A&O Shearman advises AUTODOC on acquisition of minority stake held by Apollo funds

A&O Shearman advised Autodoc Holding SE on the acquisition of the minority stake in Autodoc SE held by Apollo funds and on the related financing; AUTODOC’s legal affairs were also supported in-house by Chief Legal Officer Maximilian Freiherr von Schorlemer. The transaction involved Autodoc Holding SE purchasing the minority stake in Autodoc SE previously held by Apollo funds. The purchase was financed through the placement of a Term Loan B in the amount of EUR 530 million. The acquisition concludes a time-limited partnership that began in April 2024, when Apollo acquired the minority stake at an equity valuation of EUR 2.3 billion. As an institutional partner, Apollo supported AUTODOC with strategic advice to expand access to institutional capital markets and prepare the company for a possible IPO. The partnership with Apollo contributed to improvements in corporate governance, reporting and operational scalability at AUTODOC. With completion of the transaction, the three founders—Alexej Erdle, Max Wegner and Vitalij Kungel—now indirectly hold 100 percent of the shares in Autodoc SE again through their investment company AutoTech GmbH & Co. KG. AUTODOC, founded in Berlin in 2008 by Alexej Erdle, Max Wegner and Vitalij Kungel, operates as the European company Autodoc SE since November 2022. As of 31 December 2025 AUTODOC’s product range comprised around 7.8 million item numbers from some 2,700 brand manufacturers, covering parts for cars, trucks and motorcycles, tires and complementary products. In 2025 AUTODOC generated sales of EUR 1.8 billion (2024: EUR 1.6 billion). The company operates online shops in 27 European countries and employs more than 5,500 people at 13 locations across Europe and beyond. Apollo is a global asset manager investing across alternative asset classes such as private equity, private credit, infrastructure and real estate, and also provides financing solutions worldwide. Through its subsidiary Athene, Apollo is active in retirement provision and annuity products. A&O Shearman represented Autodoc Holding SE with a team composed by: Dr. Christian Eichner (Partner, Düsseldorf), Kyrill Chilevych (Counsel, Düsseldorf), Eva Hohmann (Senior Associate, Düsseldorf), Dr. Christina Vossen (Associate, Düsseldorf) and Lasse Ostholt (Associate, Düsseldorf) — all corporate/M&A; and partners Dr. Hans Diekmann (corporate/M&A, Düsseldorf), Dr. Walter Uebelhoer (banking, Munich), Dr. Knut Sauer (capital markets, Frankfurt), Dr. Sebastian Schulz (employment and benefits, Frankfurt), counsel Nadine Kämper (capital markets, Frankfurt), Senior Associate Nils Holzgrefe (banking, Munich), and associates Nico Theiß (capital markets, Frankfurt) and Dr. Thomas Hohe (employment and benefits, Frankfurt). A&O Shearman represented Autodoc Holding SE in relation to the financing with a team composed by: Dr. Walter Uebelhoer (lead, Munich), Xinni Lim (lead, London), Neil Sinha (partner, debt finance, London), Senior Associate Julia Bräuer (Munich), Senior Associate Nils Holzgrefe (banking, Munich), and associates Jack Mellett (London) and Melvin Loo (London). AUTODOC’s in-house legal department represented AUTODOC with a team composed by: Maximilian Freiherr von Schorlemer, Chief Legal Officer, who provided legal support on all legally relevant aspects of the transaction. A&O Shearman had previously advised AUTODOC in 2024 on the establishment of the cooperation with Apollo and in 2025 on IPO preparations.

Menu

A&O Shearman advises AUTODOC on acquisition of minority stake held by Apollo funds

Read the full story

Menu

A&O Shearman advises AUTODOC on acquisition of minority stake held by Apollo funds

Read the full story

Cookie Preferences

Strictly Necessary

Analytics & Statistics

Marketing & Ads