Vision Group merges with LensOnline and secures financing

Niederer Kraft Frey acted as legal counsel to all shareholders of Vision Group on the merger with LensOnline. As part of this transaction, NKF also advised on securing new financing from UBS Switzerland AG acting as arranger, agent and lender.

Vision Group is a leading distributor of contact lenses in Switzerland with a wide portfolio of brands and further European countries. LensOnline has a strong foothold in the Benelux region and Italy selling various brands of contact lenses via an omnichannel approach, both in retail and online. The transaction establishes the combined entity as a European leader in the contact lens market.

The NKF team was led by Transactions partner Adrian Koller, working with partners Andrea Giger, Ulysses von Salis (both Transactions) and Nicolas Birkhäuser (Antitrust/Competition), as well as with associates Lorenzo Henseler, Carlotta Ulmer (both Transactions) and Boris Catzeflis (IP), junior associates Manuel Constam, Selim Tisli and Géraldine Küderli and trainee Robin Brändli (all Transactions).

The transaction is backed by Dutch private Equity firm Quadrum Capital. Further legal advisors involved in this transaction included 9Corporate, DLA Piper, Walder Wyss, Advestra, Ashurst and Monard Law; PROGRESSYV advised the Vision Group shareholders on commercial aspects of the sales process; Deloitte advised on tax matters and Houlihan Lokey acted as debt advisor.