Thomas Hirschberger, founder of Munich-based restaurant and bar chain Sausalitos, and EQT Expansion Capital II Limited have agreed to sell the Sausalitos Group to Ergon Capital Partners III.
The transaction is currently awaiting approval from the German competition authorities and is expected to complete in July 2014.
A team from CMS Hasche Sigle headed by lead partner Dr Oliver C Wolfgramm advised Thomas Hirschberger on all legal aspects of the sale. This included structuring and negotiating a reinvestment by Thomas Hirschberger in the Ergon Capital Partners acquisition vehicle.
Founded in 1994, Sausalitos is a casual gastro pub chain with 27 lifestyle restaurants in Germany. It has around 900 employees and serves four million customers a year.
EQT Expansion Capital II's investment in 2007 enabled Sausalitos to increase the number of outlets and expand its sales activities and operational platform. The fund belongs to Stockholm-based investment group EQT Partners, which has around 60 portfolio companies generating sales totalling more than EUR25 billion.
Ergon Capital Partners, headquartered in Brussels, is part of holding company Groupe Bruxelles Lambert and manages assets worth EUR775 million.
Ergon's involvement is intended to speed up expansion of Sausalitos' network of locations over the medium to long term.
