25 September 2009 - Gide Loyrette Nouel advises SPIE on the acquisition of British firm EI.WHS Ltd.:

The Paris and London offices of Gide Loyrette Nouel have advised SPIE, owned by private equity firm PAI Partners since 2006, on the acquisition of the British firm EI.WHS Ltd. This build-up operation forms part of SPIE's European growth strategy and strengthens its UK presence following the 2007 acquisition of Matthew Hall.

Owned by British group Staveley Engineering Services, EI.WHS is a leading mechanical, electrical, instrument & industrial company working in different sectors including energy production (power stations), oil and gas (on-shore and off-shore platforms), and cutting-edge industry.

EI.WHS boasts wide expertise and provides a full range of technical services including project management, design, installation, roll-out, maintenance and ATEX inspection. Principal long-standing clients include Alstom Power, Conoco Philips and Rolls Royce. EI.WHS employs 326 people and annual turnover to 31 May 2009 stood at EUR 56.5 million and is set to rise significantly over the current financial year.

European leader in building services, facilities management, fire engineering, and energy management, SPIE provides its local authority and business customers with multi-technical and support services from initial mechanical and electrical design, through installation commissioning to long-term maintenance of facilities.

With 400 locations in 30 countries and over 29,000 employees, SPIE recorded turnover in 2008 of EUR 3.75 billion and operating profits of EUR 172.9 million.

Legal counsel to Spie:
Gide Loyrette Nouel: Christophe Eck, Edgard Nguyen and Sandra Lee from the Paris Office, assisted by the London Office for tax issues (Anthony Davis, David Klass and Gérard Bracken) and due diligence.