Vidar Løhre

In the first half of 2021, the M&A and Capital Markets team enjoyed an increase in turnover of 40 percent, compared to the first half of the previous year. Solid recruitment of competent lawyers over the last three years has broadened the general expertise and industry knowledge required in a market with increasingly complex assignments. In addition to favourable financial results, the team has also caught the attention of international ranking agency IFLR1000, which recently ranked Arntzen de Besche in Tier 2, the second highest level, in the Capital Markets Debt and Capital Markets Equity categories.

In July 2021 NTS ASA made a mandatory offer of 100% of the shares in Norway Royal Salmon ASA of NOK 209 per share. This was later increased to NOK 240 per share, which priced all shares in the company at NOK 10.4 billion. The acceptance deadline expired on 26.08.21, and NTS ASA received acceptances that together with already owned shares mean that NTS ASA owns approximately 70.6% of the outstanding shares in Norway Royal Salmon ASA.

NTS ASA has today submitted a bid for all shares in Norway Royal Salmon (NRS). With a price of NOK 209 per share, the bid ends at NOK 9.4 billion, almost two billion more than the marked value before the bid was submitted. Arntzen de Besche has been legal advisor in this bid which is the latest in a number of large and complex transactions where they have assisted NTS ASA, most recently by merger with Salmonor AS, announced on 2 June 2021, with a value of approximately NOK 3 billion.

Arntzen de Besche has assisted Lime Petroleum in entering into an agreement to acquire Repsol Norge's interests in the Brage field, on the Norwegian continental shelf. The agreement secures Lime Petroleum 33.84 per cent of the field, and the price will be approximately NOK 356 million at today's price.

Arntzen de Besche is proud to have assisted Ecofisk, a company aiming to establish a state of the art land based fish farming facility in Espevik in Western Norway, with raising its first round of equity capital from external investors. The investors include both technology suppliers and industrial players.

Storm Real Estate ASA (OSE: STORM) announced on 17 November that the company has entered into an agreement for the purchase 100 % of the shares in KMC Properties AS (“KMC”) for approximately NOK 1 billion (NOK 1,076 million). KMC is a privately owned real estate company, owned 53 % by EBE Eiendom AS, a company controlled by the Bekken and Thoresen families, and 47 % by the Witzøe family's investment company, Kverva Industrier AS.