Kirkland Represents THL-backed AutoStore in Record-Setting IPO

Kirkland & Ellis advised Thomas H. Lee Partners (THL) and its portfolio company AutoStore in connection with AutoStore’s IPO on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The offering priced at the high end of the indicative range at NOK 31 per share. With an implied market capitalization of approximately $12.4 billion, this was the largest Nordic IPO in 20 years, the largest-ever Nordic technology IPO and one of the largest European IPOs in 2021. AutoStore is an innovative robotic and software technology company that operates in the rapidly growing warehouse automation industry, with more than 20,000 AutoStore robots deployed across more than 35 countries. This is the second IPO Kirkland has done this year for a THL portfolio company, following the successful IPO of Agiliti in April on the New York Stock Exchange.

Earlier this year, Softbank acquired a significant minority equity stake in AutoStore. Kirkland also advised on that transaction.

The Kirkland team was led by capital markets partners Bill Burke, Bob Hayward, Morgan Hill and Deirdre Jones and associates Chrystel Marincich and Lena Yoon.