Paris Office Advises Chemical Company Arkema on the Acquisition of Coatex

It was recently announced that Willkie client French chemical company Arkema agreed to acquire Coatex from the Omya Group of Switzerland.   This is Arkema’s first acquisition project since its initial public offering in May 2006.   Arkema Group, which was formed in October 2004 out of the reorganization of Total’s chemicals branch, is a leading manufacturer of vinyl products, industrial chemicals, and performance products.  Based in Genay, France, Coatex produces specialty polymers, mainly acrylic based, used as dispersants and thickeners.  With about 300 employees in Europe, the Americas and Asia, Coatex had sales of €150 million in 2006.   The deal was handled by partners Laurent Faugérolas (corporate) and Jacques-Philippe Gunther (competition law); special European counsel David Tayar (competition law); and associates Jérémy Scemama, Xavier Doumen, Nicolas Tollet and Adrien Giraud.