Wragge & Co LLP Corporate Group has completed its first cross-border acquisition for new client Metso Paper. The Finnish company has acquired Bender Holdings Limited and its UK subsidiaries for an undisclosed amount.

Corporate partner Julian Henwood led the Wragge & Co team assisted by solicitors Chris Towle and Mike Jackson. The team worked closely with in-house lawyers Peter Bergstrom and Mirka Vartiainen, and Jari Vahapesola and Markus Laurio from Metso Paper's commercial team. Turner Parkinson in Manchester advised Bender Holdings.

Julian Henwood said: "Over the past decade we have established ourselves as a trusted adviser to Metso Corporation. Until the instruction from Metso Paper our work has exclusively been for the Metso Minerals division. Our team of experts provided Metso Paper commercially sound advice to secure this cross-border acquisition."

Peter Bergstrom said: "We were very pleased with the advice received from Wragge & Co and the role they took in helping us to complete this acquisition. The Wragge & Co team worked very closely with our legal and commercial teams and had a proactive approach in dealing with the challenges of the acquisition."

Metso is a global engineering and technology corporation with 2006 net sales of approximately €5 billion. Its 25,500 employees in more than 50 countries serve customers in the pulp and paper industry, rock and minerals processing, the energy industry and selected other industries. With the acquisition, Metso Paper becomes the global market leader in Yankee cylinder grinding and coating services for tissue machines.

Wragge & Co's 18-partner national Corporate Group includes more than 60 lawyers advising on a full range of corporate finance matters. Cross-border work for clients in the past 12 months has included advising Estonia's AS Tallink Grupp on its £325 million acquisition of Silja Oy Ab, the acquisition of a majority stake in Interfarm UK Ltd by Japan-based Sumitomo Chemical Co and a trio of cross-border deals worth $1.03 billion for Parkridge.

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For further information about this press release, contact Kathryn Hobbs on +44 (0)121 213 2397, Alexa Highfield on +44 (0)121 213 2396 or Amie Ryalls on +44 (0)121 213 2360

This press release may contain information of general interest about current legal issues, but does not give legal advice.