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Minters advises on US acquisition
Minter Ellison has advised US-based Baker & Taylor on the acquisition of the businesses of Blackwell Book Services North America and its Australia-based bookseller James Bennett Limited.
The New Lawyer
MINTER Ellison has advised US-based Baker & Taylor on the acquisition of the businesses of Blackwell Book Services North America and its Australia-based bookseller James Bennett Limited.
The Minters team was led by Martin Bennett, head of the firm's private equity and capital markets team in Sydney.
He was assisted by senior associate Oliver White. Other members on the Minters team included competition partner Russell Miller, partner Nathan Deveson on stamp duty, partner Virginia Briggs in property law, partner Gordon Williams on employee issues, and Lond-based partner Nigel Clark on the UK aspects of the transaction.
Minter Ellison's head of private equity and capital markets in Sydney, Bennett, said the deal makes evident the signs of economic recovery.
"We've started to see more private equity interest in the market, with a number of transactions concluded in Australia since the start of the new financial year," he said.
Minters said the deal will bring benefits to library communities in Australia and New Zealand by leveraging the strengths of both Baker & Taylor and James Bennett.
Local management and name of the company in Australia does not change.
Baker & Taylor Inc. is a global information and entertainment services company that distributes print and digital books and entertainment products to libraries, educational institutions and retailers.
Based in North Carolina, the company is majority owned by Castle Harlan Partners IV, L.P., an institutional private equity fund managed by Castle Harlan Inc., a leading private equity investment firm.
James Bennett Limited is part of the Blackwell Group, a leading supplier of academic books and bibliographic support to academic and research libraries in the U.K., Europe and Africa.
