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CERHA HEMPEL advises Ritter on its acquisition of a production facility from Mars

CERHA HEMPEL together with German law firm Menold Benzler has advised Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co KG on its acquisition of a production facility belonging to Mars Austria OG in Breitenbrunn with effect from 1 January 2021.

CERHA HEMPEL together with German law firm Menold Benzler has advised Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co KG on its acquisition of a production facility belonging to Mars Austria OG in Breitenbrunn with effect from 1 January 2021.

Founded in 1912, Ritter is a family business with its headquarters in Waldenbuch, Germany, employing approximately 1,600 people. In 2019, the company generated turnover of EUR 480 million. Under the terms of an asset deal, Ritter also acquired the Amicelli®, Fanfare® und Banjo® trademarks. From 2021 onwards, the German chocolate manufacturer will produce Amicelli® wafer rolls in addition to various Ritter Sport products at its factory in Breitenbrunn, Austria. The acquisition enables Ritter to increase its capacity strategically, allows greater flexibility and ensures a higher degree of differentiation of its product portfolio.

Mars Austria OG is the Austrian subsidiary of Mars Inc., which operates worldwide. The US food producer employs more than 115,000 people. After the sale, Mars Austria OG will continue to operate at two locations in Austria, one in Vienna and the other in Bruck an der Leitha.

CERHA HEMPEL together with Menold Bezler has comprehensively advised Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG on all legal issues relating to this cross-border transaction. The successful transaction, which was performed rapidly and efficiently, is the result of excellent collaboration, both on a professional and personal level, between CERHA HEMPEL, Menold Bezler and the team at Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG.

The team at CERHA HEMPEL consisted of Albert Birkner (Managing Partner, Corporate / M&A, Takeovers), Nadine Leitner (Senior Associate, Corporate / M&A, Takeovers), Christopher Peitsch (Senior Associate, Labour Law), Alistair Gillespie (Associate, Corporate/M&A, Takeovers) and Michael Mayer (Counsel, Antitrust).