Deals – 15 September 2006

Bird & Bird has advised on AIM listed cash shell and California based, West 175 Media Inc, on a reverse merger with Hightex International and SolarNext to create a new holding company, Hightex Group Plc. The transaction was effected through a US style merger. On completion of the merger, the enlarged Hightex was admitted to trading on AIM with a market capitalisation of approximately £12million.

Jones Day has advised Fang Brothers Investments Limited in the HK$1.14 billion sale by subsidiary CS Investment (CS) of a 50 percent interest in Times Supermarket Limited (Times) to Wumart Stores, Inc. (Wumart), Beijing’s largest supermarket chain. Upon completion of the transaction by December 31, 2006 CS and Wumart will each own 50 percent of the total equity interests in Times respectively and Times will become an associated company of Wumart.

Allen & Overy Shook Lin & Bok Joint Law Venture in Singapore and Allen & Overy LLP London offices advised arrangers Barclays Capital, Citibank N.A., DBS Bank Ltd, HSBC Bank plc and The Royal Bank of Scotland plc on the GBP368 million bid finance facility for the acquisition of gaming operator, Stanley Leisure plc, by Genting International Investment (UK) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Genting International PLC..

Jones Day recently advised Fang Brothers Investments Limited in the HK$1.14 billion sale by subsidiary CS Investment (CS) of a 50 percent interest in Times Supermarket Limited (Times) to Wumart Stores, Inc (Wumart), Beijing’s largest supermarket chain. The transaction completion date is expected to be on or before December 31, 2006.

Linklaters has advised Lehman Brothers on the establishment of China’s first QDII investment fund with Hua An Fund Management Co, Ltd, China’s first asset manager to be granted Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor (QDII) status. This is the first foreign currency-denominated fund to be offered in China allowing domestic Chinese investors access to offshore investments.

Latham & Watkins LLP represented New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc in connection with its initial public offering of 8,625,000 American Depository Shares (“ADSs”), representing 34,500,000 common shares, and listing on the New York Stock Exchange. The offering raised US$129.4 million. Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs acted as the joint bookrunners for the offering. New Oriental Education & Technology Group is the largest provider of private educational services in China.

Simmons & Simmons has advised the Morgan Stanley Real Estate’s MSREF V International-led consortium on the HK$2.258bn (circa £153m) acquisition, financing and management of Hang Seng Bank’s Central property, their third major acquisition in Hong Kong this year.