International law firm Bird & Bird has advised East Japan Railway Company on the purchase of 100% of shares in Decorum Vending Limited. This is the first M&A deal led by Bird & Bird’s new office in Tokyo.
The East Japan Railway Company, also known as JR East, is the largest passenger railway company in Japan. The company also designs, develops, and operates train premises and surrounding areas, including developing multi-purpose commercial complexes adjacent to train stations.
Decorum Vending Limited, founded in 2015, is a private company based in Christchurch, UK. It specialises in providing vending machines tailored to the public transport sector, particularly the rail industry. Decorum Vending manages the day-to-day operations of its machines, including restocking, cleaning, and maintenance.
The Bird & Bird team was led by Tokyo based corporate partner Hiroyuki Iwamura, with support from members of the London office, legal director Shingo Ito and associate Kimberly Tan. The corporate team was supported by Zoe Feller (partner) and Alex Beesley (associate) from the Tax team and Sarah Ferguson (partner), Laura O'Flynn (associate), and Xiaolei Liu (associate) from the Employee Incentives and Benefits team.
Hiroyuki Iwamura, lead partner on the transaction, commented: “We are truly grateful to have assisted JR East on its purchase of Decorum Vending. This deal has allowed us to showcase our cross-border expertise in both the Japanese and UK corporate ecosystems.”
