Sobczyńscy i Partnerzy | FSG Prawo has provided comprehensive legal services for Chefs Culinar’s acquisition of Ladros from its founders Agnieszka and Adam Lewczyk.
Sobczyńscy i Partnerzy | FSG Prawo represented the interests of Chefs Culinar – the buyer of 51% of shares in Ladros. The scope of advice included, in particular, conducting legal due diligence, defining the framework of the transaction, preparing and negotiating transaction documentation, and advising on the implementation stage of the company’s purchase process.
On behalf of the buyer, the transaction was conducted by lawyers from the corporate law and transactions team, whose work was led by attorney Michał Sobczyński (managing partner of the firm) and attorney-at-law Orest Ochocki (partner of the firm, co-leading the corporate law and transactions team).
Execution of the real estate part of the transaction was carried out by the real estate and construction investment law team led by attorney-at-law Piotr Pawłowski (partner of the firm).
Lawyers from other teams of Sobczyńscy i Partnerzy | FSG Prawo also participated in the due diligence of the companies: the litigation team led by attorney Aleksandra Sobczyńska (managing partner of the law firm), the commercial contracts and environment team led by attorney Łukasz Jankowski (partner of the law firm), and the labor law and HR team led by attorney Katarzyna Gohling (partner of the law firm).
Legal support for the transaction on the part of the sellers Agnieszka and Adam Lewczyk was provided by lawyers from the Gessel law firm – attorney-at-law Katarzyna Olszak, attorney-at-law Diana Strzałkowska and legal trainee Karolina Sobóla, under the leadership of legal counsel Maciej Kożuchowski (partner of the firm).
Ladros is a well-known and respected Polish manufacturer and distributor of meat products for the HoReCa sector. Chefs Culinar is one of the key suppliers on the Polish market for the HoReCa sector, with German roots, operating in the catering market for nearly 100 years. It offers nearly 12,000 products (food and non-food), as well as comprehensive delivery to customers, including many Polish restaurants, hotels and catering companies. The Chefs Culinar team consists of more than 400 people.
According to Lucyna Roszkiewicz, CEO of Chefs Culinar:
“This investment perfectly compliments series of our previous investments in Poland and is one of the key elements of our development in the coming years. Together with Ladros founder Adam Lewczyk, we plan to expand the plant and dynamically increase the scale of operations. Although Chefs Culinar has taken a majority stake, the operational management of the company will remain in the hands of the existing board and managers. We are confident that this arrangement will guarantee the achievement of ambitious goals. What we have in common is a shared passion and focus on food service, and a relentless focus on product quality and the highest level of customer service.”
In the words of Adam Lewczyk, CEO of Ladros:
“The first of the challenges on my path was the creation of a company related to the HoReCa market. Building and developing the company brought new challenges almost every day and required making bold decisions. This is also the case this time. The decision to attract a strategic investor will contribute to the further dynamic development of the “Ladros” brand. Close cooperation with the Chefs Culinar group will allow us to realize our plans and further specialize in fresh meat assortment and packaging. Our joint plans include the expansion of the plant in Łuszczów Drugi, which will allow us to increase our production capacity.”
Chefs Culinar will become the majority shareholder of Ladros holding 51 percent of the share capital and votes at the shareholders’ meeting, after receiving approval for the transaction from the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection. The sale is scheduled to be finalized in 2023.
Sobczyńscy i Partnerzy | FSG Prawo provided Chefs Culinar Group with comprehensive legal services for the investment – involving the purchase of land and construction of a modern logistics center [link]. The investment included facilities with a floor area of more than 48,000 square meters and a volume of more than 550,000 cubic meters. The logistics center includes production and storage spaces, as well as office and social areas, and technical infrastructure facilities. The warehouse has been divided into eight separate temperature zones: for dry, refrigerated and frozen products, with automatic temperature and humidity control.