Wedlake Bell advises Solventis Group shareholders on Brenntag acquisition

The Solventis Group, a family-owned company comprising multiple entities such as Solventis, Kilfrost Europe, Antwerp Distillation Company, Solventis Solutions, and Solvenox, has been a long-standing client of Wedlake Bell. Wedlake Bell previously assisted the Solventis Group on several matters, including its acquisition of Solvenox, major producers of AdBlue.

Solventis operates strategically with a purpose-built facility in the port of Antwerp, Belgium, a significant European chemicals hub. This location provides Brenntag with a strategic advantage, facilitating more sustainable sourcing via ships and barges.

This complex cross-border deal involved multiple practices including corporate, private client, real estate, tax, employment, and banking. Wedlake Bell collaborated closely with Deloitte, who served as financial advisors to the selling shareholders, and Saffrey, who provided auditing and tax advisory services to Solventis. Charles Whiddington of Steptoe advised on regulatory matters, and Delsol provided guidance on Belgian law matters.

Nigel Taylor, Corporate Partner at Wedlake Bell, commented, "We are delighted to have worked on this complex cross-border deal as lead legal counsel to the selling shareholders, which perfectly demonstrates the breadth and depth of Wedlake Bell's corporate capability on large deals in the mid-market. It also illustrates the full-service nature of Wedlake Bell with the range of services that we were able to offer Solventis. Solventis is a long-time client who we were extremely pleased to have achieved such a good result for."

Nigel Taylor led a multi-disciplinary team that included Senior Associate Tom Boersma, Associate James French, and Trainee Solicitors Lucy Foster and Alex Painting. Corporate tax advice was provided by Partner Mike Ridsdale and Solicitor Gemma Williams. Associate Claire Irvine-Fontescue handled employment aspects, Legal Director Grainne McCourt dealt with real estate matters, and Partners Hilary Platt and Camilla Wallace provided advice on banking and private wealth, respectively.