Baker & McKenzie, Freshfields and Morrison & Foerster have recently advised on Danone’s 23% share sale of China Huiyuan Juice to Hong Kong-based PE firm, SAIF Partners.

Baker & McKenzie has advised Danone on various matters across the region and assisted Danone throughout the listing process of China Huiyuan. “The deal went through various possible structures in its planning stage. It had to be synchronised with the other investment that the purchaser was planning to make in China Huiyuan at the same time,” said Bakers’ lead partner Elsa Chan.

Last year, Coca-Cola proposed a US$2.4bn all cash bid for Huiyuan, in what would have been the largest ever foreign takeover of a Chinese company, but MOFCOM put a stop to the deal under the new anti-monopoly law.

Danone operates 20 factories and employs 9,000 people in China across its four divisions—fresh dairy products, waters, baby nutrition, and medical nutrition. ALB

Related stories:

• Coke, antitrust and the future (5 May 2009)
• Freshfields promotes Beijing ACT partner after Coca-Cola, Huiyuan deal (27 March 2009)