Coca-Cola Acquisition of CCE North America: Major Legal and Financial Players

Major Legal and Financial Players in the M&A Deal

Exhibit 8[ "The Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola Enterprises Strategically Advance and Strengthen Their Partnership." Business Wire. 25 Feb. 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2011. http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view .] presents a schedule of firms that were involved in the Coca-Cola/CCE acquisition transaction. Interested parties include law firms, investment banking firms, a consulting firm, and several other players including the Federal Trade Commission and the shareholders of the acquired company, CCE. Coca-Cola has used law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom for M&A legal services several times in the past, including Coke’s 2007 acquisition of Energy Brands, the owner of Glaceau, the maker of VitaminWater.[ "Skadden Represents Coca-Cola in Its Acquisition of Glaceau." Skadden. May 2007. Web. 29 Apr. 2011. http://www.skadden.com/Index.cfm?contentID=42 .] Other Coke acquisitions Skadden advised on include the company’s initial equity stake in Honest Tea, and the company’s busted $2.4 billion bid for Chinese juice maker Huiyuan Juice Group, Ltd.[ Lee, Lisa, and Amy Wu. "Skadden Breaks out the Bubbly." The Deal LLC. 12 Sept. 2008. Web. 29 Apr. 2011. http://www.thedeal.com/magazine/ID/019462/dealmakers/deal-diary.php .]

Also of note in this deal was CCE’s employment of law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge and consultant Greenhill & Company to interact directly with the company’s Special Committee to the Board of Directors regarding the deal. By involving separate firms to deal with a special committee, CCE was able to avoid most conflicts of interest with senior company management that could have arisen. This practice is commendable and indicative of due diligence on the part of both beverage companies.

More posts from a paper on Coca-Cola M&A Activity (including merger with CCE):

Coca-Cola M&A Activity, CCE Acquisition: Executive Summary
Coca-Cola M&A Activity: Introduction
Coca-Cola M&A Activity: Product Trends
Coca-Cola M&A Activity: Demand and Economic Trends
Coca-Cola M&A Activity: Business Model Trends in the Beverage Industry
Coca-Cola M&A Activity: Beverage Industry Business Model Trends (2)
Coca-Cola M&A Activity: Company Strategic Objectives
Coca-Cola M&A Activity: Company Strategic Objectives (2)
Coca-Cola M&A Activity: Company Portfolio Analysis
Coca-Cola M&A Activity: Company Portfolio Analysis (2)
Coca-Cola M&A Activity: Company Portfolio Analysis (3)
Coca-Cola M&A Activity: PepsiCo M&A Portfolio Analysis (Largest Competitor)
Coca-Cola M&A Activity: PepsiCo M&A Portfolio Analysis (Largest Competitor) (2)
Coca-Cola M&A Activity: Other Beverage Industry M&A Activity
Coca-Cola Acquisition of CCE North America: Deal Structure
Coca-Cola Acquisition of CCE North America: Deal Structure (2)
Coca-Cola Acquisition of CCE North America: Major Legal and Financial Players
Coca-Cola Acquisition of CCE North America: Regulatory and Shareholder Approval of the Transaction
Coca-Cola Acquisition of CCE North America: Implementation Analysis: Likelihood of Acquisition Success
Coca-Cola Acquisition of CCE North America: Implementation Analysis: Likelihood of Acquisition Success (2)
Coca-Cola Acquisition of CCE North America: Conclusion to M&A Deal Analysis
Coca-Cola CCE Merger: Table of Contents and Works Cited List