Herbert Smith Freehills advises Chemist Warehouse on its proposed merger with Sigma Healthcare

Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) is advising CW Group Holdings Limited (Chemist Warehouse) on its proposed landmark merger with Sigma Healthcare Limited (Sigma) by scheme of arrangement, which was announced today.

The transaction brings together two of Australia’s most well-known healthcare brands to create a leading healthcare wholesaler, distributor and retail pharmacy franchisor, with a post-completion indicative market capitalisation of >A$8.8 billion.

The HSF team was led by partners Michael Ziegelaar, Natalie Bryce, Alex Mackinnon, Baden Furphy, Linda Evans, Stephanie Panayi and Martin MacDonald. The team included Ling Zhu, Lauren Woo, Damien Devnarain, Jessica Voong, Kurt Fisher, Bevan Wang, Daniel Oey, Saskia Gude and May Chua.

HSF partner Michael Ziegelaar said, “We are really proud to have worked closely with Chemist Warehouse on this complex, exciting and landmark transaction and thank them for putting their faith in us”.

HSF partner Alex Mackinnon said, ”It’s really satisfying to know that we have played a key role in such an important transaction which has ground-breaking M&A and ECM aspects to it”.

HSF partner and Sector Lead for Healthcare Natalie Bryce said, “Businesses that support the community pharmacy sector, like Chemist Warehouse and Sigma, play an important role in keeping our healthcare system accessible and affordable. It is so rewarding for our team to work for clients who contribute to the health and wellbeing of the Australian community”.

Damien Gance, Chief Commercial Officer of Chemist Warehouse, said, “We look forward to building the next chapter of Chemist Warehouse’s success for the benefit of our customers, staff, franchisees and shareholders. HSF’s expertise played a key role in helping us navigate the complexities of our transaction”.

This transaction is another example of HSF’s market-leading work in Australian M&A and ECM.