DLA Piper advises Active Ownership on mandatory offer for cord blood bank Vita 34 AG

DLA Piper has advised AOC Health GmbH, an affiliate of the financial investor Active Ownership (AOC), on its mandatory offer for Vita 34 AG. Vita 34 specialises in the storage of stem cells obtained from the umbilical cord during birth and is the largest cell bank in the German-speaking area.

AOC's public offer for Vita 34 follows the mandatory offer by AOC published in February this year for the Polish listed competitor Polski Bank Komórek Macierzystych (PBKM), for which DLA Piper also acted as legal advisor. PBKM operates the largest stem cell blood bank in Europe under the brand name FamiCord and is active in more than 16 countries. AOC intends to work towards a merger of the Vita 34 Group with the FamiCord Group to create the leading pan-European umbilical cord blood bank.

Active Ownership Capital is an independent, owner-managed investment company that acquires significant stakes in medium-sized, undervalued companies in the DACH region and Scandinavia. Following the acquisition of shares, Active Ownership Capital is committed to actively increasing the value of the company by promoting the implementation of operational, strategic and structural improvements.

The DLA Piper team was led by partner Andreas Füchsel (Corporate/Private Equity) and also included partners Dr Torsten Pokropp (Finance & Projects) and Semin O (Antitrust), counsels Robert Hofbauer, Eike Neugebauer (Finance & Projects), Dr Raimund Behnes (Tax, all Frankfurt) and Dr Thilo Streit (Public Law, Cologne), senior associates Philipp Groll (Corporate/Private Equity, Frankfurt) and Dr Kokularajah Paheentharajah (Patent Law, Cologne) as well as associates Philipp Meyer (Corporate/Private Equity) and Alexander Rösch (Antitrust, both Frankfurt). From the DLA Piper office in Madrid, partner Joaquin Hervada and senior associate Rafael Maldonado were also involved.