Kirkland & Ellis Represents Consortium in Going-Private of 7 Days Group Holdings Limited

Kirkland & Ellis International LLP represents a consortium comprising affiliates of Carlyle Asia Partners III, L.P., Sequoia Capital China Growth 2010 Fund, L.P. and Actis LLP as well as certain management shareholders in Keystone Lodging Company Limited's agreement to acquire 7 Days Group Holdings Limited (NYSE: SVN). The transaction contemplated under the merger agreement, announced on February 28, 2013, implies an equity value for 7 Days Group of approximately $688 million. 7 Days Group is a leading economy hotel chain based in China. The merger is expected to close in the second half of 2013, and if completed, will result in 7 Days Group becoming a privately held company and no longer listed on the NYSE.

The Kirkland team is led by partners David Zhang, Ashley Young, Jesse Sheley, Douglas Murning and Stephanie Tang, and consists of associates Aly Kassam and Steve Lin and consultant Julia Yu. Support on litigation-related matters is being provided by partner Samuel Williamson and associate Tiana Zhang.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is acting as co-counsel to the consortium in this transaction.

Kirkland & Ellis has a full-service practice in Asia, focusing primarily on complex, high-end cross-border transactional matters. With offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai, the Firm routinely advises on high-profile and high-value M&A transactions involving strategic and financial investors, private equity fund formation and investments, acquisition finance and global capital markets transactions, including Hong Kong and U.S. IPOs as well as high-yield offerings. In response to increasing client demand, the Firm has also deployed in Asia a team of lawyers who specialize in government and internal investigations, intellectual property and international tax matters. Kirkland's Asia strategy will be further bolstered by the opening of an office in Beijing, which is expected to occur later this year.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is one of the world's leading law firms, with more than 1,600 attorneys across the globe representing clients in complex corporate and tax, restructuring, litigation and dispute resolution/arbitration, and intellectual property and technology matters.