NNDKP advises AAylex One on €20 million financing from CEC Bank and Alpha Bank Romania

The syndicate of banks included CEC Bank S.A. and Alpha Bank Romania S.A. and the facility granted is secured by a guarantee issued by Exim Banca Românească in the name and on behalf of the State.

NNDKP continues to support AAylex One, advising them in a new financing project on complex aspects related to the structuring, drafting and negotiation of the finance documents, as well as all other aspects specific to this type of transactions.

The NNDKP team involved in the transaction included Partner Valentin Voinescu and Senior Associate Cătălina Dan, from the firm's Banking and Finance practice, being part of the dedicated team that has been providing constant assistance to AAylex One since 2020.

“We are delighted to have helped AAylex One in this transaction that reinforces their long-term strategy, and we congratulate the lenders who have once again shown their true support for valuable companies in this field”, said Valentin Voinescu, Partner.

NNDKP's banking and finance team consistently advises on complex financing projects, including corporate finance, project finance or acquisition finance, both local and cross-border, worth billions of euros.

With more than 30 years of experience in the market, NNDKP lawyers provide integrated and specialised assistance in all areas of law involved in transactions and regulatory projects, helping to identify bespoke solutions and strategies for each client.

CEC Bank coordinated the loan

The AAylex ONE Group, one of the main players in the Romanian food industry and owner of the Cocorico brand, has signed a syndicated credit facility worth €20 million to support the Company's operational activity and its development in the same trend in recent years.

The transaction was coordinated by CEC Bank, which acted as lead coordinator, facility and collateral agent. CEC Bank provides the owner of the Cocorico brand with €10 million. Alpha Bank also provides €10 million, while Exim Banca Românească acts as guarantor on behalf and on account of the State. The loan is granted with possible drawdowns in euro or lei.

PCF Investment Banking acted as AAylex ONE's exclusive financial advisor in structuring, negotiating and implementing the transaction, while the law firm Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen (NNDKP) provided legal assistance to AAylex One in structuring, drafting and negotiating the financing documentation.

"Exim Banca Românească confirms, once again, its role as a supporter of Romanian business, contributing together with the other financial partners to the constant upward evolution of AAylex ONE. This is a defining step in the way the bank positions itself in relation to entrepreneurs, but also in the role it can play in supporting medium and long-term investment projects. We would like to have as many such complex transactions as possible together with other commercial banks in order to generate added value for the Romanian economy by supporting export transactions", said Traian Halalai, CEO of Exim Banca Românească.

"With this new financing that we are providing to AAylex ONE, we continue to support the development of one of the most successful Romanian businesses in the food industry. We have been with this Group for many years, for which we have provided financing both to support its operational activity and for its expansion through the acquisition of other players on the market," said Laura Mihai, Director of the Large Customers Department at CEC Bank.

"We are pleased to support through this financing one of the reference companies of the Romanian food industry. We thus honor our commitment to support the activity of Romanian companies that are performing well and to support their development", said Laura Combei, Director of Customer Relationship Management Large Corporates, Alpha Bank.

"We are particularly delighted to be alongside AAylex ONE in this transaction which supports their long-term strategy and we congratulate the funding banks who, once again, have demonstrated the real support they offer to valuable companies in this sector," said Valentin Voinescu, NNDKP Partner, Banking Law and Finance.
"We are pleased to once again assist AAylex ONE in a club deal, with traditional partners CEC Bank and EXIM NCS, as well as new banks, Alpha Bank, which confirms AAylex ONE's solid status in the banking market and gives it access to extremely important financing in its organic development strategy, by strengthening its working capital base in a challenging period in the local agricultural sector", said Mihai Iordan, Managing Partner of PCF Investment Banking.

''We thank all the partners involved in this new banking syndicate for their constant support to our company, for encouraging the development of 100% Romanian capital, as well as for appreciating the quality and innovation of the group. This will help us in the future to maintain all the characteristics of our brand COCORICO, The All-Natural Chicken Brand, which is based on creativity and quality'', said Cristian Bărbulescu, CEO and Board Member of AAylex ONE.

In 1982, the AAylex Group started its existence with the poultry farm in Buzău, and subsequently developed and consolidated it through the creation of new facilities, the acquisition of certain production units as well as the development of greenfield production units. In 2021, the agri-food corporation AAylex ONE S.A. was created. The Group includes companies with complementary activities, such as AAylex Agro Cooperativa Agricola, whose business is the manufacture of animal feed, or AAylex Group LTD, whose business is the commercialization of Cocorico products on the UK market.

Enjoying the exceptional technological standards used in AAylex ONE factories, such as "No Product Touch", "clean label" recipes, and the exceptional nutritional profile of sustainably, welfare-reared chicken meat, Cocorico's innovative products have consistently been recognized with prestigious awards at domestic and international events.