Barcelona (Spain), March 20, 2018.- Grifols (MCE: GRF, MCE: GRF.P, NASDAQ: GRFS) has reached an agreement to acquire 100% share capital of the German firm Haema for EUR 220 million, on a debt free basis. Founded in 1993, Haema owns and operates the largest private independent network of donation centers in Germany and the largest private transfusion service in the country. The acquisition agreement includes the businesses currently held by Haema; 35 donation centers in nine states, and three more under construction; a 24,000-square-meter building in Leipzig, where the company's headquarters are located; and also a central laboratory in Berlin. Haema employs about 1,100 people.
Grifols has financed the transaction with its own resources, without issuing debt.
In alignment with Grifols' strategic plan, this transaction will reinforce the company's global leadership in plasma collection by expanding and diversifying its network of plasma donation centers. The Haema donation centers will represent Grifols' first outside the United States.
This strategic transaction will also reinforce Grifols' plan of opening new donation centers to guarantee access to its main raw material and enable it to meet the anticipated growing demand for plasma-derived medicines, together with the more than EUR 500 million allocated to the Bioscience Division's 2016-2021 capital investment plans.
Grifols is currently the worldwide leader in plasma donation centers, with 190 centers in the United States, where it continues its investment plans to expand and improve its existing network.
All of Haema's donation centers meet the strict criteria established by the competent health authorities and are licensed by the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute, the Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines under the authority of the German Federal Ministry of Health. In 2017, Haema collected around 800,000 litres of plasma coming from approximately 1 million donations.
The closing of the transaction is subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions by the companies and also to the authorization by the German antitrust authorities.
Osborne Clarke, S.L.P. acted as legal advisor for the transaction.