HWL Ebsworth has advised the Wichard Group, a French company specialising in maritime equipment, on its acquisition of Ronstan International Pty Ltd, an Australian sailboat hardware company.
Ronstan will join Wichard, ProFurl, Sparcraft, Facnor, Lorima, Peguet/Maillon Rapid and Courant under the Wichard Group.
This strategic transaction has provided the Wichard Group with an opportunity to strengthen their market position, while expanding their product portfolio and increasing growth opportunities globally.
As a result of this significant acquisition, the Wichard Group now has over 550 employees worldwide and a turnover of €100 million. With the addition of Ronstan, the Wichard Group product range includes a range of winches, tracks, blocks and other accessories in addition to aluminium and carbon masts, sail furlers, deck fittings, safety equipment and ropes.
The HWL Ebsworth Corporate and Commercial team was led by Peter Dreher (Partner) and Adam Goldner (Special Counsel) with support from Dylan Dunstan (Associate) and Mitchell Gutteridge (Solicitor). The Information Technology and Intellectual Property team was led by Jason O’Connell (Partner) and supported by Scott La Rocca (Special Counsel). Additionally, Property advice was provided by Michael Westaway (Partner) and Megan Fook (Associate), and Chris Egan (Partner) and Feaben Tefera (Solicitor) provided Employment advice. Cam Steele (Partner), Sarah Wedding (Associate) and Cameron Pitt (Solicitor) provided advice in relation to FIRB matters, and David Fleming (Partner) and Alexander Shepherd (Associate) advised on competition law issues.
Commenting on the deal, Peter Dreher said:
“We are very pleased to have supported the Wichard Group in this important transaction for the global maritime equipment sector. Ronstan’s multiple subsidiaries and global reach provided for a complex transaction and a range of legal issues, drawing on legal resources in Australia, France and other countries.”
Note to Editors:
HWL Ebsworth is the largest legal partnership in Australia according to the most recent partnership surveys published by the Australian Financial Review.
The firm comprises 1677, staff including 277 Partners, 1022 other legal staff and 378 support staff across offices in nine locations – Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Melbourne, Hobart, Norwest (North West Sydney), Perth and Sydney.
HWL Ebsworth is an independent, nationally integrated, full service commercial law firm, providing tailored and commercially oriented legal services.
HWL Ebsworth operates a different business model to the other leading national law practices, and this allows us to offer unrivalled value for money without compromising quality and service. Our low ratio of solicitors to partners ensures that our clients receive optimal access to partner resources for all matters.
For further information, please contact:
Russell Mailler, Chief Strategy Officer (03) 8644 3569 or rmailler@hwle.com.au
Angelique Kear, National Marketing Manager (02) 9334 8541 or akear@hwle.com.au