ARQIS News

ARQIS has advised Megger Group on the acquisition of a majority stake in IPS Group.

Megger has increased its shareholding in IPS Group to a majority stake, allowing the company to transition into data analytics and asset performance management for electrical utilities. Megger, established in 1895, offers electrical testing and measuring equipment as well as electrical monitoring solutions, serving the Electrical Supply Industry. The IPS Group is a global software company with specialized solutions for energy supply companies, addressing Asset Performance Management.

The acquisition of IPS Group follows Megger’s initial investment in a minority stake of the firm in 2021 and aims to deepen the integration between the two companies. Dr. Andrew Dodds, joint CEO of Megger Group, commented, “Utilities and network operators face unprecedented challenges from integrating renewable energy sources, coupled with intensifying pressure on budgets and network reliability. We’re combining our legacy of precision measurement and safety with IPS’s cutting-edge software capabilities to offer comprehensive solutions to meet these modern challenges.”

The ARQIS team led by Dr. Lars Laeger has regularly advised Megger on M&A transactions in the past, including Megger’s acquisition of the Power Diagnostix Group in 2019 and the initial investment in IPS Group in 2021.

Advisors to Megger

ARQIS (Dusseldorf): Dr. Lars Laeger (M&A, Federführung), Thomas Chwalek (M&A), Johannes Landry (Commercial); Counsel: Dennis Reisich (Steuerrecht); Associates: Katrin Ludwig, Giulia Kögel (beide M&A)

The acquisition of the Katharinenhof Group was part of a combined transaction. Next to the operations, the respective real estate portfolio was sold to funds managed by Civitas Investment Management Limited. The total transaction volume is indicated by the parties at slightly more than EUR 300 million.

Katharinenhof consists of 27 facilities that offer more than 3,000 places for inpatient care and assisted living. The operations will be taken over by the Alloheim Group completely. With this acquisition the company manifests its leading position within the sector and will widen its capacities especially in the areas of Berlin, Hamburg, Brandenburg and Saxony.

‘Katharinenhof and Alloheim are an ideal combination in many aspects: both companies focus on a high quality in care, attach great importance to training new skilled employees and are working on offering integrated forms of care,’ expresses Dr. Steffen Hehner, CEO of Alloheim Senioren-Residenzen SE, explaining the decision to take over Katharinenhof.

Alloheim Group is the largest private provider of inpatient and outpatient care services in Germany. Throughout the country the company operates 258 senior residences, 94 assisted living centres and 25 outpatient care services. In total Alloheim employs about 23,000 people and has capacities for more than 28,000 patients. With the acquisition the number of senior residences will increase to 285.

The combination of the acquisition of the operative business as well as the property portfolio offered particular challenges in both procedural and legal terms. The team led by ARQIS partner Dr. Ulrich Lienhard provided support in connection with the complex rental agreements with Civitas. The private equity team led by Dr. Jörn-Christian Schulze assisted Alloheim on the M+A side, as it has done on many occasions since 2010.

Advisors Alloheim Group

ARQIS (Dusseldorf): Core Deal Team: Dr. Jörn-Christian Schulze (Lead), Malte Griepenburg, Katrin Ludwig (Transactions), Dr. Ulrich Lienhard, Tim Bresemann (both Real Estate).

Partner: Dr. Christof Schneider, Johannes Landry (both Transactions), Marcus Nothhelfer (IP), Counsel: Jens Knipping (Tax), Anja Mehrtens (HR Law), Sina Janke (Compliance); Managing Associates: Christos Choudeloudis, Benjamin Bandur, Anselm Graf, Dr. Denis Schütz (Transactions), Diana Puchowezki (Real Estate), Daniel Schlemann (Data.Law), Nora Stratmann, Rolf Tichy (both IP), Martin Weingärtner (Pensions); Associates: Rebecca Gester (IP), Ebru Köroglu, Conrad Wiza (both Transactions), Thomas Lipsky (IP), Marius Mesenbrink (Japan), Sabine Müller, Dr. Dennis Ratschkowski (both HR Law); Legal Specialists: Qing Xia (Transactions).

