Luther advises Groupe Briand on acquisition of Astron Buildings

As part of the cross-border transaction, Groupe Briand acquired the entire Astron Buildings Group with locations in Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Russia, Germany, Poland, Hungary and France. Following clearance by the Russian antitrust authorities, the transaction was completed by the end of 2021. The seller of Astron was Lindab AB, which is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.

Astron is a leading European supplier in industrial and steel systems construction. With around 700 employees, Astron offers sustainable, customised steel building solutions, particularly in the areas of hall construction for trade and commerce, office buildings and multi-storey car parks. Through this strategic acquisition, Groupe Briand, which has so far been represented mainly in France and Africa, is positioning itself in the pan-European market and opening up the market in Russia, where it has not yet been present.

Fidal took the lead in the overall transaction and the contract negotiations. Luther, together with its local partner law firms, carried out the due diligence in the relevant jurisdictions, coordinated centrally and managed the implementation of the transaction in Germany.

About Groupe Briand:

Headquartered in Les Herbiers, Groupe Briand is one of the main French players in the construction industry in the fields of steel construction, timber construction and concrete construction. Its business focuses on the construction of often complex structures in the form of industrial, commercial and service buildings, bridges and footbridges, as well as large functional buildings and car parks, among others.

On behalf of Group Briand:

Luther, Corporate/M&A: Dr Björn Simon (Partner, Lead), Andreas Kloyer (Partner), Dr Johannes Becker (Counsel), Dr Sven C. Stumm MJur (Oxon) (Senior Associate, all Frankfurt am Main)

Luther, Corporate/M&A (Luxembourg): Mathieu Laurent (Partner, Lead), Robert Goerend (Senior Associate), Raphaël Schindler (Senior Associate, all Luxembourg)

Luther, Employment: Achim Braner (Partner), Nadine Ceruti (Counsel), Cyrielle Ax (Associate, all Frankfurt/Main), Marie Sinniger (Partner, Luxembourg)

Luther, Banking & Finance: Christoph Schauenburg, Anna-Sophia Riebeling (Associate, both Frankfurt am Main), Bob Scharfe (Partner, Luxembourg)

Luther, Real Estate: Ruth-Maria Thomsen (Partner, Frankfurt am Main), Aurélien Latouche (Partner, Luxembourg)

Luther, IP/IT: Christian Kuß (Partner); Laura Kues (Senior Associate, both Cologne)

Luther, Commercial / Litigation: Steffen Gaber (Partner), Dr Michael Ebert (Senior Associate, both Stuttgart); Daniela Spitz (Senior Associate, Frankfurt am Main)

Fidal, Corporate/M&A, overall transaction coordination: Christine Blaise-Engel (Partner, CEO unyer), Vianney de Bagneaux (Partner)

Fidal, Corporate: Mickael Attrait (Partner), Alexandre Rosin (Partner) & Anne Frotté (Partner)

Fidal, Tax: Louis-Emmanuel Ruggiu (Partner), Simon Desplanques (Partner) & Fabienne Olivard (Partner)

Fidal, Competition Law: Isabelle Galand Padrao (Department Director) & Hugues Jeanteur (Associate)

Fidal, Construction: Elise Jacot (Senior Associate) & Elsa Krieger (Associate)

Cooperation law firms (and team lead):

Russia: Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev and Partners Law Offices (Ilona Zekely, Partner); Poland: SK&S (Sławomir Uss, Partner); Czech Republic: Glatzova & Co. (Vladimira Glatzova, Partner); Hungary: Forgó, Damjanovic & Partners Law Firm (Zsófia Füzi, Partner)