Giliberti, Dickson Minto scoop telco bid

Italian M&A boutique Giliberti e Associata and UK firm Dickson Minto are cashing in on their client's successful bid in Europe's largest leveraged buyout.

The two firms advised a UK-led private equity consortium comprising CVC, Permira, BC Partners and Italian private equity group Investitori Associati.

The group outbid three rival consortia in the high-profile auction to buy Italy's Seat Pagine Gialle yellow pages business for e5.56bn (£4bn).

Carlo Pappalattera, who co-led the Giliberti team, said it was his firm's first deal for CVC.

Gianni Origoni Grippo & Partners advised Telecom Italia, the vendor, with managing partner Francesco Gianni heading the team. Ashurst Morris Crisp is advising the lenders, BNP Paribas, Barclays Capital, Credit Suisse First Boston and the Royal Bank of Scotland. The deal was signed just a day after the 9 June deadline for bids.

Sources close to the deal said lawyers' fees would run into hundreds of thousands of euros because of the massive due diligence exercise involved, although discounted fee scales are likely to have been agreed in the event of failed bids.