The US publisher Best Lawyers has for the first time ranked Germany's best commercial law firms for Handelsblatt. ARQIS is one of the leading law firms in Germany in the following areas:

• Corporate Law
• Data Security and Privacy Law
• Labor and Employment Law
• Mergers and Acquisitions Law 
• and Litigation.

ARQIS received further top regional awards (Tier 1) for North Rhine-Westphalia in the following legal practices: 

• Capital Markets Law
• Corporate Governance and Compliance Practice
• Corporate Law
• Data Security and Privacy Law
• Labor and Employment Law
• Litigation
• Mergers and Acquisitions Law
• Regulatory Practice
• and for Bavaria in the practice of Mergers and Acquisitions Law.

ARQIS was also honored in further regional rankings in Tier 2 and Tier 3:

• Regional Tier 2
  North Rhine-Westphalia: Arbitration and Mediation, Employee Benefits Law, Private Equity Law
  Bavaria: Corporate Law
• Regional Tier 3
  North Rhine-Westphalia: Insurance Law
  Bavaria: Intellectual Property Law, Litigation

The Best Lawyers Special ranks law firms in 60 legal practice areas according to the number of recommendations, divided into a national and a regional ranking. In addition, the ‘Law Firm of the Year’ award is granted in 23 legal practice areas considered to be particularly important according to Best Lawyers. For the evaluation, Best Lawyers uses a peer review survey in which lawyers vote for those colleagues they consider especially recommendable.

The complete list and a detailed list of all award-winning law firms can be accessed in the Handelsblatt Best Lawyers Special.

ARQIS has advised Cherry Ventures and Mosaic Ventures on the sale of their shares in Ninetailed to Contentful.

Contentful acquired through is German subsidiary Contentful GmbH the shares from the lead investors Cherry and Mosaic as well as the shares from the other shareholders, including the founders Alexander Braunreuther and Andy Kaiser.

Contentful with its headquarter in San Francisco, California, is a leading composable content platform that allows users to orchestrate and structure digital content. Ninetailed is a pioneer of structured content personalization and experimentation. Unlike legacy solutions, the combined offering will leverage the power of composability, an API-first architecture, Generative AI, and lightning-fast edge delivery. Customers will have the ability to quickly and easily identify, select, experiment, and analyze personalized experiences across channels without creating new workflows. This will enable brands to generate higher Return on Investment (ROI) from their content and data investments and ultimately increase revenue through tailored customer journeys.

“Joining forces with Contentful means customers will benefit from a fully integrated, AI-native personalization solution paired with a robust composable content platform,” said Ninetailed co-founder and CEO Andy Kaiser. “My fellow co-founder Alexander Braunreuther, the Ninetailed team and I are beyond thrilled to be joining Contentful where we’ll have the opportunity and resources to rapidly iterate and bring category-changing innovations to market.”

Cherry Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm led by a team of entrepreneurs with experience building fast-scaling companies such as Zalando and Spotify. The firm backs Europe's boldest founders, usually as their first institutional investor, and supports them in everything from their go-to market strategy and the scaling of their businesses. Cherry Ventures has previously invested in the seed stage of over 100+ companies across Europe, focussing on climatetech, agritech, fintech, ecommerce, software, AI and more.

Mosaic Ventures is a Silicon Valley-style venture capital firm based in London, focused on Series A. They were the lead investors in the company’s $7.7 million Series A financing round. Mosaic Ventures’ partners have 60+ years of investing and operating experience in Europe and US West Coast with a focus on AI applied across SaaS, Fintech, Marketplaces, Digital Health, and EdTech.

The ARQIS team was led by Dr. Lars Laeger who already advised Cherry Ventures in the past on several pre-seed and seed investments in software/AI based start-ups.

