Karanovic & Partners, with its cooperating lawyers, has been awarded the prestigious Deal of the Year 2025 for the Slovenia and North Macedonia category. Our cooperating lawyers also advised on the transaction in Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina.
The 2025 Deal of the Year winner in Slovenia is Grupo Bimbo’s Acquisition of Don Don Group. The transaction saw global baking giant Grupo Bimbo acquire Don Don d.o.o., a major Slovenian bakery group operating across 12 European countries and employing more than 2,400 people, through its wholly owned subsidiary BB Global Investing Holding SLU. The acquisition included a 100% stake in KJK Investicije 2 d.o.o., which indirectly holds shares in Don Don from KJK Discovery Holding S.à r.l., KJK Balkan Holding S.à r.l., and AMAL NALOŽBE d.o.o. In addition to our teams in Slovenia, North Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia, other advisers to the buyer included Crangasu Legal, and White & Case, while CMS, Selih & Partnerji, and Jadek & Pensa advised the sellers.
For the Slovenian side of the transaction, our colleagues from Ketler & Partners, member of Karanovic, acted as lead counsel for the buyer. Senior Partner Marko Ketler and Senior Associate Nina Krajnc Anžlovar led the legal support for the transaction. The team’s scope of work included coordinating multi-jurisdictional due diligence, negotiating the SPA, advising on warranty & indemnity (W&I) insurance, preparing transaction documentation, and handling the necessary regulatory filings, including FDI approvals and merger clearances.
For the North Macedonia aspects of the transaction, our colleagues from Qoku & Partners in cooperation with Karanović & Partners led the work, with Senior Partner Veton Qoku and Partner Ljupka Noveska Andonova steering the team through the local regulatory and transactional requirements.
On behalf of our team, our Partner Maja Jovančević Šetka and Senior Partner Minu A. Gvardjančič from Ketler & Partners, member of Karanovic, accepted the award at the ceremony held in Bucharest, Romania, on 27 May 2026.
The CEE Legal Matters Dealer’s Choice International Law Firm Summit and Deal of the Year Awards Banquet brought together prominent legal professionals from top law firms, international legal firms, and in-house teams across Central and Eastern Europe. The event provided a platform for leading lawyers to connect, share insights, and celebrate excellence in the legal industry.
We congratulate our colleagues on the achievement.
Partner refers to an independent Attorney at law in cooperation with Karanović & Partners
The information in this document does not constitute legal advice on any particular matter and is provided for general informational purposes only.
