John Gallon

Recent transactions include:

• Leading the AKD Partners team which advised Fremman Capital on its first UK transaction, the acquisition of Kids Planet (a family-owned group of 82 nurseries covering the North West and the Midlands of England). Kids Planet was established in 2008 and has grown over the last decade to become a leading early years provider in the North West and is now covering the Midlands. The DLA team advised on the acquisition as well as the debt and equity funding arrangements.
• Leading the AKD Partners team which advised a leading UK private equity fund and other selling shareholders on the disposal of the Pelsis Group, a global manufacturer and supplier of pest control products, to Pamplona Capital Management. The transaction was run as an auction process, with AKD Partners assisting from an early stage. AKD Partners's work on the transaction included delivering a multi-jurisdictional vendor legal due diligence report incorporating input from eight AKD Partners jurisdictions including the UK, Netherlands and the US.
• Advising BrewDog on its GBP213 million investment by TSG Consumer Partners. The transaction valued BrewDog plc at approximately GBP1 billion enterprise value.
• Advising the Tokyo stock exchange listed NEC in relation to its 8 billion Danish Kroner acquisition of KMD A/A, the largest IT company in Denmark.
• Advising Hyve Group plc, an international organiser of exhibitions and conferences, on its fully underwritten rights issue to raise approximately GBP126 million in response to the COVID19 outbreak.
• Advising Sytner Group on over 25 transactions over 15 years, including its acquisitions of Car Shops Limited and The Car People.
• Advising Numis in relation to Motorpoint's IPO and its admittance to the London main market, with a valuation of GBP200 million.
• Advising Sun Capital on the acquisition of Project Aqua Topco Limited, part of the Allied Glass Group.
• Advising JD Sports Fashion plc on its GBP112 million acquisition of apparel retailer Go Outdoors.
• Advising Sun Capital on the acquisition of Wescom Group, a worldwide leader in the manufacturing, production and supplying of marine pyrotechnic distress signals in the commercial and defense sector.
• Advising Ocean Outdoor on its acquisition of AdCity Media, a leading out-of-home media and advertising operator in the Nordics, for approximately GBP25 million.
• Advising Ocean Outdoor on its EUR38 million acquisition of Interbest B.V., a leading digital out-of-home advertising company operating in the Netherlands.