HEUKING advises EP Corporate Group on an equity investment into the steel business of thyssenkrupp AG

A team led by HEUKING partners Dr Guido Hoffmann, Dr Marc Scheunemann and Dr. Ulrich Jork advises EP Corporate Group on an equity investment and strategic partnership with respect to the steel business of thyssenkrupp AG.

EP Corporate Group a.s. (EPCG) and thyssenkrupp AG took a first step last Friday, 26 April 2024, by signing an investment agreement for an equity participation of EPCG's in thyssenkrupp's steel business. EPCG is acquiring 20 per cent of the shares in thyssenkrupp Steel Europe from thyssenkrupp; the parties have agreed not to disclose the terms of the transaction. The closing of the transaction is planned for the current fiscal year of thyssenkrupp AG, subject to approval by the relevant authorities and the supervisory board of thyssenkrupp AG.

In addition, the parties are discussing the acquisition of a further 30 per cent of the steel business by EPCG. The goal is to form a 50/50 joint venture.

The core objective of this strategic partnership is to secure resilient, cost-efficient and climate-friendly steel production at thyssenkrupp steel and thus also make a significant contribution to safeguarding the steel industry in Germany. The entry of EPCG, a leading European energy company, combines the leading materials know-how of thyssenkrupp Steel Europe with the energy expertise of EPCG.

EP Corporate Group is one of Europe's leading private industrial groups and a long-term investor, originally active in the energy and infrastructure sectors and now expanding into other sectors such as food wholesale, food and non-food retail, logistics and e-commerce. The companies in which EP Corporate Group holds the majority of voting rights have a turnover of around 100 billion euros. The EP Corporate Group operates energy and infrastructure facilities such as gas pipelines and gas storage facilities, power plants and electricity grids throughout Europe.

thyssenkrupp Steel Europe is one of the leading manufacturers of carbon steel flat products and stands for innovation in steel. Steel employs around 27,000 people and is currently the largest flat steel producer in Germany. The range of services extends from customised material solutions to material-related services.

Team HEUKING:
Dr Guido Hoffmann, LL.M. (Client Relationship Partner / Lead / Corporate, Finance), Düsseldorf
Dr Marc Scheunemann, LL.M. (Co-Lead Corporate / M&A), Düsseldorf/Frankfurt
Dr Ulrich Jork (Co-Lead Corporate / M&A), Munich
Dr Katharina Prasuhn (Corporate / M&A), Munich
Dr Götz G. Karrer (Corporate), Düsseldorf
Boris Dürr (Capital Markets), Munich
Dr Hermann Ali Hinderer, LL.M.(Corporate), Stuttgart
Dr Alexander Schott (Corporate), Stuttgart
Katharina Waszczynski (Corporate), Hamburg
Beatrice Stange, LL.M. (Antitrust Law), Düsseldorf
Dr Bodo Dehne (foreign trade law), Düsseldorf
Dr Tobias Woltering (Energy Law), Düsseldorf
Susanne Christine Monsig (State aid law), Cologne
Dr Kai Bandilla (project contracts), Hamburg
Dr Hans Henning Hoff (project contracts), Hamburg
Dr Markus Collisy (Environmental Law), Frankfurt
Fabian Gerstner, LL.M. (Environmental Law), Munich
Michael Below (Environmental Law), Düsseldorf
Gilbert Toepffer (Environmental Law), Chemnitz
Christoph Hexel (Labour Law/Pensions), Düsseldorf
Astrid Wellhöner, LL.M. Eur.  (Pensions), Munich
Prof. Dr. Martin Reufels, LL.M. (Labour Law), Cologne
Kerstin Deiters, LL.M., EMBA (Labour Law), Cologne
Dr Alexander Bork (Labour Law), Düsseldorf
Bernd Weller (Labour Law), Frankfurt
Torsten Groß, LL.M. (Labour Law), Düsseldorf
Christoph Nöhles, LL.M. (Real Estate), Düsseldorf
Dr Tilman Spancken (Real Estate), Düsseldorf
Sandra Janberg (Real Estate), Düsseldorf
Dr Elke Umbeck (Litigation / Arbitration)
Dr Christian Appelbaum (Corporate / Commercial), Düsseldorf
Frank Hollstein (Commercial), Frankfurt
Birgit Schreier (Commercial), Hamburg
Dr Martin Ströhmann, LL.M. (Compliance), Munich
René Krohn, LL.M. (Insurance), Hamburg
Dominik Eickemeier (IT), Cologne
Dr Lutz Martin Keppeler (IT), Cologne
Astrid Luedtke (IP), Düsseldorf

Associates:
Christina Tsitiridis (Finance), Düsseldorf
Dr Christiane Viktoria Göb-Krumme (Corporate), Düsseldorf
Marcel Behrendt (Corporate), Stuttgart
Dr Karolina Badura (Corporate), Munich
Bettina Neheider (Environmental Law), Munich
Sophia Schock (Environmental Law), Munich
Larissa Felicitas Flügge, LL.M. (Energy Law), Düsseldorf
Anna Schenke (Labour Law), Düsseldorf
Dr Christoph Katerndahl (Labour Law), Cologne
Dr Christoph Gerhard (Labour Law), Frankfurt
Markus Vlasic (Real Estate), Düsseldorf

Inhouse Legal EP Corporate Group:
Veronika Křivánková, Prague
Jan Stříteský, Prague