PricewaterhouseCoopers advises on the sale of Grand

20 April 2009 — PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and its M&A Lead Advisory team announces the signing of the project, which occurred in March 2009. The project refers to the sale of a majority stake of 51% in the equity of Grand, a Russian coffee and tea business, to Tata Tea Ltd. and EBRD.

The shareholder of Grand had approached PwC 1.5 years ago realizing that his industry was to consolidate over the next few years and that it would be beneficial to have a strong international partner to develop the business further. PwC M&A lead Advisory acted as exclusive Financial Advisor to the shareholder of Grand. In addition, PwC provided tax support.

The professional team was led by Michael Knoll, Partner and Head of M&A Lead Advisory, with Anna Solovei, Senior Manager in M&A Lead Advisory, acting as Project Manager.

Michael Knoll comments:

“Negotiations on the final transaction terms took place in a difficult economic environment. Our objective and rational approach to dealing with the different expectations of both the seller and the buyer was vital in having the parties reach a final agreement leading to the successful signing of the deal“.

Notes to Editor

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