Suntory Holdings Ltd. - Sale of “Pepper Lunch” business in Asia and Japanese food business in Singapore to Hot Palette Co., Ltd.
Leading Japanese law firm Nishimura & Asahi advised Suntory Holdings Ltd., a Japan-based manufacturer and distributor of beverages, on the sale of its “Pepper Lunch” business in Asia and Japanese food business in Singapore by the transfer of shares in Suntory F&B International (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. and SFBI (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd. to Hot Palette Co., Ltd., a Japan-based restaurant operator that receives investment-related services from J-STAR Co., Ltd., a Japan-based private equity firm.
The Nishimura & Asahi team advising Suntory Holdings was led by partners Hiroshi Uchima and Keitaro Hamada, and partners Masato Yamanaka and Melissa Tan, director of Bayfront Law LLC, an alliance office of Nishimura & Asahi Singapore, from our Singapore practice.
People
Masato Yamanaka joined Nishimura & Asahi in April 2008 after working for Mitsui, Yasuda, Wani & Maeda, Linklaters and Miyakezaka Sogo Law Office. After being seconded to Norton Rose Hong Kong, he started working for Nishimura & Asahi (Singapore) LLP in 2012. Since then, he has supported numerous clients with their M&A transactions, finance, and general corporate matters in the ASEAN region, especially in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. He has significant expertise in public M&As in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Keitaro deals with various cross-border M&A transactions, both inbound and outbound, backed by his experience working in U.S. and Australian law firms. He has an extensive track record of success in handling private equity deals, not only on acquisitions but also on exits. Further, his practice includes M&A generally, such as business integrations, carve-outs, and JV formation. Clients value his outstanding analysis, communication, and presentation skills beyond just language (both Japanese and English), which he leverages for successful discussions and negotiations with clients, advisors, and counterparties.
Bayfront Law is Nishimura & Asahi Singapore Office’s counterpart in the Nishimura & Asahi - Bayfront Law Alliance, which is based on Singapore law.
Since 2002, Hiroshi has been a partner in the firm’s M&A and corporate practice area. His experience ranges from M&A (business integration, acquisition and organizational restructuring between operating companies, acquisition of listed/unlisted companies by funds, going private, cross-border M&A, etc.) to general corporate law (general meetings of shareholders, corporate governance, various commercial transactions and contracts, financing, personnel and labor, response to legal revisions, disputes, crisis management, etc.). While he has extensive experience in large-scale and complex M&A transactions, he also provides efficient and effective advice depending on the status of the project in areas such as overseas M&A of Japanese companies, expansion into Japan by overseas companies, and support for startup businesses. In crisis management and dispute cases, he provide practical and effective advice to ensure clients achieve their goals based on a thorough understanding of the circumstances faced by the client. His clients are diverse, including domestic and overseas companies, financial institutions, and investment funds.