July 2010: the shareholders of Mezun, Armani’s retail and wholesale exclusive distributor in Spain, sell the company to Armani’s parent holding company, Giorgio Armani Spa.

For the last 40 years, Mezun developed Armani Group’s retail and wholesale distribution activity in Spain, where it owns 11 shops, which has become Armani’s Europe largest market after Italy, and one of the few markets where Armani has developed all the Group’s brands.

SOCIOS FINANCIEROS advises Mezun’s shareholders on the design, the negotiation and closing of the transaction.

July 2010: Ibersuizas, Spanish private equity firm with nearly €600 million under management, acquires Multiasistencia Group in co-investment with US investment fund Hamilton Lane and financed by Banco Santander, BBVA and Banco Espirito Santo.  
 
Founded in 1983, Multiasistencia is an independent provider of Business Process Outsourcing solutions to corporate clients, mainly in the banking and insurance sectors. The Group currently holds the leading market position in management and repair services for insurance and banking groups’ multi-risk homeowners’ insurance portfolios in Spain, France and Portugal. In 2009, Multiasistencia obtained revenues of c. €150 million and reached an EBITDA of more than €13 million.
 
SOCIOS FINANCIEROS advises the shareholders of Multiasistencia on the design, the negotiation and closing of the transaction.

June 2010: Azkoyen sells to Group Leche Pascual 100% of its subsidiary Azkoyen Hostelería (Ahosa), one of the leading companies in the manufacture and commercialisation of coffee in the hotel, restaurant and catering sector (Horeca).

Ahosa, the coffee and consumibles subsidiary of Azkoyen, owns the brand Mocay (operating exclusively in the Horeca sector), positioned in the high end of the market, and has a significant presence in a very fragmented sector. In addition to Mocay, Ahosa also provides coffee machines and has a coffee roaster in Pamplona and 21 branches spread throughout Spain.

With this acquisition, Group Leche Pascual strengthens its presence in the Horeca sector, where it is already significantly implemented with 20 sales offices and more than 350 distributors, both with own brands as with agreements with Heinz, Kellog or Aguas das Pedras.

SOCIOS FINANCIEROS advises the shareholders of Ahosa on the identification of buyers and on the negotiations and the closing of the transaction.

June 2010: the Management Team of Ymedia completes the acquisition of the stake held in the company by the Del Pino family office since 2007.

Created at the end of 2006 by professionals with a long track record and specialisation in media and marketing, Ymedia is a player in the communication sector. The objective of the company is to provide its clients with a global and integrated response to off and online marketing, media, research, innovation, investigation, sponsorship and events challenges.
The divestment of the Del Pino family office represents for the company the completion of an important phase of its development.

SOCIOS FINANCIEROS advises the Management Team of Ymedia on the design, the negotiation and closing of the transaction.

March 2010: Mémora, the largest funeral services provider in Spain and Portugal, acquires Servicios Funerarios de Majadahonda in Madrid and La Funeraria Santiago el Calero in the Canary Islands.

Servicios Funerarios de Majadahonda strengthens Mémora’s presence in Madrid, where it already operates in Coslada, El Corredor del Henares, San Sebastián de los Reyes and the Northwest part of Madrid, from Majadahonda to Villalba. La Funeraria Santiago el Calero operates in Arrecife (Lanzarote) and in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Mémora was acquired by English private equity fund 3i in November 2008, the largest LBO of 2008 in Spain. These two acquisitions contribute to Mémora’s plan of driving the consolidation and profesionalisation of the funeral services sector.

SOCIOS FINANCIEROS is the advisor of Mémora in its acquisition program.

January 2010: Ferretti, the world’s largest manufacturer of luxury yachts, reaches an agreement with a financial investor group including the subsidiary´s management team to sell its 60% shareholding in this yacht repainting business, the largest such business in Europe.

This disposal marks another step in Ferretti’s restructuring process following the sale of the business by Candover to a financial investor and the former owner of the company.

Socios Financieros advises Ferretti on the disposal process and the negotiations with the new investor group.

January 2010: Laboratorios Cinfa completes the acquisition of part of the OTC product portfolio of a Spanish pharmaceutical company.

Laboratorios Cinfa, the leading Spanish laboratory in the generic medicaments market, has acquired part of the OTC product portfolio of a Spanish pharmaceutical company, strengthening its leading position in this market.

SOCIOS FINANCIEROS provides financial advise to Laboratorios Cinfa on the transaction.

December 2009: SOCIOS FINANCIEROS advises Colony Capital on the acquisition of Goldman Sachs International’s participation in Inmobiliaria Colonial’s 4,300 million Euros syndicated loan.

Colony Capital is a global private equity firm, focusing primarily on real estate sector. Since its foundation in 1991, Colony has invested more than 40,000 million dollars and currently has funds under management exceeding 10,000 dollars.

Inmobiliaria Colonial is one of the largest real estate operators in Europe, with total assets valued in excess of 5,000 million Euros, and is known particularly for its prime office portfolio in Madrid, Barcelona and Paris.

By dint of this investment, Colony Capital positions itself together with its co-investor, Orion Capital Managers, as one of the four leading financiers of Inmobiliaria Colonial, with the objective of completing the debt restructuring process currently under negotiation, and gaining access to a significant shareholding in the Company in order to support the future development of the Company.

