Bird & Bird advises FUJIFILM Healthcare on acquisition of endoscopy business

The acquisition includes all Fujifilm capital equipment, Fujifilm’s proprietary endotherapeutic and accessory devices as well as therapeutic endoscopy portfolio offered by FUJIFILM medwork GmbH. This transfer also encompasses the procurement, sales, and service operations for Fujifilm’s endoscopy business in Great Britain. The integration of AEL’s endoscopy operations into HCUK establishes a unified, direct sales and service structure, reinforcing Fujifilm’s presence in the British endoscopy market and as a total healthcare solutions provider.

By consolidating these operations under HCUK, Fujifilm aims to accelerate its global endoscopy strategy within one of Europe’s largest healthcare markets. This direct sales model will build on AEL’s strong foundation to create a responsive, commercially driven organisation, well-positioned to meet the diverse needs of healthcare providers across Great Britain.

The terms of the transaction are confidential.

The Bird & Bird team was led by James Baillieu (partner, Corporate) and included Sarah Bratton-Bishop (senior associate, Corporate), Kimberly Tan (associate, Corporate), Mario Subramaniam (partner, Intellectual Property), Sophie Vo (senior associate, Intellectual Property), Alison Dixon (partner, Employment), Amy Barlow (senior associate, Employment), Saskia King (partner, Competition), Simon Gough (legal director, Tax) and Alexander Beesley (associate, Tax), among others.

The Bird & Bird team worked alongside Fujifilm’s in-house legal team including Oboama Addy (General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, Fujifilm Europe), Keita Tadano (Legal Counsel, Fujifilm Europe) and Neil Denham (Regional Counsel UK, Fujifilm).

James Baillieu, partner in the Corporate Practice at Bird & Bird said: “We are thrilled to have advised long-standing client Fujifilm on the acquisition of its endoscopy business from Aquilant. It is the latest example of our transactional work in the life sciences sector and it is exciting to see Fujifilm reinforcing its presence in Great Britain’s endoscopy market.”

Oboama Addy, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer of Fujifilm Europe said: “We are delighted to have reached an agreement on this strategic acquisition, expanding our presence in Great Britain. It was a pleasure working with the Bird & Bird team whose collaborative approach helped us to successfully reach the agreement on the acquisition and we look forward to working with them on future transactions.”

Allan Elborn, Managing Director, FUJIFILM Healthcare UK Ltd. commented: “This strategic move underscores Fujifilm’s commitment to enhancing customer and patient experience, driving innovation, and expanding the footprint of our endoscopy business across Great Britain.”

Stephen Arundel, Chief Executive Officer, Healthcare 21 UK said: “For the past three decades, the Aquilant endoscopy team has played a pivotal role in positioning Fujifilm at the forefront of Endoscopy in the GB market by delivering exceptional support, service, cutting-edge technology and commercial excellence. The team’s success is testament to their exemplary efforts and the key reason behind Fujifilm’s decision to acquire the Aquilant endoscopy business. We are pleased that we will continue to partner with Fujifilm on distributor portfolios, the Irish endoscopy business and opportunities with our wider sister companies across Europe.”