Shearman & Sterling advised funds managed by Equistone Partners Europe on the financing of the acquisition of DefShop, a leading German multichannel retailer for streetwear and hip-hop clothing. The financial terms of the deal are undisclosed and the acquisition remains subject to clearance from anti-trust authorities.

DefShop was founded in 2006 in Berlin by Alexander Büchler and has quickly grown into a multichannel platform with two physical stores. The company’s product range includes over 25,000 products from approximately 350 brands, including Adidas, Nike, Jack & Jones, and Converse. These are distributed through its B2B platform Roadmap1, through which DefShop also connects to its network of large-scale European retailers. DefShop currently employs around 180 people and serves approximately 935,000 customers across Europe.

Equistone is one of the leading private equity investors in Europe and one of the most active in the German mid-cap market. Shearman & Sterling previously advised Equistone on the financing for acquisitions of SportGroup, TriStyle and GALA Group as well as several add-on acquisitions.

The Shearman & Sterling team was led by partner Winfried M. Carli and included associate Andreas Breu as well as transaction specialist Marina Kieweg (all Frankfurt-Finance).