Paul Hastings Represented Belvédère In Connection With the Private Placement of €375M of Debt to Finance the Acquisition of Marie Brizard and Roger International

May 25, 2006

Paul Hastings Represented Belvédère In Connection With the Private Placement of €375M of Debt to Finance the Acquisition of Marie Brizard and Roger International

Paris, FR (May 29, 2006), Paul, Hastings, Janofsky, and Walker LLP (Paul Hastings), a leading international law firm, represented Belvédère, S.A., a leading producer, marketer and supplier of branded vodkas, spirits and wines in connection with a rule 144A and regulation S private placement of €375,000,000 of senior secured floating rate notes.

The corporate finance legal team based in Paris was comprised of partners Joel Simon and Aline Poncelet, of counsel, Erwan Barre and associates Pierre Treille and Marianick Darnis-Lorca (Paris), Karen Leach (Atlanta) and Tuvi Keinan (London).

In April 2006, Belvédère acquired a controlling stake in Marie Brizard and Roger International, a French public company. Marie Brizard is a leading producer, marketer and distributor of spirits, wines and non-alcoholic beverages primarily in France and Spain with a wide-ranging product portfolio that includes some of the most recognized spirits brands in France.

To finance the Marie Brizard Acquisition, Belvédère entered into a €265 million senior secured bridge loan facility. The loans outstanding under the bridge facility agreement and indebtedness of certain of Belvedere's subsidiaries and Marie Brizard will be repaid in full using the net proceeds of the notes being offered.

Belvédère is a leading producer, marketer and supplier of branded vodkas, spirits and wines in Poland, Lithuania and Bulgaria. Belvédère's vodka portfolio includes some of the best known brands in Poland including Sobieski, Zawisza, Polonaise, Starogardska, Krakowska and Balsam Pomorski.

Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP, founded in 1951, is a leading international law firm with over 1,000 attorneys in 17 offices. The firm serves a diverse client base including many of the top financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies, supports clients in all of their legal needs and offers deep capabilities in Banking and Finance, Capital Markets, Corporate/M+A, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property, Project Finance, Investment Management, Real Estate, Labor and Employment and Tax Advisory Services. For additional information, please visit our website at www.paulhastings.com.
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