Marking its fourth M&A transaction of 2011, EFG Hermes Investment Banking acts as Lead Financial Advisor to Japan Tobacco Inc.’s on its c.USD 450 million Acquisition of Sudan’s Haggar Cigarette & Tobacco Factory Ltd. Cairo - July 28th: EFG Hermes is pleased to announce that it has acted as the Lead Financial Advisor to Japan Tobacco Inc. (“JT”), a leading international tobacco product company, on the successful completion of an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of Haggar Cigarette & Tobacco Factory Ltd. (“HCTF”), the leading tobacco manufacturer in Sudan with over 80% market share. The agreement has been entered into with Haggar Holding Company Ltd., which controls HCTF, and the acquisition is expected to be completed in November 2011. Total consideration for the deal is approximately USD 450 million. Commenting on this transaction, Karim Awad, the Head of Investment Banking at EFG Hermes said "The Firm is very proud to have played a Lead Advisory role to a globally renowned tobacco player, such as JT, on its landmark acquisition in the Sudanese markets, which marks the countries' first significant foreign entries. It also demonstrates our continuous effort to build our regional business and reaffirms our status as the M&A advisor of choice to many multinationals doing business in any market across the Middle East and North African region." The transaction marks Investment Banking’s fourth M&A transaction in the past 8 months with each of those transactions taking place in a different market. The advisory to JT brings the value of our advisories in 2011 to over US$ 28 billion with one of those advisories taking place in Tunisia, another in Italy, the third in Egypt and the Fourth in the Republics of Sudan and South Sudan. It also comes following our recent announcement of our Sole Sell Advisory role to Paradise Capital on the sale of 52% stake in Olympic Group to Sweden’s Electrolux Group in June (Egypt), the advisory to Italy’s Wind Telecom on its merger with Russia’s Vimpelcom in April and the advisory to Orascom Telecom on the sale of its 50% stake in Orascom Telecom Tunisia to Qatar Telecom in early 2011.