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Dealwatch: Travers, HSF and Paul Weiss advise on $2.1bn Pace sale

Travers Smith, Herbert Smith Freehills and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison have all landed roles on the $2.1bn sale of Pace to Arris as another UK company gets acquired by the US.

UK provider of broadband and pay TV technology Pace has been brought by US-based broadband media technology company Arris Group for $2.1bn.

Travers’ team is advising longstanding client Pace on the transaction having previously acted for Pace on the purchase of broadband developer Aurora in 2013 and on its 2010 acquisition of broadband company 2Wire. This time around the firm’s team was led by head of corporate Spencer Summerfield, with additional specialist advice provided by competition partner Nigel Seay and employee incentives partner Mahesh Varia. Paul Weiss advised Pace on US matters.

Arris turned to a Herbert Smith Freehills team in the UK led by corporate partners Gavin Davies and Alex Kay, while in the US it used Troutman Sanders.

Travers’ Summerfield said: ‘We are delighted to have assisted our long-standing client Pace on the transaction, which provides a significant platform for their future growth and creates a major new player in the global broadband media technology market.’

Under the terms, Pace shareholders will receive cash and stock in the new holding company at 132.5 pence in cash for each Pace share and 0.1455 of new Arris shares. The deal is being done through a scheme of arrangement with the new holding company listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. The transaction is subject to a number of conditions and is expected to close in late 2015.

The sale came in a bid to expand Pace’s international presence and expand its product portfolio across software and services. The combination will create a broadband media technology company with estimated revenue of US $8bn and 8,500 employees worldwide.

jaishree.kalia@legalease.co.uk