Sayenko Kharenko advised on merger of Unimilk and Danone

Sayenko Kharenko acted as a Ukrainian legal counsel to Unimilk on EUR 1.5 billion merger with Danone CIS.

The deal gives Danone control over 57.5% of the joint venture. Unimilk's shareholders own 42.5% of the new company.

Spanning operations in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, the merger covers all dairy products. It made Danone-Unimilk the leader for dairy products in the CIS area as a whole, and particularly in Russia, where it accounts for around 21% of the total market and holds strong positions in high-value, high-growth segments.

Danone is a Fortune 500 company and one of the most successful healthy food companies in the world. With 160 plants and around 80,000 employees, Danone has a presence in all five continents and over 120 countries. The company enjoys leading positions on healthy food in four businesses: fresh dairy products (No. 1 worldwide), water (No. 2 on the packaged water market), baby nutrition (No. 2 worldwide) and medical nutrition.

Unimilk, a privately owned company, is Russia’s second largest manufacturer of dairy products and baby food. Established in 2002, it runs 28 production plants in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus and hires 14,000 employees. Unimilk owns Prostokvashino, the leading dairy brand in CIS, and has a strong brand portfolio in all market segments.

Sayenko Kharenko team for this transaction was led by partner Vladimir Sayenko and included counsel Vitaly Kravchenko and lawyer Ivan Komakha. Senior lawyer Dariya Valiavska advised on IP matters related to the transaction.