Advisors Cherry Ventures and Mosaic Ventures

ARQIS (Dusseldorf/Munich): Dr. Lars Laeger (M&A, Lead), Marcus Nothhelfer (IP/Commercial); Counsel: Jens Knipping (Tax); Managing Associates: Benjamin Bandur, Dr. Denis Schütz (both M&A), Rolf Tichy, Nora Stratmann (both IP/Commercial); Associates: Conrad Wiza, Giulia Kögel (both M&A); Dr. Bernhard Gröhe (Regulatory); Legal Specialist: Konstantinos Strempas (M&A).

The German Innovation Institute for Sustainability and Digitalisation (Deutsches Innovationsinstitut für Nachhaltigkeit und Digitalisierung, DIND) hat ARQIS wiederholt als “employer of the future” .

Im Herbst 2023 hat ARQIS erstmals erfolgreich den sogenannten Smart Company Check durchlaufen: Hierbei wurde der Status Quo der Kanzlei mit einem Fragebogen analysiert, von außen die digitalen Berührungspunkte sowie der Markenauftritt von ARQIS ausgewertet und ein umfassendes Social Listening durchgeführt. Mit dem Ergebnis: ARQIS ist ein „Arbeitgeber der Zukunft“.

Ein Jahr später zählt die Kanzlei weiterhin zu den Unternehmen, die das renommierte Siegel tragen. Vom Deutschen Innovationsinstitut heißt es dazu: „Arbeitgeber der Zukunft treten modern digital auf, sind innovativ und bieten zeitgemäße Arbeitsbedingungen.“ Das Arbeitgeber-Siegel unterstreicht dies und zeigt, wo es sich zu bewerben lohnt. Im Recruiting neuer Talente, aber auch zur Identifikation, Motivation und Bindung der Mitarbeitenden, hilft das Siegel, die Stärken von Unternehmen sichtbar zu machen.

In cooperation with the DUP magazine and DUB.de, DIND has launched the “employer of the future” initiative for German SMEs. The patron of the initiative is Brigitte Zypries, former Federal Minister of Economics. DIND supports companies to be fit for the future. To this end, DIND cooperates with experts from business, science and politics, conducts studies on behalf of partners and assesses companies with regard to their future viability.

ARQIS‘ lawyers are once again among the best in Germany this yar. The award „The Best Lawyers in Germany 2025“, which is presented by the US publisher Best Lawyers in cooperation with Handelsblatt, is given to the best lawyers and commercial law firms in Germany. This year, a total of 19 colleagues are among the best minds in the sector. They were determinded in a peer review survey. Many were recommended for their work in several specialist areas.

„The Best Lawyers in Germany 2025” include:

• Dr. Mirjam Boche, Corporate Governance and Compliance, Corporate Law, Insurance Law, Litigation
• Dimitrios Christopoulos, Arbitration and Mediation, Litigation
• Andreas Dietl, Mergers & Acquisitions
• Dr. Friedrich Gebert, Regulatory
• Dr. Lars Laeger, Mergers & Acquisitions
• Dr. Philip Merten, Employment Law
• Tobias Neufeld, Corporate Governance and Compliance, Data Security and Privacy Law, Employee Benefits Law, Labor and Employment Law
• Thi Kieu Chin Nguyen, Labor and Employment Law
• Marcus Nothhelfer, Intellectual Property Law, Leisure and Licensing Law, Litigation
• Dr. Andrea Panzer-Heemeier, Data Security and Privacy Law, Labor and Employment Law
• Carolin Schlütter-Lückel, Capital Markets Law
• Dr. Christof Alexander Schneider, Corporate Governance and Compliance, Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions
• Dr. Jörn-Christian Schulze, Corporate Law, Private Equity Law
• Martin Weingärtner, Labor and Employment Law
• Prof. Dr. Christoph von Einem, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Law

In cooperation with Best Lawyers, Handelsblatt is once again presenting the "Ones to Watch in Germany" category this year. This category recognizes young talents who have generally been in practice for three to eight years and have already earned an exceptional reputation among competitors and clients.

