Slaughter and May is advising Coca-Cola Europacific Partners plc (“CCEP”) on the proposed joint acquisition of Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. (“CCBPI”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company, with Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. (“Aboitiz”). The proposed acquisition will build on CCEP’s successful expansion into the Asia Pacific region, positioning it as the world’s largest Coca-Cola bottler by both revenue and volume.
It is proposed that CCBPI be acquired through a joint venture for an enterprise value of $1.8 billion and, upon completion of the transaction, CCEP will own 60% of the joint venture with the remaining 40% owned by Aboitiz. Aboitiz is one of the leading conglomerates in the Philippines.
Slaughter and May are supporting the in-house legal team at CCEP, led by Clare Wardle (General Counsel & Company Secretary), Paul van Reesch (Vice President, Corporate) and Melissa Ratchev (Director, Corporate Legal). The Slaughter and May team is being led by Roland Turnill and Rob Innes. Villraza & Angangco Law are advising on the Philippine law aspects of the transaction.