Deal profile | Gadens advises Made Group on sale of shares to Coca-Cola Amatil and The Coca-Cola Company

Gadens has advised Made Aust Pty Ltd (Made Group) and its shareholders on a combined acquisition by Coca-Cola Amatil and The Coca-Cola Company of 45% of the Made Group.

Made Group is an Australian market-leading beverage company headquartered in Melbourne.

Gadens advised Made Group and its shareholders on all aspects of the transaction, including:

• drafting and negotiating the share sale and subscription agreements through to exchange and completion;
• a pre-transaction restructure of the Made Group entities and related financing arrangements;
• drafting a stakeholders agreement between existing stakeholders of Made Group and the incoming Coca-Cola; and
• consolidating intellectual property rights within the Made Group and advising on taxation and employment considerations relating to the transaction.

Firms involved: Gadens (acted for Made Group and its shareholders), Addison Lawyers – Sydney (acted for The Coca-Cola Export Corporation), Gilbert + Tobin – Sydney (acted for Coca-Cola Amatil (Aust) Pty Ltd), PwC – Melbourne (tax advisors to Made Group and its shareholders) Macquarie Capital – Melbourne (corporate advisors to Made Group and its shareholders).

Deal area: Mergers & Acquisitions

Key team members: Gadens Partner Richard Partridge (Corporate Advisory) led the team, assisted by Matthew Burge (Senior Associate, Corporate Advisory), James Langanis (Lawyer, Corporate Advisory), Edward Smith (Lawyer, Corporate Advisory), Doug Scobie (Partner, Banking & Finance), Matthew Trinca (Senior Associate, Banking & Finance),  Kerry Awerbuch (Special Counsel, Intellectual Property & Technology), Lisa Haywood (Lawyer, Intellectual Property & Technology), Madeleine McMaster (Lawyer, Intellectual Property & Technology), Siobhan Mulcahy (Partner, Employment Advisory) and Tessa Duthie (Lawyer, Employment Advisory).

Deal significance:

The Made Group is an independent Australian beverage manufacturer known for its brands Cocobella, Rokeby Farms, Impressed and NutrientWater.