Wolf Theiss advises the shareholders of Dacia Plant on the sale of a majority stake to Ceres Pharma

Bucharest, 4 October 2022 – The shareholders of Dacia Plant relied on the legal advice of Wolf Theiss regarding the sale of a majority stake to Belgian-based Ceres Pharma, a pharmaceutical company active in women and family healthcare. Dacia Plant is a wholly Romanian-owned company and one of the pioneers as well as a top three player in the development, production and distribution of qualitative and innovative natural food supplements in Romania.

Călin Ioan Ianţa and Radu Ionescu-Heroiu, the shareholders of Dacia Plant, one of the best-known dietary supplements brands in Romania, successfully finalised the negotiations and signed the agreement for the sale of the majority stake in Dacia Plant S.R.L.. Ceres Pharma will strengthen its position in the Romanian market through this acquisition, which is of high strategic importance since it expands their product portfolio in Europe.

Wolf Theiss’ Corporate / M&A team in Bucharest, led by Partner Ileana Glodeanu, acted as legal advisor to the shareholders of Dacia Plant in all stages of the transaction, beginning with the initial phase of the sale process including preparation and negotiation of the legal documentation governed by Romanian law, assistance with transactional documents and regulatory aspects, through to the execution of the transactional documents. Wolf Theiss has experience in this area, as the firm has previously advised clients on transactions in the healthcare and pharmaceuticals sectors.

Together with Partner Ileana Glodeanu, the Corporate / M&A lawyers who assisted with the deal were Senior Associates Luciana Tache and Mihai Coadă, as well as Associates Roxana Balica and Iulia Cumpăratu. UniCredit Bank Romania, through its Investment Banking and Advisory team, coordinated by Alexandra Popa – managing director, acted as the exclusive financial consultant of the shareholders of Dacia Plant during the sale process.

“We would like to thank Ileana, Luciana and Mihai for their continuous help from the beginning of the sale process until the successful finalisation of the negotiations and execution of the documents. The negotiation process proved to be more complicated than initially envisaged by us, but we are grateful to Ileana and her team for helping us to resolve the impediments and finding solutions to complicated and challenging matters”

Călin Ioan Ianţa, shareholder of Dacia Plant

“We really appreciated the business and pro-active approach of Ileana, always able to find solutions and guide us through the process. Her negotiation skills and dedication are outstanding, she is a force “

Radu Ionescu-Heroiu, shareholder of Dacia Plant

“With the demand for natural products increasing everywhere, we are thankful for the trust Dacia Plant placed in us to advise them in this strategic transaction. Our Corporate M&A team has been very active in assisting with some of the largest transactions in the Romanian market, both in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors and particularly those transactions involving Romanian entrepreneurs. It was a pleasure for us to work together with the two shareholders, Călin and Radu, to make the sale process a success. I am very proud of our Corporate / M&A team as we managed to complete one more deal in this very interesting sector”

Ileana Glodeanu, Partner and Head of Corporate/M&A, Wolf Theiss Bucharest

About Dacia Plant

Dacia Plant was funded in 2002 by Călin Ioan Ianţa, who is passionate about Phytotherapy, and the investor Radu Ionescu-Heroiu. The two of them had the vision of developing a business which would emphasize their phytotherapeutic knowledge for the good use of getting natural health. Dacia Plant belongs to that category of food supplement industry pioneers in Romania, being well-renowned for the quality of its products and its innovative and genuine formulas. The company is a top 3 player in Romania active in the development, production and distribution of qualitative and innovative natural food supplements and vitamins.

About Ceres Pharma

Ceres Pharma is a dynamic and fast growing, Belgian based, pharmaceutical company, founded in 2017 by CEO Mario Debel and Alychlo, which wasrecently acquired in 2021 by Naxicap Partners. It is the ambition of Ceres Pharma to grow through the development of its own product portfolio as well as through acquisitions. Ceres Pharma is active in the development and distribution of drugs, medical devices, biocides, cosmetics, qualitative food supplements and pharmaceutical preparations in the Benelux and in Central and Eastern Europe.

About Naxicap Partners

As one of the top private equity firms in France, Naxicap Partners – an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers – has EUR 3.7 billion in assets under management. As a committed, responsible investor, Naxicap Partners builds solid, constructive partnerships with entrepreneurs so that their projects can succeed. The firm has 39 investment professionals spread across five offices in Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Nantes and Frankfurt.