RTPR has assisted GreenGroup, a company in the portfolio of Abris Capital Partners, in relation to the acquisition of UAB Zalvaris, the largest industrial waste management company in Lithuania. GreenGroup is the circular economy leader in Central Europe, specialised in recyclable waste management, recycling and recovery of various types of waste. Abris Capital Partners is an independent private equity fund, specialised in ESG transformation, with a focus on Central Europe countries.

The project team was coordinated by Costin Taracila (Managing Partner) and Vlad Druta (Senior Associate), and further included Ana Maria Barbu (Senior Associate) and Filip Marinau (Junior Associate). RTPR acted as lead legal counsel, with Walless acting as legal advisor in connection with the due diligence phase and Lithuanian law-related advice and Allen & Overy as English law counsel.

“We are honoured to team up once again with Abris and GreenGroup and to support them in their strategic development efforts. It is an ambitious plan, aligned with GreenGroup’s vision to become a leader in industrial waste management in Central Europe, and Abris’ expertise in implementing ESG standards is a guarantee for its success. We are happy to contribute our extensive experience in M&A and private equity deals to their success”, said Costin Taracila, Managing Partner of RTPR.

“We are grateful to our clients for entrusting us with this new mandate, after we advised GreenGroup and Abris on the acquisition of another Lithuanian recycling company, UAB Ecso, 8 months ago. We have offered our resources and energy to choose the most appropriate solutions for this transaction together with our clients. Congratulations to Abris and GreenGroup teams and we are looking forward to the next challenges”, said Vlad Druta, Senior Associate at RTPR.

RTPR’s Corporate/M&A team is well known for its extended transactional experience. The prestigious international legal directory Chambers Europe, whose 2023 edition was recently published, ranks the firm in the first band for the sixth year in a row. The law firm is also included in the first tier in the Legal 500 and IFLR1000 rankings, which are realised based on feedback collected from clients and competitors, as a result of a thorough research process. At the same time several of the team’s lawyers are recommended as Leading Lawyers or Rising Stars in individual rankings produced by these publications.

Selected M&A deals in which RTPR have recently advised are set out below:

• Jean Valvis on the strategic agreement between AQUA Carpatica, the premium Romanian spring water owned by Carpathian Springs SA company, and the American corporation PepsiCo for a 20 percent equity stake in AQUA Carpatica
• Zarea, the most important producer of sparkling wines in Romania, on the acquisition of a majority stake of 70% of the Domeniile Dealu Mare Urlati group
• Integral Venture Partners on its investment in Medima Health, a chain of medical clinics with a national presence, specialised in imaging and radiology
• the founders of Qualitance on the sale of the company to Alten, a French technology and innovation consultancy and services group
• Enterprise Investors on the sale of Noriel, the largest toys and games retailer in Romania, to Sunman Group
• African Industries Group on the acquisition of World Class Romania, the largest health and fitness network in Romania
• Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) on the acquisition of a portfolio of power assets owned by CEZ Group in Romania, the largest M&A transaction in Romania in the last 12 years
• ENGIE Group on the sale of its entire participation in Flashnet S.A. to Lucy Group Ltd.
• Arval Service Lease Romania S.R.L., part of BNP Paribas Group, on the acquisition of a part of the operational leasing activity of BCR Fleet Management
• Autonom Services, the most important independent player on the operational leasing and rent-a-car markets in Romania, on the acquisition of Premium Leasing, the operational leasing business of Tiriac Group