Clifford Chance has advised a club of banks led by Ceska Sporitelna, Ceskoslovenska Obchodni Banka, and UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia and including Komercni Banka, Raiffeisenbank, and Raiffeisen Bank International AG on financing Carlyle's acquisition of Czech optical specialist Meopta.
As reported by CEE Legal Matters on June 6, 2023, Dentons advised the shareholders of the Meopta Group on the sale. White & Case and, reportedly, Linklaters and Latham & Watkins advised Carlyle. The transaction closed in October 2023.
Founded in 1933 and headquartered in Prerov, the Czech Republic, Meopta is a vertically integrated developer and manufacturer of high-precision specialized industrial and handheld optical, opto-mechanical, and opto-electronic solutions.
Carlyle is an investment firm. According to Clifford Chance, Carlyle will seek to support Meopta’s growth in partnership with its management team by "capturing the opportunity in more advanced built-to-spec use cases through an increased focus on R&D, capitalizing on attractive opportunities in a diverse range of end markets, expanding its international presence through the creation of a direct sales network, and improving its operations."
The Clifford Chance team in Prague and London was led by Partners Milos Felgr and Jim MacHale and included Counsel Dominik Vojta, Senior Associate Emily James, and Associates Tomas Kubala and Emma Scott.