09 December 2009 LawFuel.com – Beijing and Phoenix – DLA Piper today announced that it advised Roth Capital Partners, LLC a full service investment bank, as underwriter in a US$39,675,000 stock offering on NASDAQ by QKL Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: QKLS), a leading regional supermarket chain in Northeast China.
Partners Rocky Lee and Steven Liu led the DLA Piper Beijing team with Zhang Linlin as a key member. Steven Pidgeon and Paul Hurdlow led the team in Phoenix, with assistance from David Pendergast.
Roth Capital Partners, LLC, with offices strategically located in the United States and China, is well known for finding, funding and fostering the growth of emerging companies. It provides investment banking services including initial public offerings, follow-ons, PIPEs, private placements, mergers and acquisitions, investment research, and institutional sales and trading.
QKL Stores is a leading regional supermarket chain company operating in Northeast China with its base in Daqing. It sells a broad selection of merchandise, including groceries, fresh food, and non-food items, through its retail supermarkets, hypermarket stores, and department stores.
Roth Capital Partners acted as the sole book runner for the public offering. QKL Stores closed the offering of six million shares of common stock at a purchase price of $5.75 per share on November 24, 2009, and closed the over-allotment of 900,000 shares at the same purchase price on December 4, 2009.
Rocky Lee, Partner of DLA Piper and its head of Private Equity & Venture Capital practice in Asia said, “Fast-growing Chinese companies are increasingly turning to international markets for capital to fund their ongoing expansion. This transaction is significant for DLA Piper as we work with the next wave of companies from China and their sponsors to access international capital markets.”
Steven Pidgeon, Co-Managing Partner of DLA Piper’s Phoenix office, said, “Roth Capital Partners’ role as the sole book runner for the offering demonstrates its willingness to back companies with potential. This deal illustrates DLA Piper’s ability to work with clients on important transactions quickly and efficiently across markets globally.”
