A&O Shearman advises Autodoc on Apollo minority stake acquisition

A&O Shearman advised Autodoc Holding, an online retailer of automotive spare parts and accessories, on the acquisition of the minority stake in Autodoc previously held by Apollo funds. The purchase was financed through the placement of a term loan B worth €530 million and closes out a partnership that began in April 2024, when Apollo funds acquired a minority stake in Autodoc at an equity valuation of €2.3 billion.

Deal details

The collaboration between Autodoc and Apollo was structured from the outset as time-limited and targeted. Apollo, acting as an institutional partner, provided strategic advice aimed at expanding Autodoc’s access to institutional capital markets and preparing the company for a possible future IPO. The partnership contributed to progress in corporate governance, reporting and operational scalability at Autodoc. With the transaction now complete, founders Alexej Erdle, Max Wegner and Vitalij Kungel once again indirectly hold 100 percent of the shares in Autodoc SE through their investment vehicle AutoTech GmbH & Co. KG.

Legal Teams

The core A&O Shearman team advising on the transaction was led by partner Christian Eichner and counsel Kyrill Chilevych, supported by senior associate Eva Hohmann and associates Christina Vossen and Lasse Ostholt, all from the corporate/M&A practice in Düsseldorf. The team also included partners Hans Diekmann (corporate/M&A, Düsseldorf), Walter Uebelhoer (banking, Munich), Knut Sauer (capital markets, Frankfurt) and Sebastian Schulz (employment and benefits, Frankfurt), counsel Nadine Kämper (capital markets, Frankfurt), senior associate Nils Holzgrefe (banking, Munich), and associates Nico Theiss (capital markets, Frankfurt) and Thomas Hohe (employment and benefits, Frankfurt).

A&O Shearman also advised on the financing of the transaction. That team was led by Walter Uebelhoer (Munich) and Xinni Lim (London) and included partner Neil Sinha (debt finance, London), senior associates Julia Bräuer and Nils Holzgrefe, and associates Jack Mellet and Melvin Loo (London).

Autodoc was supported in-house by Maximilian Freiherr von Schorlemer, chief legal officer of Autodoc, who oversaw all legally relevant aspects of the transaction.

Pictured: Christian Eichner (left) and Kyrill Chilevych (right)