DLA Piper advises KRAHN Chemie on investment in Specialities

DLA Piper has advised Hamburg-based KRAHN Chemie GmbH, part of the globally active Otto Krahn Group, on an investment in Italian Specialities S.R.L. and a long-term joint venture with the current shareholders.

KRAHN Chemie has been active in chemical distribution for over 100 years. Its core competence lies in the distribution, marketing and sale of specialty chemicals and heat transfer fluids. The company offers an extensive product portfolio, technical application advice and its own laboratory services and works closely with internationally active producer partners. KRAHN Chemie is part of the family-owned Otto Krahn Group, which is represented in over 30 countries and generated sales of EUR1.7 billion in the 2022 financial year with its more than 1,800 employees worldwide.

Specialities is based in Berbenno, Italy, and develops and distributes high-quality raw materials for the cleaning and personal care market in Italy and Europe.

DLA Piper, led by partner Sebastian Decker, has already successfully advised the Otto Krahn Group on various national and international transactions in the past, most recently on the acquisition of the Jollis AB & Partners Group, consisting of six companies based in Sweden, Spain and the United Kingdom.

“It is not without reason that we always enjoy working with DLA Piper. Sebastian Decker and his team are always extremely competent and absolutely solution-oriented”, says Fabian Maerz, General Counsel of the Otto Krahn Group.

The DLA Piper team was co-led by partner Sebastian Decker and senior associate Sophie von Mandelsloh with associate Jan Mensching in the core team (all Corporate/M&A, Hamburg). Also involved were partners Semin O (Antitrust, Frankfurt), Christian Iannaccone (Corporate/M&A, Milan), Federico Strada (Employment, Milan), Elena Varese (IP, Milan), Giulio Coraggio (IT/Privacy, Milan), Valentina Marengo (Real Estate, Milan), Carmen Chierchia (Town Planning, Milan), associates Lea Reifers (Corporate/M&A), Dr Betina Fischer (Commercial, both Hamburg), lawyers Giorgia Grande, Federico Roviglio (both Corporate/M&A, Milan), Stefano Petri (Employment, Milan), Valentina Mazza (IP, Milan), Giulia Zappaterra (IT/Privacy, Milan), Andreas Fiore, Paolo Renzetti (both Real Estate, Milan), Sabrina Calatroni, Martina Pala (both Town Planning, Milan) and Elena Wang (Corporate/M&A, Milan), Rebecca Rossi (IP, Milan) and Enila Elezi (IT/Privacy, Milan).

The in-house legal team of the Otto Krahn Group was led by Fabian Maerz (General Counsel) and the transaction overall by Dr Rolf Kuropka, CEO of KRAHN Chemie, supported by Frieder Weidenbach, Senior Manager M&A at the Otto Krahn Group, and Nicola Ecke, Director Strategy & Support at KRAHN Chemie.