Clifford Chance has advised Levant Capital on a preferred equity investment backing the acquisition of a 70% stake in Country Hill International by Katana LLP from Gulf Japan Food Fund.
Founded in 1999, Country Hill has established itself as a leading distributor of premium proteins, serving luxury hotels, restaurants, catering operators and food retailers across the UAE. The company also owns and operates more than 14 retail locations in the UAE under its Prime Gourmet and The Fishmonger by Prime Gourmet banners, offering meat, seafood and gourmet products to consumers both in-store and online.
Levant Capital developed an innovative and flexible capital solution for Katana and will bring its track record and experience in the food and retail sectors to support Country Hill’s continued growth.
The cross-practice UAE team was led by Deniz Tas (Partner, M&A), Gareth Dray (Legal Director, M&A) and Ahmed Shafiek (Senior Associate, M&A), with support from Tom Lloyd (Counsel) and Nabeela Afifi (Associate) from the M&A team. As well as Tariq Imam (Partner, Real Estate), Nicholas Chan (Senior Associate, Real Estate), Sher Khan (Senior Associate, Real Estate), Kai-Niklas Schneider (Partner, Funds), Sebastian Lehman (Senior Associate, Funds), and Paul Langley (Senior Associate, Debt Finance).
