Private Equity Investors Acquire Maker of Swanson Dinners

Crunch Equity Holding, LLC acquired, on November 25, 2003, Pinnacle Foods Holding Corp., maker of Swanson frozen dinners and Vlasic pickles, from Dallas-based Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Inc., for US$485 million. Crunch Equity Holding is owned by JP Morgan Partners, LLC, private equity arm of JP Morgan Chase & Co., by JW Childs Equity Partners III, LP, and by CDM Investor Group LLC.

JP Morgan Partners was represented in Canada by Stikeman Elliott LLP, with a team that included William Scott and Lewis Smith (corporate) and Paul Collins (competition); and in the US by O’Melveny & Myers LLP in New York, with a team that included Greg Gilbert, Brad Okun, Rebecca Bedno, Chris Torrente, Brad Finkelstein and Geoff Goldschein.

Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst was represented in Canada by Bennett Jones LLP, with a team that included Mark Bain and Tara Mackay (corporate) and Melanie Aitken (competition); and in the US by Vinson & Elkins LLP in Dallas, with a team that included David Babin, Winston Oxley, Greg Hidalgo and Gary Short.

Lawyer(s)

William A. Scott Christopher Torrente Rebecca Bedno Brad J. Finkelstein Tara A. Mackay Gregory Gilbert Brad Okun Paul Collins David L. Babin, Jr. A. Winston Oxley Geoffrey Goldschein Melanie L. Aitken Lewis T. Smith Paul G. Hidalgo Mark W.S. Bain

Firm(s)

Stikeman Elliott LLP Bennett Jones LLP Vinson & Elkins LLP Vinson & Elkins LLP