Simpson Thacher Represents Pinnacle Foods in $1.3B Acquisition of Birds Eye Foods
11.19.09
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Simpson Thacher is representing Pinnacle Foods Group LLC in its $1.3 billion acquisition of Birds Eye Foods from a holding company controlled by Vestar Capital Partners, Pro-Fac Cooperative, and Birds Eye management. Pinnacle Foods is owned by private equity funds controlled by The Blackstone Group.
Pinnacle Foods will fund the transaction using a combination of new debt financing and a new equity contribution from Blackstone. The closing of the transaction, which is expected to occur no later than the first quarter of 2010, is subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approvals.
Pinnacle Foods' brands include Duncan Hines®, Vlasic® pickles, Mrs. Butterworth's® and Log Cabin® syrups, Armour® canned meats, Swanson® and Hungry-Man® frozen dinners, Van de Kamp's® and Mrs. Paul's® frozen seafood, Aunt Jemima® frozen breakfast, Lender's® bagels and Celeste® frozen pizza. Birds Eye Foods is a nationally recognized packaged food company with leading consumer brands in frozen vegetables and meals, including Birds Eye®, Birds Eye Steamfresh®, and Birds Eye Voila!®, as well as Comstock® and Wilderness® pie fillings and toppings, Nalley® and Brooks® chili and chili ingredients and snacks from Tim’s Cascade Snacks®, Snyder of Berlin® and Husman®.
The Simpson Thacher team includes: Jeff DeMartino, Amie Siebert, Philip Russ and Solomon Bashi (M&A), Alden Millard and Nicholas Schwartz (Credit), Richard Fenyes and Max Kirchner (Capital Markets), Greg Grogan, Beth Understahl and Jennifer Pepin (Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits), Lori Lesser, Patrick Smith and Crystal Frierson (Intellectual Property), Adeeb Fadil and Noreen Lavan (Environmental), Joe Tringali, Ken Ehrhardt, Ellen Frye and Ketan Jhaveri (Antitrust), Gary Mandel and Jennifer Klein (Tax), Peter Kazanoff and Philip Mirrer-Singer (Litigation), Scott Dyer and Brandon Neal (Labor) and Mardi Merjian and Beatrice Branch (Real Estate) and Alexander Sprinzen (Corporate Paralegal).