Macfarlanes advises Hyve Group plc on £250m facilities in connection with acquisition of market-leading US events Shoptalk and Groceryshop

19 December 2019

Macfarlanes has advised Hyve Group plc, the FTSE-listed international industry events business, on its £250m financing facilities in relation to the acquisition of Shoptalk and Groceryshop, two US-based market-leading events focused on e-commerce for the retail, grocery and consumer packaged goods industries, for a total consideration of $145m on a cash free, debt free basis.

Shoptalk is the leading e-commerce event in the US and the fast growing Groceryshop is already the leading grocery e-commerce event. Held annually in Las Vegas, both events are considered “must attend” in their markets, with a focus on developing innovative, content-led events supported by bespoke technology developed to complement their offering.

The Macfarlanes team was led by finance partner Kirstie Hutchinson, with assistance from senior finance solicitor George Silber.

Kirstie Hutchinson comments: “We are delighted to have been able to assist Hyve Group plc on its financing facilities in relation to its exciting acquisition of the Shoptalk and Groceryshop events. The addition of these brands is consistent with Hyve’s product-led strategy of creating the world’s leading portfolio of content-driven, must-attend events that deliver outstanding experiences and ROI for customers, continuing the group’s evolution into a best in class portfolio of market-leading events.”