Herbert Smith Freehills has advised Japanese automotive group Gulliver International Co Ltd on its A$120 (US$90) million acquisition of a majority shareholding in the DVG Automotive Group, Western Australia's second largest automotive dealership group.

Partners Damien Roberts (Tokyo) and Ian Williams (Australia) led their respective ends of the firm's preeminent Japan-Australia team to complete the transaction for Gulliver – both are fluent in Japanese and provide an experienced bridge on Japan-Australia transactions for this client and many others in Japan.

Stibbe advises Apax Partners on the acquisition of RFS Holland Holding (Wehkamp and two sister companies, homeware store Fonq and appliances merchant Create2Fit).

Apax is a leading global private equity investment group. Wehkamp and its affiliates are online lifestyle department store companies. It's expected that Wehkamp strengthens its leading market position in the Netherlands with the entry of the new shareholder.

Schoenherr's Sofia office has advised private equity fund EQT V on the sale of the cable operator blizoo Bulgaria to the Vienna Stock Exchange-listed company Telekom Austria Group. The transaction, which was signed on 29 July 2015, is subject to the relevant merger control approvals. As agreed between the parties, details regarding the purchase price will not be released.

On July 30, 2015, HNA Group Co. Ltd., a Fortune 500 company and a leader in aviation and tourism, and PAI Partners SAS have entered into a binding agreement regarding the acquisition of the Swissport Group by HNA Group Co. Ltd. The total transaction value is CHF 2.73 billion. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory and anti-trust approvals. Closing is expected to occur by the end of this year.

On July 27, 2015, Deutsche Börse AG and SIX Group AG have entered into a binding agreement regarding the full acquisition of the joint ventures STOXX AG and Indexium AG by Deutsche Börse AG for a purchase price of CHF 650 million. STOXX AG and Indexium AG have previously been operated as joint ventures by SIX Group AG and Deutsche Börse AG. Closing of the transaction occurred on July 31, 2015.

State-owned Chinese Northeast Industries Group Corporation has acquired from Delphi, a leading global supplier to the automotive industry, the reception systems business with locations in Germany, the US, China, Mexico and Portugal. Around 250 employees will transfer to Northeast Industries.

Eversheds has advised Fairpoint Group plc (Fairpoint), one of the UK's leading providers of consumer professional services, on an agreement to acquire the trade and assets of Colemans-CTTS LLP, CT Support Services Limited and the entire ordinary share capital of Holiday TravelWatch Limited (together referred to as Colemans), a consumer legal services business (the Acquisition).

Allen & Overy said today that the acquisition of British property firm Quintain Estates & Development Plc. by private equity firm Lone Star signals continuing interest from international investors in London's residential and commercial property market.
 
Quintain’s portfolio includes the land around London’s Wembley Stadium, which is the focus of a major urban renewal project that incorporates retail and leisure facilities as well as 5,500 homes.
 

Clifford Chance has advised Thai Union Frozen Products PCL (Thailand), the world's largest producer of shelf-stable tuna products with sales exceeding USD 3.66 billion, on the acquisition of 100% of the shares in King Oscar Holding AS (Norway) from private equity fund Procuritas Capital Investors IV.

The transaction is expected to close later this year pending relevant antitrust approvals. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

Through its fifth fund, private equity investor Equistone Partners Europe, together with the management, has acquired all the shares in TriStyle Mode GmbH. The sellers are Primondo Specialty Group GmbH and Wirth Beteiligungs GmbH.

TriStyle Mode GmbH focuses, along with its subsidiaries Peter Hahn and Madeleine Mode, on women's fashion for the bestagers over 45 years of age. In financial year 2013/14, the group generated a turnover of around EUR 483 million with more than 1,100 employees.