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Transactions

3i sells Hilite to AVIC

legal counsel to 3i: 3i sells Hilite to AVIC

3i Group plc (“3i”), and funds managed by 3i, today announced the sale of Hilite International (“Hilite” or “Company”), a leading global supplier of highly engineered automotive engine and transmission components, to AVIC Electromechanical Systems Co., Ltd. (“AVICEM”), a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (“AVIC”), one of the largest industrial conglomerates in China. The enterprise value of the transaction is approximately €473 million (£384 million).

In sterling terms, the total proceeds to 3i Group and funds represent a 2.1x money multiple on the original investment of €190 million (£172 million). Proceeds to 3i Group from today’s transaction will be £155 million, representing a 32% uplift against a value of £117m at 31 December 2013 and a 17% uplift against a value of £133 million at 31 March 2014.

3i invested in Hilite in 2011 in an all-equity transaction to help the Company further exploit its prospects in the fast-growing powertrain segment of the automotive industry. The Company’s products improve fuel consumption, reduce emissions and enhance performance, thereby directly capitalising on these automotive megatrends which are driven by stricter legislation being enacted by governments globally.

PRC counsel for 3i:

Mr. Zhou Yun, co-head of the M&A Department of Zhong Lun Law Firm, along with senior associate Lu Xuezhong, associates Wan Lu and Chen Dandan, have acted as the PRC counsel for 3i in this transaction. The team is fully involved from the beginning of this M&A transaction which attracted multiple interested bidders from China and is particularly responsible for the PRC-related legal matters, including preparing seller’s due diligence report on the PRC part, advise on all China- related issues and the merger control filing in progress. This transaction is expected to close after the formal approval by the relevant competition

authorities. LM

JULY 2014

This announcement appears as a matter of record only

Blue Orange and Demeter Partners support Agri-Esprit with a capital injection of one million euros

Legal counsel:

Blue Orange and Demeter Partners support Agri-Esprit with a capital injection of one million euros

Blue Orange (corporate venture fund of SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT) and Demeter 3 Seed Fund (managed by DEMETER PARTNERS), accompany the development of Agri-Esprit with a capital injection of one million euros.

Legal counsel and consultation to investors:

The founders and historic shareholders remain the majority shareholders after the investment. Strasbourg-based Agri-Esprit is a young innovative company whose international and highly qualified team focuses on the design and implementation of computer systems for the agricultural world. The company has the support of the Alsatian incubator, SEMIA. LM

Intellectual property consultation

Accounts auditor:

This announcement appears as a matter of record only www.lawyer-monthly.com

Agri-Esprit

3i