Stutt­gart — Alex­an­der Stein acqui­res 51 percent of the shares in the French Société des Produits d’Ar­ma­gnac (SPA) from Pernod Ricard. The shares were acqui­red via the Stutt­gart-based invest­ment company Clouds­weeper GmbH. Bene­dikt Raisch, Sala­ried Part­ner at Heuking’s Stutt­gart office, provi­ded legal advice to entre­pre­neur Alex­an­der Stein on the acquisition.

SPA, head­quar­te­red in Eauze, the so-called capi­tal of Arma­gnac in southwes­tern France, was foun­ded in the 1930s. The company owns the Marquis de Montes­quiou (photo) and Comte de Lauvia Arma­gnac brands. SPA is well estab­lished in the main Arma­gnac markets such as France, the United King­dom, Russia and the United States and has an excep­tio­nal stock of aged eaux-de-vie.

Follo­wing the acqui­si­tion, the Marquis de Montes­quiou and Comte de Lauvia brands will be streng­the­ned in France and abroad. Alex­an­der Stein will be supported by Pernod Ricard in the new deve­lo­p­ment stra­tegy for the two brands.

Alex­an­der Stein, a well-known inno­va­tor in the spirits indus­try, has been working successfully with Pernod Ricard for years. Its premium gin brand Monkey 47 was fully acqui­red by Pernod Ricard in 2020. The two part­ners recently colla­bo­ra­ted to launch a bour­bon whis­key with haba­nero distil­late called Horse with No Name. Alex­an­der Stein also recei­ved legal support for this project from the Heuking team led by Bene­dikt Raisch.

Advi­sor Alex­an­der Stein: Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek
Bene­dikt Raisch (Lead Part­ner, Corpo­rate M&A), Stuttgart