DLA Piper advises Kleoss Fund II on its investment into the Hirt & Carter Group

DLA Piper has advised Kleoss Fund II, on its investment into the Hirt & Carter Group (H&C Group), a leading retail marketing and technology firm that provides integrated solutions to help brands and retailers manage, produce, and deploy marketing materials across digital and physical channels.

The investment by Kleoss Fund II will assist the H&C Group with the investment required for the next phase of its local growth strategy and its international growth strategy through the acquisition of KDM, a retail-focused business headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Kleoss Fund II identified the H&C Group for its investment due to its established market position, strong brand recognition, blue‑chip client base, and compelling local and international growth trajectory.

A multi-practice team from DLA Piper's Johannesburg office worked on the transaction led by Corporate director Amy Eliason. She was supported by directors, Rakhee Singh (Corporate), Andrew Lewis (Tax), At van der Merwe (Finance), Monique Jefferson (Employment), and Megan Sturgeon (Litigation and Regulatory). The team was also comprised of senior associates, Zama Shoba and Callie-Jo Bouman (both Corporate) and Justine Katz (Employment), associates Leratorato Madiba and Angelique du Plessis (both Corporate), Manyaku Thulare (Finance), Christoph Berndt (Tax), and associate designate Eduan Beukman (Corporate). The Johannesburg team was supported by the Dublin office through Edel o'Kelly (Corporate), and transaction specialist Danielle Robbertze (Corporate).

Amy Eliason commented: “Supporting Kleoss Fund II on this significant cross-border investment is another example of how our firm is able to support clients on their complex transactions seamlessly. H&C Group is well‑positioned for its next phase of growth, and the transaction demonstrates continued investor interest in high‑performing businesses within South Africa’s technology and communications sectors”.

With more than 1,000 corporate lawyers globally, DLA Piper helps clients execute complex transactions while supporting clients across all stages of development. The firm has been rated number one in global M&A volume for 16 consecutive years, is number 1 across Africa and the Middle East by M&A deal volume for two years, according to Mergermarket, and number one in M&A in combined global deal volume according to PitchBook.