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Wolf Theiss advises Anzag/Alliance Boots on the acquisition of additional shares in farmexpert

May 2012

WOLF THEISS has advised the German pharma wholesaler Andreae-Noris Zahn AG (ANZAG), a member of the Alliance Boots group, on the acquisition of additional shares in the Romanian Farmexpert DCI S.A. Previously, in 2006, the group had already acquired a 60% share.

Following the first transaction in 2006, Andreae-Noris Zahn AG recently acquired an additional 20% share in Farmexpert DCI S.A., headquartered in Bucharest. The pharma wholesale company ANZAG had already acquired a 60% share in the Romanian company from its founder and owner, Dr. Eugen Banciu, thereby further expanding its share. Dr. Banciu will remain as a shareholder with a 20% interest in the company.

After founding the company in 1996, Farmexpert quickly became a very successful company in Romania. It is now the second largest pharma wholesaler in Romania. The Romanian medication market has recently experienced double-digit growth. This acquisition of additional shares constitutes a significant strategic development for ANZAG in an important and growing market.

The Wolf Theiss team advising on this transaction was led by Partner Horst Ebhardt, Ileana Glodeanu, Ruxandra Musat, Adelina Iftime and Hartwig Kienast, who advised on M&A and corporate law aspects. Günter Bauer and Claudia Chiper covered competition and merger control issues. Horst Ebhardt comments: "The gradual acquisition of Farmexpert is a big success for ANZAG/Alliance Boots. We are happy and proud to have accompanied our client ANZAG/Alliance Boots repeatedly in its strategic investments in Central and Eastern Europe."

The pharma wholesaler Andreae-Noris Zahn AG, headquartered in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, is a member of the Alliance Boots group. With its 25 subsidiaries, the group has the closest-knit distribution network of the German pharma sector. Through its subsidiaries and holdings, ANZAG is also active in healthcare logistics and information services. With its annual turnover of more than EUR 4.2 billion, the group is one of the leading pharma wholesalers in Germany. 

Alliance Boots is a leading drug store and pharmacy group, and - on an international level - one of the largest pharma wholesalers. The group has more than 115,000 employees and operates in 25 countries. The group's turnover in 2010 exceeded GBP 23 billion.


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