FROM: Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
www.weil.com
Contact: Terri Young
Rubenstein Associates, Inc.
212-843-8018
tyoung@rubenstein.com
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEIL, GOTSHAL & MANGES ADVISES THOMAS H. LEE PARTNERS
AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT IN AGREEMENT TO SELL
EYE CARE CENTERS OF AMERICA
Transaction Valued at $450 Million
New York, December 3, 2004 – Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP advised senior management of Eye Care Centers of America, Inc. (ECCA), the second largest optical retail chain in the U.S., and Thomas H. Lee Partners, ECCA’s largest investor, in a definitive agreement to sell the company to Moulin International Holdings Limited and Golden Gate Capital for $450 million. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory and other approvals, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2005.
Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P., is a Boston-based private equity firm focused on identifying and acquiring substantial ownership positions in growth companies.
With 378 stores in 33 states, Eye Care Centers of America, Inc. is the second largest retail optical chain in the U.S.
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is an international law firm of more than 1,100 attorneys, including approximately 300 partners. Weil Gotshal is headquartered in New York, with offices in Austin, Boston, Brussels, Budapest, Dallas, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Miami, Munich, Paris, Prague, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Warsaw, Wilmington and Washington, D.C.
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP’s Team
Partners: James Westra (Boston, Corporate), Sharlyn Heslam (Boston,
Corporate) and Angela Fontana (Dallas, Corporate — Banking & Finance)
Associates: Stephen Mason (New York, Corporate), Philip Brewster (Boston, Corporate), Amy Meese (Boston, Corporate), Scott Sontag (New York, Tax), Benjamin Ferrucci (Boston, Employee Benefits), Edward Kim (New York, Employee Benefits) and Matthew Pacey (Dallas, Corporate — Banking & Finance)
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