London Team Acts on MBI

(May 12, 2005, London)—Sun Capital Partners, Inc, The 180 Group LLC, and Emerisque Capital Limited completed the acquisition of Lee Cooper Group Limited from Matalan PLC for a total purchase price of £30.5 million last week.

The buyers, including the new management team, were represented by Steptoe & Johnson, led by Michael Thompson, head of Private Equity in London. Other lawyers participating included Farzana Rao (Corporate), Alison Wallace (Employment), Dan Carey (Property), and Chris Gibson (IP).

Lee Cooper is a designer, distributor, and marketer of branded jeans, clothing, accessories, and footwear that holds leading positions in European markets and has distribution arrangements in some 40 countries worldwide.

Sun Capital Partners, Inc., is a private investment firm focused on leveraged buyouts and investments in market leading companies. The 180 Group LLC is a private equity firm focused on value investment opportunities in the middle-market. Emerisque Capital Limited is a unique hybrid private investment firm focused on acquiring mid-market underperforming, traditional European businesses.

With more than 450 attorneys, Steptoe & Johnson provides assistance in a wide range of legal fields. Steptoe & Johnson in London has particular focus on assisting entrepreneurial management teams and VC’s in relation to MBI, MBO’s and related transactions. The firm has offices in Washington, New York, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Century City, London, and Brussels.  

For further information, please contact: Michael Thompson, on +44 207 367 8095 or  mthompson@steptoe.com.