Gide’s Casablanca, London and Brussels offices assisted the International Finance Corporation (IFC, part of the World Bank Group), FIPAR Holding (an investment firm owned by the Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion of Morocco) and CDG Invest Growth (through its fund Capmezzanine III) on their investment in Retail Holding, a leading food and consumer goods retailer with operations in Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire and France.

The completion of the transaction took place on September 30, 2024, after the satisfaction of several conditions precedent - including merger control clearance in Morocco, and the greenlight of the Stock Market Authority of the Casablanca Stock Exchange.

Gide's team was led by partner Simon Auquier, with counsel Salim Zobiri and associate Constance Holman in Casablanca. Partner Ségolène Pelsy and associate Philippine Fradet in Brussels handled antitrust issues and merger filing in Morocco, and partner Colin Graham and counsel Matteo Matteuci in London were in charge of the English law components of the Transaction.

The Sellers (Growthgate and Euromena) were assisted by Asafo & Co (Patrick Larrivé).

About Gide

Gide is a French business law firm with an international dimension. Founded in Paris in 1920, the firm now operates out of 11 offices worldwide. It numbers 500 lawyers drawn from 35 different nationalities, recognised as among the most respected specialists in each of the various sectors of national and international business law. For over 50 years now, Gide has a long-standing presence in Africa. Made up of 90 lawyers dedicated to the continent, Gide Africa assists a wide range of clients and offer a high level of legal assistance tailored to each sector, country and area of law.