Baker & McKenzie Advises Brown-Forman Corporation
Deal Announcement
25 March 2011
Moscow, Russia, 25 March 2011 – Baker & McKenzie – CIS, Limited announced that it advised Brown-Forman Corporation on a complex project for the distribution of Brown-Forman’s portfolio of beverage brands in the Russian market through Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company Eurasia.
Advising Brown-Forman Corporation included the preparation of an agreement with Coca-Cola HBC Eurasia to distribute in Russia such Brown-Forman brands as Jack Daniel’s, Finlandia, Southern Comfort, and el Jimador Tequila. Coca-Cola Hellenic already distribute Brown-Forman brands in Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Ukraine. From mid-October 2010 it became a new partner of Brown-Forman in Russia. According to the press, Brown-Forman now controls over 5% of the national market of alcoholic beverages.
“After months of work on diverse legal and organisational matters we implemented a structure that optimally met all the legal and business expectations of Brown-Forman,” said Baker & McKenzie Moscow partner Arseny Seidov. “Our team demonstrated that it can simultaneously handle complicated commercial, tax, customs and regulatory issues and preempt possible obstacles by suggesting sound business decisions.”
The Baker & McKenzie team was led by Moscow partner Arseny Seidov. Support was provided by Moscow associates Ekaterina Kudryavtseva and Olga Morozova.