Czech law firm PRK Partners (PRK) is advising SABMiller group on Czech and Slovak issues in relation to the sale of its CEE businesses, including Czech brewery Plzensky Prazdroj and Slovak brewery Pivovary Topvar, to the Japanese Asahi Group holdings. The transaction, which is last year's most significant M&A transaction in the Czech Republic with a total value of EUR 7.3 billion, is expected to close in the first half of 2017.

European Commission

The PRK team, lead by partners Radan Kubr and Martin Kriz, carried out comprehensive due diligence of the Czech and Slovak businesses, which are being divested and advises on related legal issues including corporate, compliance, regulatory and real estate matters.The divestment of SABMiller’s businesses in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Romania is required by the European Commission in connection with the anti-trust approval of the business combination between Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller.

Brewery expertise

PRK Partners is advising on this international M&A transaction together with a number of leading international law firms, including Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Hogan Lovells. Allen & Overy is legal counsel to the buyer. PRK has been working with the brewery industry for a number of years. It previously acted on the sale of a number of Czech breweries, including the acquisition and subsequent resale of Pivovar Staropramen by CVC.