Weil advises Barclay twins on Woolies buyout

Weil Gotshal & Manges corporate partner Marco Compagnoni has reprised his role for Daily Telegraph owners Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, advising the brothers of their acquisition of the Woolworths brand.

The Barclay brothers’ online company Shop Direct Group, which formerly traded as Littlewoods Home Shopping, has bought the Woolworths brand as well as its children's clothing label Ladybird with the intention of running the business as an online retailer.

Compagnoni led the team acting for the Barclays, working alongside Weil Gotshal IP partner Barry Fishley. Compagnoni has a longstanding relationship with Sir David and Sir Frederick, having acted for the brothers when they successfully won a bidding war to buy The Telegraph in 2004. At that time Compagnoni was a partner at Lovells.

On the Woolworths deal, Deloitte administrator Neville Kahn received advice o the sale from Linklaters partner Richard Bussell. Linklaters has been acting for Deloitte since Woolworths was put into administration in November ( 27 November 2008).

In the run up to the administration Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer restructuring head Ken Baird was advising Woolworths alongside corporate partner Mark Trapnell and banking partner Neil Falconer.

The Barclay twins plan to run Woolworths alongside their other online retailers, which include Great Universal and Marshall Ward.

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