LEXPERT MAGAZINE
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SEPTEMBER
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OCTOBER 2018 25
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CORPORATE TRANSACTIONS OF IMPORTANCE
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dent bottler of so drinks and fruit juices for
retailers and A-brands with operations in
Benelux, Canada, Finland, France, Germa-
ny, Italy, Poland, Spain, the UK and the US.
Aer the completion of the Cott Beverages
acquisition, Refresco continues to maintain
its world market leadership as an indepen-
dent bottler of so drinks and fruit juices.
e transaction had a significant cross-
border and multi-jurisdictional component
and included Cott's Canadian, US, UK,
and Mexico businesses (excluding the RCI
International division and its associated con-
centrate facility as well as the Aimia Foods
division). Due diligence was completed and
the definitive purchase agreement negotiated
over a very short period of time — approxi-
mately eight weeks.
McMillan LLP acted as Canadian coun-
sel to Refresco and co-advised on the acqui-
sition along with the US-based Nixon Pea-
body LLP, the UK-based Allen & Overy
LLP, and the Mexico-based Santamarina y
Steta, S.C.
e McMillan team was led by Howard
Drabinsky and included Keith Bird (intel-
lectual property), George Waggott and
Paul Boshyk (employment), Josh Chad and
Dan Edmonstone (Competition Act and
Investment Canada Act), Annik Forristal
(environmental), Robert Shore (real estate),
Andrew Stirling (tax) and David Zhou (cor-
porate/commercial).
e Nixon Peabody team included David
Martland, Haydon Keitner, Katarzyna Mur-
phy, Eric Ferrante and Matthew Carrigg.
e Allen & Overy team was composed
of Vanessa Xu, Rajani Gupta, Alice Smith,
Jennifer Spring, Adam Haberkorn and Ste-
fanie Duda.
e Santamarina y Steta team was led by
its partner Aarón Levet and included associ-
ates Isaac Zatarain and Miguel Beltrán.
Cott Corp. was represented in-house by
Marni Morgan Poe, Vice President, Gen-
eral Counsel and Secretary and Michael
James, Corporate Counsel; and externally by
Goodmans LLP which acted as Canadian
counsel to Cott Corp. and co-advised on
the acquisition along with Drinker Biddle
& Reath LLP in the US and CMS Neth-
erlands in the Netherlands. Squire Patton
Boggs advised Cott on UK law matters.
e Goodmans team was led by Neil
Sheehy and Michelle Vigod and included
Samantha Reburn (corporate/M&A), Ira
Barkin and Tyler D'Angelo (real estate), Dan
Dedic (finance), Alan Bowman and Carrie
Smit (tax), Richard Annan (competition),
John Alton (pensions & benefits) and Susan
Garvie (employment).
e Drinker Biddle & Reath team was
led by Jack Michel, Matt Meyers and Adam
Weinstock, and included Jennifer Dean and
Ira Kalina (IP), Michael San Giacomo (real
estate), Eirik Tellefsen (finance), Howard
Levine (benefits), Joanne Lewers (antitrust),
Bonnie Barnett (environmental) and Ste-
phen Hamilton (tax).
e CMS Netherlands team included
Reinout Slot, Clair Wermers, Dex Destom-
bes, Katja van Kranenburg, Tjeerd Hoeks-
tra, Erik Vorst, Robert Bosman and Roder-
ick Nieuwmeyer.
e Squire Patton Boggs team was led by
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