Baker McKenzie advised Unilever on the acquisition of Quala

Baker McKenzie acted for Unilever on its acquisition of the personal care and homecare brands of Quala, the Latin American consumer goods company.

Quala was founded in Colombia in 1980 and is headquartered in Bogota. The company operates in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Peru, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Its personal care and homecare portfolio includes leading local brands, Savital/Savilé (Haircare and Skin Cleansing), eGo (Male Haircare and Styling), Bio-Expert (Haircare), Fortident (Oral Care) and Aromatel (Fabric Conditioners); with a combined turnover of over $400M in 2016.

Unilever is a Dutch-British multinational consumer goods company co-headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands and London, United Kingdom. Its products include food, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products. Unilever is the world’s largest producer of food spreads, such as margarine and one of the oldest multinational companies; its products are available in around 190 countries. The acquisition will strengthen Unilever’s footing in Latin America

Commenting on the deal, Baker McKenzie London-based corporate partner, David Scott, said: “We’re delighted to have partnered with Unilever on another important, strategic acquisition for its home and personal care portfolio. The deal involved multiple Baker offices, including London, New York, Bogota, Mexico City and Lima, and is another great demonstration of our cross-border transactional capability on key deals.”

David Scott fronted the The Baker McKenzie team which also included partners Samantha Mobley, Michelle Blunt and Duncan Reid-Thomas, all in London. In Latin America, Carolina Pardo and Jaime Trujillo in Colombia, Jorge Ruiz in Mexico, and Liliana Espinosa in Peru also advised on this transaction.