M&A International Inc. member Audon Partners voted “Corporate Finance Advisor of the Year 2009 – Denmark”

September 2009. M&A International Inc. member Audon Partners has been voted “Corporate Finance Advisor of the Year 2009 – Denmark” via an annual poll among 3,000 professional industry players in the internationally recognized magazine ACQ Finance.

Charlotte Abbott from ACQ Finance commented: “Audon Partners has been given this award in recognition of the results obtained by the company throughout the year on behalf of its clients, and of the expertise and experience that Audon Partners possesses. The award has been obtained on the basis of several significant and complex transactions, which Audon Partners has successfully closed during the past year.” These include among others:

• The sale of ILVA – Denmark’s second largest home furnishings retail chain – to IDesign, which also owns IDEmøbler. The Danish private equity fund Axcel is the majority shareholder in IDesign. The transaction comprised the sale of  ILVA’s activities and stores in Denmark and Sweden. Audon Partners advised the sellers.
• The acquisition of BabySam – Denmark’s largest retail chain in baby equipment comprising 31 stores and 12 owners. The BabySam chain was acquired jointly by two private equity funds, Danish Polaris Private Equity and Northern Europe-based AAC Capital Partners, in what has been characterized as one the most complex transactions ever closed in Denmark. Audon Partners advised the buyers.
• The sale of the Scandinavian market leader in fastener products and fastening techniques, Arvid Nilsson A/S, to the German Würth Group, the world’s largest trading company in fastening and assembling techniques. The owner of Arvid Nilsson A/S was the Arvid Nilsson Foundation. Audon Partners advised the seller.

Being in the business for more than 30 years, Audon Partners is one of Denmark’s most experienced M&A advisors. “Elected as the best Danish corporate finance advisor is a great honor for us and an affirmation that we are able to meet the strict professional demands placed upon us,” said Jonas P. Knudsen, Partner at Audon Partners.