These include:

• Dr. Maximilian Backhaus, Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions
• Hanna Caesar, Labor and Employment Law
• Anja Mehrtens, Employee Benefits Law, Labor and Employment Law
• Dennis Reisich, Tax Law

You can find the entire list of award-winning law firms and lawyers in the Handelsblatt Best Lawyers Special.

ARQIS has advised MIURA Co., LTD on the acquisition of all shares in CERTUSS Dampfautomaten GmbH & Co. KG. MIURA Co., LTD is a leading Japanese manufacturer of industrial boilers.

CERTUSS sells, installs, and repairs boilers and other equipment, and has built a solid business foundation as an industry leader in Germany. CERTUSS has developed business in Germany for more than 60 years and has built a strong relationship of trust with its customers. Through this grouping, both companies aim to develop new customers in Europe, as well as to improve business efficiency and provide higher quality products and services.

In this transaction, ARQIS acted for MIURA for the first time and on the basis of a referral by a long-standing Japanese client. ARQIS led an international team of legal counsel, including counsel in the USA and the UK.

Advisors to MIURA

ARQIS (Dusseldorf/Munich): Eberhard Hafermalz (Lead), Dr. Shigeo Yamaguchi (both Japan Desk/M&A), Dr. Friedrich Gebert (Regulatory), Dr. Ulrich Lienhard (Real Estate), Lisa-Marie Niklas (HR.Law), Marcus Nothhelfer (IP); Counsel: Donata Lasson (HR.Law), Dennis Reisich (Tax), Anja Mehrtens (HR.Law), Dr. Yohei Nagata-Vogelsang (Japan Desk/M&A); Managing Associates: Diana Puchowezki (Real Estate), Rolf Tichy (IP); Associates: Kiyomi Zimmer, Marius Mesenbrink (both Japan Desk/M&A), Dr. Bernhard Gröhe (Regulatory), Dr. Hendrik Völkerding, Anna Munsch (both HR.Law), Thomas Lipsky (IP).

ARQIS has advised Fast Fitness Japan, Inc. on the acquisition of a controlling share stake in Eighty 8 Health & Fitness B.V., which entity heads a group that holds the Master Franchisee Rights for Anytime Fitness in Germany.

Fast Fitness Japan, Inc. is listed on the prime market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and directly operates and franchises Anytime Fitness 24-hour 365-day fitness clubs as the Master Franchisee in Japan. It currently operates 1,100 clubs in Japan. Through this acquisition, Fast Fitness Japan may now expand its Anytime Fitness business to operations in Germany.

ARQIS (Lead Germany) collaborated with an international legal team consisting of law firms in The Netherlands and the USA.

Advisors to Fast Fitness Japan

ARQIS (Dusseldorf): Eberhard Hafermalz (Lead, Japan Desk/M&A), Marius Mesenbrink (Japan Desk/M&A), Partner: Dr. Friedrich Gebert (Regulatory), Johannes Landry (Restructuring), Dr. Ulrich Lienhard (Real Estate), Counsel: Anja Mehrtens (HR.Law); Associates: Dr. Bernhard Gröhe (Regulatory), Anna Munsch (HR.Law), Diana Puchowezki (Real Estate)

ARQIS has advised the Swiss investor group CONSTELLATION CAPITAL on the acquisition of HPN Industrieverpackungen GmbH and Peter Gomber GmbH. Both companies are now part of the ARCA Group, which belongs to CONSTELLATION.

HPN Industrieverpackungen GmbH from Baden-Wuerttemberg specializes in the production of wooden pallets, boxes and packaging services. Thanks to long-standing customer relationships and a high degree of digitalization, HPN can offer efficient and high-quality packaging solutions that meet individual customer needs.

Peter Gomber GmbH is a wooden packaging specialist in Rhineland-Palatinate that has been operated as a traditional family business since it was founded in 1946. Peter Gomber GmbH specializes in the manufacture of wooden pallets, boxes and packaging solutions and has achieved his success over the years through tailor-made solutions and close customer relationships, resulting in an excellent reputation in the region. Peter Gomber GmbH will keep its independent market presence. Franz Schuler, who has successfully managed the company for more than 20 years, will remain at the helm. Together with the support of ARCA, this ensures a succession solution for Peter Gomber GmbH and continuity for customers and partners.

