Davide Campari - Milano SpA (BIT:CPR) made an offer to acquire 18.6% stake in Lascelles De Mercado & Co. Ltd. (JMSE:LAS) for $77.1 million on September 3, 2012. In a related transaction, Davide Campari - Milano SpA (BIT:CPR) signed an agreement to acquire 81.4% stake in Lascelles De Mercado & Co. Ltd. (JMSE:LAS) from Angostura Limited and Calla Lilly Holdings Ltd. for approximately $340 million in cash on September 3, 2012. Under the terms of the transaction, Campari will buy 81.4% in Lascelles De Mercado from members of the CL Financial Limited group of companies and the rest from the public shareholders through a formal bid at a price of $4.32 per ordinary share and $0.57 per preference share. The transaction will be fully financed through credit facilities of €400 million ($520 million) underwritten by three relationship banks, Banc of America Securities, Banca Intesa and Deutsche Bank.

Pursuant to the agreement, at the time of closing, Lascelles De Mercado will comprise the Spirits business, including Appleton Estate, Appleton Special and White, Wray & Nephew and Coruba, the related upstream supply chain, as well as its successful local consumer products distribution business. The assets which are not included are Lascelles De Mercado insurance business, Globe, its transportation assets, as well as securities in other companies. The transaction is subject to various closing conditions and is expected to be completed by fourth quarter of 2012. The deal is earnings per share accretive in first year. As of November 30, 2012, Davide Campari - Milano SpA (BIT:CPR) extended the offer to December 10, 2012.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch acted as financial advisor and Gavin Grover, John Rafferty, Michael O'Bryan, Jeffrey Washenko, Samuel Whittington and Katy Alexander of Morrison & Foerster and DunnCox acted as legal advisors for Davide Campari. Stefano Saccardi, Sarah Petrik and Catherine Noirfalisse acted as inhouse legal advisors for Campri. The conversions were made through www. Oanda.com as on October 17, 2012.

Davide Campari - Milano SpA (BIT:CPR) completed the acquisition of 18.6% stake in Lascelles De Mercado & Co. Ltd. (JMSE:LAS) on December 10, 2012. Davide Campari - Milano SpA acquired 94.64 million ordinary shares of Lascelles (approximately 98.6% of the issued ordinary shares) and 0.06 million preferred shares of Lascelles (approximately 99.5% of the issued preferred shares). Campari intends to exercise its right to acquire all the remaining shares, including from those shareholders who have not accepted the offer. Davide Campari also intends to delist Lascelles shares from the Jamaican Stock Exchange.