BCLP advises McWin-backed L’Osteria on Pizza Pilgrims acquisition

International law firm BCLP has advised L’Osteria, on its acquisition of Pizza Pilgrims from its founders, James and Thomas Elliot, along with several other shareholders.

As part of the acquisition, the founders and various members of Pizza Pilgrims’ existing executive team have become shareholders of Bidco and will continue in the management of Pizza Pilgrims’ operations.

L’Osteria is a Germany-based, casual dining restaurant group specialising in Italian cuisine and has more than 200 locations across ten European nations. It is backed by McWin, a private investment company, which focuses on the foodservice sector and has investments in other brands such as Gail’s, Sticks‘n’Sushi and the Big Mamma Group.

Pizza Pilgrims was founded in 2012 as a market stall in Soho, London, and has since expanded to operate almost 30 restaurants and concessions in the UK, specialising in Neapolitan-style Pizza.

The client relationship partners are Global Department Leader (Corporate and Finance Transactions) Carol Osborne and Co-Global Practice Group Leader (Corporate Transactions) Benjamin Lee.

The deal team was led by Benjamin Lee, Andrew Hart and Marie Johnson (Partners, Corporate Transactions, London), and consisted of Senior Associate George Avery, Associates Cecilie Sørvig and John Adamson and Trainee Bim Akinsanya (Corporate Transactions, London); Partners Simon Letherman and David Dennison and Senior Associate Alex Cheetham (Tax, Employee Benefits and Private Client, London), Jon Cooper (Senior Associate, Tax, Employee Benefits and Private Client, London). Partner and EMEA Lead Geraldine Scali, Associate Olivia Wint, Global Practice Group Leader Marcus Pearl, Associate Vishnu Rege and Trainee Rui C Lee (Technology, Commercial and Data, London); Office Managing Partner Anna Robbins (Core Real Estate UK, Southampton); Senior Associate Marisol Aspinell (Core Real Estate, UK, Manchester); Associate Director Michelle Morgan, Senior Associate Lydia Octon-Burke, Associate Ellie Serridge (Employment and Labor, London); Senior Associate Paul Culliford (Antitrust, Competition and Trade), and Associate Director Jeremy Bark (Regulatory, London).

The Sellers were advised by PTMLaw, Parisi Tax and PWC Corporate Finance.