The deal – worth approximately $23bn (£11.5bn) – sees Simpson Thacher client Mars acquire Wrigley, with Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway investment group taking a $2.1bn (£1.05bn) stake in Wrigley.
Skadden acted on behalf of Wrigley, with the firm fielding a Chicago-based team that included client relationship partner William Kunkel and fellow corporate partner Byron Vance.
In 2005 Kunkel advised Wrigley on its acquisition of Kraft Foods’ sugar confectionary business in a deal valued at around $1.5bn (£750m).
Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker also landed a role on the latest deal, acting for financial adviser JP Morgan.
Mars is the world’s largest maker of chocolate, with a global market share of around 15%. The combined group will have annual revenues of around $27bn (£13.5bn).
