Linklaters advises Barclays and BNP Paribas on the US$115m bridge facility for the Watches of Switzerland Group’s acquisition of Roberto Coin Inc.

Linklaters has advised Barclays Bank PLC and BNP Paribas as the mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners, in connection with the US$115m acquisition bridge term loan facility for the Watches of Switzerland Group to finance their acquisition of Roberto Coin Inc., an associate company of Roberto Coin S.p.A. which has exclusive perpetual rights to import and distribute Roberto Coin jewellery throughout the US, Canada, Caribbean and Central America, from Roberto Coin S.p.A., Pilar Coin and Peter Webster (Co-Founder and President of Roberto Coin Inc.) as the sellers.

The acquisition builds on the Watches of Switzerland Group’s ("WOSG") successful partnership with Roberto Coin, the sixth largest jewellery brand by sales at retail value in the US, and which spans over a decade. Roberto Coin is currently available in 16 of the WOSG’s showrooms in the US and represents a significant milestone in the WOSG’s luxury branded jewellery strategy.

The cross-practice Linklaters team was led by London Banking partner Sam Mahboubian, who was assisted by associates Ida Töyrä and Giles Leigh, with support from New York Banking partner Philip Lee and associate Joy Cheng.

Linklaters’ innovative banking team advises banks and other financial institutions, companies and governments on domestic and international bank financing transactions across every industry, commercial, financial and governmental sector. The team’s experience of acting not only for arranging banks and lenders but also for credit enhancers and borrowers in relation to a wide range of sectors means they are able to anticipate and address the requirements of all parties to a transaction.