November 2009: SOCIOS FINANCIEROS advises Nederland Group, the leading Spanish cocoa manufacturer, in the sale of its subsidiary Chocovic to Barry Callebaut. The current owners of Nederland Group will retain ownership of the other activities of the company, which include Moner and Nederland (cocoa processing).

Chocovic specializes in chocolate and specialty products for industrial and artisanal customers whilst Barry Callebaut is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products. Founded in 1872, Chocovit has a state-of-the-art factory in Gurb and produces 31,000 tonnes of chocolate and specialty products per year. It has annual sales of approx. EUR 60 million (2008) and employs 120 people. Chocovic also owns “Aula Chocovic”, a chocolate academy which offers training for professionals and gives technical support to Chocovic’s commercial team and subsidiaries in Italy and France.

The transaction is subject to the approval of the competition authorities and it is expected to close by the end of the calendar year.

SOCIOS FINANCIEROS advises Nederland Group in the negotiation and closing of the transaction.

November 2009: Laboratorios Cinfa and Faes Farma reach an agreement for the commercialization and distribution of generic medicaments in Portugal, aiming to exploit mutual synergies and become one of the top players in the industry.

By virtue of this agreement, Laboratorios Cinfa will contribute its leadership experience in the Spanish generics market and the experience of its subsidiary in Portugal, which was one of the fastest growing laboratories last year. Faes Farma will contribute its knowledge of the Portuguese pharmaceutical market and its commercial network of medical sales representatives through its Portuguese subsidiary, Laboratorios Vitoria.

The Portuguese market is of great interest for both companies as a result of its size, (over €500 million), and its superior growth rate compared to other European countries.

SOCIOS FINANCIEROS advises on the negotiation and the closing of the agreement.

July 2009: RoomMate Hotels completes a capital increase subscribed by the Family Office of Rosalía Mera and the family group lead by Pedro Agustín del Castillo, President of Binter Canarias.

RoomMate Hotels, created by its majority shareholder Enrique Sarasola, began operating in 2001, successfully developing an innovating business model based on middle sized avant-garde hotels located in the most exclusive areas of big cities like Madrid, Barcelona, New York and Miami, offering very economical prices. In 2008, RoomMate had 14 operating hotels in Spain and USA, and revenues of €21 million (YoY growth of 149%).

The Family Office of Rosalía Mera (ROSP Corunna), already an investor in the Company, increases its stake in RoomMate to 21% whilst the family group Del Castillo, through the investment vehicle Basphon Investment, acquires a 5,66% stake. The funds will be used to finance an expansion plan of new openings in the major cities of Europe and USA, through a mixed contribution of equity and subordinated debt.

June 2009: Barclays and RBS reach an agreement with shareholders and the management team of USP to restructure the Company’s capital and assume majority ownership.

USP, acquired by Cinven in 2007 for approximately €675 millions, is a leading player in the Spanish private hospital sector with 13 facilities. The Company manages more than 1,200 beds, is present throughout the country and closed 2008 with almost €300 millions of revenues.

SOCIOS advises the management team on all negotiations with Cinven and the financing banks.

March 2009: Following the acquisition of Siemens Building Technologies Security, Socios Financieros advises Chillida, the 4th largest company within the alarm and security systems market in Spain, in the identification of potential investors for a minority stake in the merged company; the transaction was completed, after a competitive process, with Inversiones Valencia Capital Riesgo.

November 2008: UK private equity fund 3i Group, listed in the London Stock Exchange, has acquired 100% of Mémora Inversiones Funerarias, the leading Iberian funeral services provider owned by Acciona (75%) and Caja Madrid (25%).

With a network of 91 funeral parlours, 16 cemeteries and 14 crematoriums, Mémora is the leading funeral services operator in Spain and Portugal providing 30,000 services per year. Moreover, Mémora owns 49% of Serveis Funeraris de Barcelona, the preeminent funeral services provider in the City of Barcelona, and of Cementiris de Barcelona, the remaining 51% being held by the City Council of Barcelona. These companies have 4 funeral parlours, 9 cemeteries and 2 crematoriums.

Through this investment, 3i seeks to support and accelerate Memora’s development and to drive the consolidation and profesionalisation of the funeral services sector.

SOCIOS FINANCIEROS originates the investment opportunity and advises 3i on all aspects of the transaction financing and execution.

November 2008: In order to support negotiations regarding numerous new projects under development by its shareholders, Ibereólica, S.L. (“Ibereólica”), a company dedicated to the development and operation of renewable energy projects in the wind sector, appoints SOCIOS FINANCIEROS to carry out an independent valuation of its assets.

The aforementioned assets include six operating wind farms with an installed and attributable capacity of 127 MW, two of these under extension in order to add attributable capacity of 32 MW, one wind farm under construction with attributable capacity of 16 MW and fifteen further farms under development and in portfolio, at different development stages, with a total attributable capacity of 1,024 MW.

SOCIOS FINANCIEROS acts as independent valuation expert, preparing a detailed analysis of the aforementioned assets, and presenting its conclusions to the management team and shareholders of Ibereólica.