White & Case, Latham, Bredin Prat land Taittinger sell-off

A trio of Paris practices is celebrating the successful acquisition of luxury goods company Taittinger by private equity house Starwood Capital.

US firms White & Case and Latham & Watkins, together with French independent Bredin Prat, scooped roles on the €2.6bn (£1.8bn) acquisition, which was announced at the end of July.

Bredin Prat name partner Jean-François Prat, together with his son and fellow partner Sébastien Prat, acted for Taittinger in the auction process.

Meanwhile, White & Case's French M&A head Vincent Morin led the work for Starwood Capital, the successful bidder for the group.

Latham & Watkins private equity star Thomas Forschbach acted for financial advisers Citigroup and Euro Hypo.

Taittinger is best known for its champagne, but the group also owns hotels and the Annick Goutal perfume range through its subsidiary Société du Louvre, which has also been sold to Starwood.

The deal is a further indication of Bredin Prat's supremacy when it comes to acting for French corporate clients. Last year the firm topped Mergermarket's French M&A league tables, advising on 22 deals worth a total of €79bn (£54.76bn).