Freshfields advises Haniel on the sale of BauWatch to Carlyle and CVC DIF

Global law firm Freshfields advises leading German family equity company Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH on the sale of BauWatch, the European market leader in technology-enabled remote video surveillance solutions, to Carlyle and CVC DIF. Haniel will retain a 10 per cent minority stake in BauWatch. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027.

Headquartered in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, BauWatch helps safeguard large-scale construction projects and important infrastructure such as power plants and substations, renewable energy assets and other key assets through an integrated platform combining mobile video surveillance, AI-enabled monitoring and 24/7 alarm response services. Today, BauWatch operates in 12 European markets and supports over 15,000 active surveillance systems.

The transaction is led by Partners Arend von Riegen and Carsten Bork, together with Principal Associate Anna Dominke and Associate Manuel Kruschel (all M&A, Frankfurt).

The Freshfields team also included:

Partners: Alexander Doorman (Amsterdam), Mark Brewer (London, both M&A), Tanja Walter-Yadegardjam (Tax), Mario Hüther (Finance, both Frankfurt), Michael Ramb (Regulatory, Berlin), Philipp Dohnke (IP/IT, Hamburg), Frank Schaer (Frankfurt), Brechje Nollen (Amsterdam, both Employment Law), Julia Haas (Real Estate, Frankfurt), Stephanie Brown Cripps (Compliance, New York)

Principal Associates: Maximilian Hobuss (Frankfurt), Joshua Waters (Amsterdam, both M&A), Hendrik Menzel (Tax, Frankfurt), Katharina Reinhardt (Regulatory, Berlin) Marius Li-Yang Stein (IP/IT), Johanna Hirth (Employment Law, both Frankfurt), Michael Schwaab (Data Protection), Sarah Kutsche (Real Estate, both Düsseldorf), Rebecca Berman (Compliance, New York)

Associates: Maximilian von Scheidt (Frankfurt), Tijn Mandema, Max van Moorsel (both Amsterdam), Jack McIntosh, Bill Fernley (both London, all M&A), Uli Diez, (Tax, Frankfurt) Vinzent Will (Regulatory, Berlin), Lotte Somers (Employment Law, Amsterdam), Leonie Wittershagen (Data Protection, Berlin), Natalia Gegechkory (Real Estate, Frankfurt)