Paul Hastings advises Carlsberg on the acquisition of Wernesgrüner Brauerei

October 13, 2020

FRANKFURT — Paul Hastings advises Carlsberg on the acquisition of Wernesgrüner Brauerei from Bitburger Braugruppe.

The Danish brewery group Carlsberg and Bitburger Braugruppe have agreed on the acquisition of Wernesgrüner Brauerei by Carlsberg Germany. The acquisition of the Vogtland brewery site, including the Wernesgrüner brand, is expected to become effective as of 1 January 2021.

Wernesgrüner is one of the most traditional German beer brands. The roots of the brewery can be traced back to the 15th century. The current brewery, which has been part of Bitburger Braugruppe since 2002, has an annual capacity of around 1 million hectoliters.

In Germany, Carlsberg is among others represented by the brands Holsten, Astra, Duckstein and Lübzer. The brewery in Wernesgrün will complement the existing German brewery sites in Hamburg and Lübz.

The sale is subject to the approval of the German Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt); the parties have agreed not to disclose details of the contract, such as the purchase price.

Paul Hastings advises Carlsberg with the following team:

Paul Hastings, Frankfurt: Dr. Jan Gernoth (Lead Partner, Corporate / Real Estate Partner), Dr. Christian Mock (Corporate, Partner), Dr. Fritz Kleweta (Finance, Partner), WP/StB Uwe Halbig (German Public Auditor/Tax Advisor), Sebastian Ens (Corporate, Senior Associate), Hannes Riedel (Real Estate, Senior Associate), Marc L. Soltau (Real Estate, Junior Associate).

Matthias Restorff (General Counsel Carlsberg Germany, Hamburg) was responsible in-house.

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