Wolf Theiss advises Raiffeisen Ware Austria on the acquisition of a controlling stake in the Serbian company Patent CO

Wolf Theiss has successfully assisted RWA Raiffeisen Ware Austria AG in the multi-jurisdictional acquisition of the operations of Patent Co in Serbia as well as its worldwide presence. The closing occurred on Monday, 31 January 2022.

RWA Raiffeisen Ware Austria AG (RWA), the wholesale company and service provider of the Lagerhaus cooperatives in Austria, has successfully closed the acquisition of Patent Co company, a producer of high-quality feed premixes and special feed additives, headquartered in Mišićevo, Serbia.

Wolf Theiss provided legal assistance to RWA in the form of multi-jurisdictional due diligence (including Serbia, Bosnia and other jurisdictions), negotiating the transaction documents and advising on pre-closing restructuring and on W&I Insurance issues until the successful completion of the transaction. In terms of competition law, WT was responsible for parallel competition law filings in Serbia, North Macedonia and Montenegro.

“With the acquisition of Patent Co, RWA is taking a significant growth step in the core segments of feed and feed supplements. We are convinced that the acquisition will lead to a significant strengthening of the product portfolio and geographical positioning in the feed sector. As such, the future cooperation will leverage even more important innovation, growth and development potential”, stated Reinhard Wolf, General Director RWA.

Under the lead of Partners Christian Mikosch (Vienna Corporate) and Andjelka Todorovic (Belgrade Corporate), the multi-jurisdictional aspect was handled in an integrated and holistic manner by several Wolf Theiss offices. The team involved in this project also included Miroslav Stojanovic, Vidak Kovacevic, Marko Tesanovic, Jovan Micovic, Tatjana Radivojevic, Naida Custovic, Lamis Kulenovic, Alija Genjac, Amar Mocevic, Ilma Kasumagic, Vedran Hadzimustafic, Ajla Delic, and Hristina Dzhevlekova.

“We really enjoyed assisting the team of RWA on this transaction and supporting their growth in the feed and feed additive markets. This acquisition has been particularly challenging as it encompassed the worldwide portfolio of one of the most innovative companies in this sector. Timing constraints as well as the dynamics of the market posed a demanding but interesting challenge for our lawyers from several different jurisdictions in CEE and SEE. The industry expertise and dedication of our transaction team was essential to getting the deal through”, stated Andjelka Todorovic, Partner, member of the Corporate team in the Wolf Theiss Belgrade office.

Astrid Ablasser-Neuhuber of the Hügel law firm was responsible for coordinating the cartel application in Northern Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Austria, and was supported by WOLF THEISS local offices.