The acquisition of HPN forms the basis of the ARCA Group's growth strategy and geographical expansion. Future acquisitions are intended to create a close-knit network of wood packaging and packaging service companies that will benefit from synergies in purchasing, the professionalization of processes and digital transformation. With its proprietary ERP system, HPN will play a key role within the ARCA Group, particularly in terms of digitalization. HPN will continue to operate independently on the market with the same management team, which will continue to support the further growth strategy of HPN and ARCA in the future. The managing director and former owner, Martin Fix, supports the strategic vision of ARCA and has reinvested significantly in the ARCA Group.

The ARCA Group is to be expanded through further acquisitions as part of a buy & build strategy to become the market leader in the field of wooden packaging and packaging services in German-speaking countries. The focus is on implementing a consolidation strategy in order to create a group of companies that offers customized packaging solutions and packaging services.

CONSTELLATION CAPITAL is a Swiss investment group founded in 1992 and based in Freienbach on Lake Zurich. It pursues a buy & build strategy that focuses on majority investments in medium-sized companies in the business service, education & lifestyle and healthcare sectors in Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

The ARQIS team led by Dr. Lars Laeger has already advised CONSTELLATION on transactions in the past and is now assisting CONSTELLATION for the first time with the acquisition of a platform as part of a buy & build strategy.

Advisors to CONSTELLATION CAPITAL

ARQIS (Dusseldorf/Munich): Dr. Lars Laeger (M&A, Lead), Thomas Chwalek (M&A), Johannes Landry (Financing), Dr. Ulrich Lienhard (Real Estate Law), Tobias Neufeld (Data Protection), Marcus Nothhelfer (IP/Commercial), Lisa-Marie Niklas (Employment Law); Counsel: Jens Knipping (Tax), Dr. Nima Hanifi-Atashgah (M&A), Anja Mehrtens, Donata Lasson (both Employment Law), Sina Janke (Compliance); Associates: Dr. Denis Schütz, Katrin Ludwig (both M&A), Tim Bresemann, Diana Puchowezki (both Real Estate Law), Carolin Schlütter-Lückel (Financing), Martin Weingärtner, Dr. Hendrik Völkerding, Sabine Müller, Anna Hellmann, Anna Munsch, Dr. Dennis Ratschkowski (all Employment Law), Daniel Schlemann, Marius Mesenbrink (both Data Protection), Thomas Lipsky, Rolf Tichy, Nora Stratmann (all IP/Commercial); Trademarks: Carolin von Fritsch; Legal Specialist: Qing Xia (M&A)

ARQIS has advised SachsenEnergie AG on the acquisition of a solar farm in Poland from German solar developers and installers Goldbeck Solar GmbH and SUNCATCHER Group.

SachsenEnergie AG acquired a 9-MWp solar power complex, being a cluster of two ground-mounted solar farms located in the western Polish town of Barlinek. Equipped with over 16,500 solar panels, the Barlinek plants are expected to be able to produce some 8,982 GWh of electricity per year, or enough to power around 4,000 households. Shortly after closing the productive site was commissioned in early 2024. The site is planned to be extended to 11.1 MW by the end of 2024.

SachsenEnergie AG is the largest municipal supplier in eastern Germany. The company would like to grow its renewable business via self-developed PV- and Wind-projects as well as further acquisitions in Germany and Europe. With PV Barlinek, SachsenEnergie AG acquired for the first time a ground-mounted PV system in Poland and thereby increased their geographical footprint.

ARQIS acted for SachsenEnergie AG for the first time. The lead partner Dr. Lars Laeger was recommended by the market. The client is significant for the law firm as it impressively underlines the special focus on M&A in regulated industries, in particular renewables. ARQIS was supported in Poland by Wolf Theiss in local law.

