Biography
Pierre Brule is an associate in the London Finance practice and a member of the European High Yield team.
Pierre advises issuer and underwriter clients, as well as alternative capital investors on international capital markets and cross-border leveraged finance transactions, with a particular focus on high-yield bond financings and acquisition financings. Pierre also advises on debt liability management transactions, restructurings, initial public offerings and U.S. securities law matters.
Representative experience as part of a team, including prior to joining Weil, includes acting for:
- Advised BNP Paribas as sole physical bookrunner, BofA Securities Europe SA, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Natixis and Société Générale as joint global coordinators and joint bookrunners, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft and MUFG Securities (Europe) N.V. as joint bookrunners and Bank of China (Europe) S.A., Crédit Industriel et Commercial S.A and NatWest Markets N.V. as co-managers in connection with AccorInvest Group S.A.’s offering of €650.0 million 5.500% senior secured notes due 2031.
- Advised BNP Paribas as sole physical bookrunner, BofA Securities Europe SA, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Natixis and Société Générale as joint global coordinators and joint bookrunners, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft and MUFG Securities (Europe) N.V. as joint bookrunners and Bank of China (Europe) S.A., Crédit Industriel et Commercial S.A and NatWest Markets N.V. as co-managers in connection with AccorInvest Group S.A.’s inaugural offering of €750.0 million 6.375% senior secured notes due 2029.
- Represented Ad hoc creditors’ committee of Zambia’s Eurobond holders in relation to Zambia’s sovereign restructuring.
- Represented Ad hoc creditors’ committee of Ukraine’s Eurobond holders in relation to Ukraine’s sovereign restructuring.
- Advised Paprec, a leading French industrial and household waste management and recycling specialist, in connection with the privately placed tap offering of €200 million senior secured notes due 2029.
- Advised BNP Paribas and Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE, as joint global coordinators and joint bookrunners, and BofA Securities Europe SA, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Citigroup Global Markets Europe AG, J.P. Morgan SE and Morgan Stanley Europe SE, as joint bookrunners in connection with Bertrand Franchise Finance’s offering of €850.0 million floating rate senior secured notes due 2030 and €300.0 million 6.50% senior secured notes due 2030.
- Advised BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank and Société Générale, as global coordinators and joint bookrunners, and Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE, Helaba and IMI - Intesa Sanpaolo, as joint bookrunners in connection with Eutelsat S.A.’s debut offering of €600 million 9.750% senior notes due 2029 and a concurrent cash tender offer to holders of its existing 2.000% senior notes due 2025.
- Advised Casino Guichard Perrachon on its financial restructuring and acquisition by a consortium of investors composed of EP Equity Investment (controlled by Daniel Křetínský), Fimalac and Attestor.
- Advised an ad hoc group of holders on its €625 million 4.000% senior unsecured notes due 2024, €350 million 5.125% senior unsecured notes due 2025 and £225 million 6.625% senior unsecured notes due 2025 issued by La Financière Atalian, a French facilities management company, in relation to a refinancing transaction implemented by way of an exchange offer.
- Advised BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, as joint global coordinators and joint physical bookrunners, Natixis and Société Générale, as joint global coordinators and BBVA, Belfius, CaixaBank, CIC Market Solutions and La Banque Postale as joint bookrunners in connection with the issuance by Fnac Darty S.A. of €550 million 6.000% senior notes due 2029. The refinancing comprised this new issuance of senior notes and a concurrent cash tender offer to holders of the existing 1.875% senior notes due 2024 and 2.625% senior notes due 2026.
- Advised Ceva Santé Animale on a €2.3 billion equivalent dual-tranche TLB, used to refinance the Group’s existing senior facilities and to finance a distribution.
- Advised Paprec, a leading French industrial and household waste management and recycling specialist, in connection with the refinancing of its existing notes through the issuance of €300 million in principal amount of new senior secured notes due 2027 and €300 million in principal amount of new senior secured notes due 2029.
- Advised the investors on a Rule 144A/Regulation S privately placed tap offering by Burger King France SAS of €45 million senior secured floating rate notes due 2026.
- Advised J.P. Morgan, BNP Paribas, KKR Capital Markets, Natixis and Société Générale, as initial purchasers, in connection with the partial refinancing by iQera, a leading debt servicing specialist for large corporates and financial institutions in France and Italy, of its existing notes through the issuance of €500 million in principal amount of new senior secured floating rate notes due 2027, as well as the entry into a new €50 million super senior revolving credit facility. The complex refinancing comprised several concurrent transactions: exchange offers made to certain existing bondholders of each of iQera’s three existing series of senior secured notes, a new issuance of senior secured floating rate notes, and a cash tender offer to certain of iQera’s existing bondholders. The proceeds from the new issuance were used to pay the consideration for the exchange offers and the tender offer, for general corporate purposes and to pay costs, fees, and expenses in connection with the refinancing.
- Advised J.P. Morgan SE, Nordea Bank Abp, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, DNB Markets, a division of DNB Bank ASA and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ), as initial purchasers, in connection with the Rule 144A/Regulation S offering by Ren10 Holding AB, a subsidiary of funds advised by IK Partners, of €350 million senior secured floating rate notes due 2027 as part of the financing for the acquisition of, and refinancing of outstanding indebtedness of Renta Group Oy, a full-service machine and equipment rental services company with operations in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Poland.
- Advised BNP Paribas, J.P. Morgan, BofA Securities Europe SA, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Crédit Suisse Bank (Europe), S.A., Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE and Morgan Stanley Europe SE, as initial purchasers, in connection with the Rule 144A/Regulation S offering by Burger King France S.A.S. of €620 million senior secured notes due 2026 and by Midco GB S.A.S. of €235 million pay-if-you-can PIK notes due 2027 as part of the refinancing of outstanding indebtedness of Burger King France S.A.S., Midco GB S.A.S. and NewCo GB S.A.S., the direct parent of Burger King France S.A.S
- Represented Séché Environnement S.A. as Issuer on its debut high yield bond offering of €300 million 2.250% Sustainability-Linked Senior Notes due 2028. BNP Paribas acted as the Sole Bookrunner and Sustainability-Linked Bond Structuring Advisor, and Crédit Agricole CIB and Natixis acted as Joint Lead Managers on this offering.
- Advised J.P. Morgan, BNP Paribas and Bank Pekao S.A. as Global Coordinators and Joint Physical Bookrunners and Barclays, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE and ING as Joint Bookrunners on the debut high yield bond offering by InPost S.A.. The offering was for €490 million senior notes due 2027 and the proceeds will be used to consummate the previously announced acquisition of Mondial Relay SAS, and for general corporate purposes.
- Represented French eyewear and hearing aid specialist Afflelou and its sponsors in connection with a series of high-yield offerings.
- Represented J.P. Morgan and others as initial purchasers in connection with the inaugural high yield offering and subsequent add-on issuance of high yield bonds by Rubis Terminal Infra.
- Represented Groupe Casino, a leading retailer in France and Latin America, in connection with its high yield refinancings.
- Represented Loxam, the leading European equipment rental group, in connection with its €500 million high yield refinancing and its €1.4 billion financing for the acquisition of Ramirent.
- Eutelsat S.A. in connection with several bond offerings.
Awards and Recognition, Firm News & Announcements
Awards and Recognition
- Weil Honored for Advising on Zambia’s Debt Restructuring Award Brief — GRR Awards 2024
Firm News & Announcements
- Weil Advises on €650M High Yield Offering by AccorInvest Deal Brief — November 06, 2024
- Weil Advises on €750M High Yield Offering by AccorInvest Deal Brief — October 02, 2024