. "We are particularly pleased that, within a tight timeframe, we were able to secure a strategically strong investor and thereby lay the foundation for the company's continued operations."
Moritz Duffner added: "A key success factor in this transaction was the constructive and solution-oriented cooperation between the insolvency administrator, management, employees, investors, creditors, and advisors. This enabled the process to be managed efficiently and the various stakeholder interests to be successfully aligned. We would like to thank everyone involved for their professionalism and trust throughout the process."