Advisors to SachsenEnergie AG

ARQIS (Dusseldorf): Dr. Lars Laeger (Lead; M&A), Partner: Dr. Friedrich Gebert (Public and Regulatory), Counsel: Jens Knipping (Tax), Managing Associates: Kamil Flak, Dr. Denis Schütz (both M&A), Associates: Dr. Bernhard Gröhe, Luise Schüling (both Public and Regulatory)

Wolf Theiss (Warsaw): Igor Muszynski, Pawel Szumowski and Marika Grzybowska

ARQIS has advised the Japanese Nifco Inc. on the sale of its subsidiary, Nifco Germany GmbH, to AEQUITA SE & Co. KGaA, a global industrial group headquartered in Munich. Nifco Germany develops and produces injection-molded plastic components for the automotive industry. The company generates revenues of more than EUR 200 million with over 1,100 employees across its locations in Germany, the USA, and Serbia.

Nifco Inc. is a leading manufacturer of plastic components and fasteners for the automotive and life-solution industries. With its headquarters in Japan, Nifco operates globally, providing a wide range of products contributing to the functionality and comfort of high-quality vehicles, household or fashion products. Nifco's commitment to innovation, quality, and environmental sustainability has made it a preferred partner for industry-leading companies worldwide.

The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2024, subject to approval by the relevant authorities.

Advisors to Nifco Group

ARQIS (Dusseldorf/Munich): Dr. Shigeo Yamaguchi, Eberhard Hafermalz (both Lead; Japandesk/M&A), Partner: Dr. Mauritz von Einem (PE/Tax), Dr. Meiko Dillmann (Japandesk/M&A), Johannes Landry (Restructuring), Marcus Nothhelfer (IP/Commercial), Lisa-Marie Niklas (HR.Law), Counsel: Dennis Reisich (PE/Tax), Associates: Kiyomi Zimmer (Japandesk/M&A), Marius Mesenbrink (Japandesk/M&A), Thomas Lipsky (IP/Commercial), Anna Munsch (HR.Law), Daniel Schlemann (Data.Law)

ARQIS has advised Karo Healthcare on the acquisition of Proctosedyl® from Bayer. The transaction transfers the dossier ownership and an exclusive license to the trademark to Bayer’s OTC brand Proctosedyl® in Italy to Karo.

This acquisition amplifies Karo’s presence in Italy while aligning with Karo’s M&A strategy of focusing on brands with strong equity in categories associated with discomfort and embarrassment. Proctosedyl® is a leading brand in Italy for the treatment of hemorrhoids. The acquisition strengthens and scales Karo’s position in one of its core categories, Digestive Health, which includes global brands such Proct® and Hemoproct®.

“This acquisition adds a trusted brand that addresses an often-neglected category with untapped potential. We are excited about the opportunity to enhance access to reliable treatments for Italian consumers and to add further scale and reach to our Italian business”, says Matt Roberts, CCO.

The acquisition has been executed as an asset deal, excluding personnel and manufacturing sites, which mitigates commercial risk and ensures the delivery of a seamless integration. Karo will leverage its existing infrastructure and make use of established partners in Italy.

The transaction was the first time the ARQIS team around Jörn-Christian Schulze acted for Karo Healthcare, a Swedish EQT investment company. The decisive factors for the instruction were the team's focus in healthcare/life science as well as private equity.

Advisors to Karo Healthcare

ARQIS (Dusseldorf/Munich): Dr. Jörn-Christian Schulze (Lead), Dr. Maximilian Backhaus, Malte Griepenburg (all Transactions), Partners: Dr. Friedrich Gebert (Regulatory), Marcus Nothhelfer (IP), Managing Associates: Daniel Schlemann (Data Law), Rolf Tichy (IP), Associate: Dr. Bernhard Gröhe (Regulatory), Trademark Professional: Carolin von Fritsch

Franzosi – Dal Negro – Setti (Milan): Stefano Giberti, Francesco Setti (both Italian regulatory law)