Simpson Thacher is representing Apollo Global Management in its strategic minority investment in PetSmart, a leading omnichannel pet retailer in North America, forming a partnership with PetSmart’s existing majority owner, BC Partners. The parties entered into a definitive merger agreement on July 24, 2023, the terms of which were not disclosed. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the expiration or termination of certain regulatory periods, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The Simpson Thacher team included Gregory Klein, Michael Kaplan, Mark Myott, Jonathan Conigliari, Kristin Rulison, Koh Tanimoto, Mariella McCormack, Michaela Dion, Theodore Schneider, Michael Ruttenberg, Shaneel Parikh, Ondrej Gaiser-Palecek, William Lyoo, Britta Vlastelicia, and Diana Yen (M&A); David Yun and Karen Shih (M&A - Hong Kong); Kenneth Wallach, Christopher Brown, Benjamin Heriaud, Benjamin Persina and Mark Haddox (Banking & Credit); Larry Moss, Harry Hudesman and Guanxiong Xu (Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits); Jessica Cohen, Rachelle Broida and Sarika Pandrangi (Intellectual Property); Toby Chun and Manideepa Sarkar (Environmental); Leah Malone, Emily Holland and May Mansour (Environmental Social Governance); Vanessa Burrows and Nawa Lodin (Healthcare/Veterinary); David Shevlin, Maura Whelan and Anne Power (Exempt Organizations); Krista McManus, Dennis Loiacono and Claudia Haavik (Real Estate); Russell Light and Matthew Lester (Tax). Summer Associates Emma Kateman, Franklin Castro, Corinna Kwok, Sofia Sanchez-Luege and Cindy Wang provided valuable assistance.