Travers Smith LLP has advised longstanding client Intermediate Capital Group, the founder Zeev Godik and other selling shareholders on the sale of the Gaucho restaurant group to Equistone Partners Europe.
Gaucho offers fine dining with an emphasis on authentic, high quality Argentinian steak and operates 14 restaurants in the UK and 3 international sites in Buenos Aires, Dubai and Hong Kong. Gaucho was founded by Zeev Godik in 1976. Gaucho also operates the CAU brand, focussing on cuisine from Buenos Aires, which currently has 16 restaurants in the UK and 1 restaurant in Amsterdam having grown rapidly from its launch in 2010.
Equistone Partners Europe has invested in Gaucho for the second time (Barclays Private Equity having invested in Gaucho in 2005 and then sold its interests to Phoenix Equity Partners in 2006; Phoenix Equity Partners then sold to Intermediate Capital Group in 2007) with Travers Smith having acted on a number of the previous Gaucho deals.
The Travers Smith team was led by private equity partner James Renahan and senior corporate associates Tamara Kilner and James Parker. The team also included tax partner Russell Warren and finance partner Andrew Gregson.
A separate Travers Smith team lead by private equity partner Adam Orr and corporate associate Adam Martin advised Zeev Godik and the rest of the management team in connection with their re-investment into the buyer.
Corporate partner Amy Mahon led a team from Clifford Chance advising Equistone Partners Europe.