Eversheds has advised R&R Ice Cream on the takeover of French ice cream manufacturer Rolland.

The deal will make R&R the second-biggest selling ice cream manufacturer in terms of supermarket sales in the UK, Germany and France.

The Eversheds team was led by Eric Knai, a partner in the firm's Paris corporate group.

The UK firm's team also included commercial partner David Williams, HR and employment partner Stephanie Stein and competition partner Dan Roskis.

Meanwhile, Rolland was advised by SJ Berwin, which fielded a team led by Paris-based M&A partner Maxence Bloch.

The Rolland business is France's third-largest ice cream manufacturer with 520 permanent staff. Seventy-five percent of Rolland's sales are in France, but it also has a presence in more than 18 countries throughout Europe, the US and Japan, producing over 55 million litres of ice-cream a year.

R&R group currently has an annual turnover of over €400m (£339m). R&R predicts that the combined entity will now sell more than 500 million litres of ice cream a year, and will generate sales of more than €500m (£419m).

Knai said: "Eversheds has a dedicated international food and drink group, advising a large number of clients in this sector. R&R is a longstanding, important client and we are delighted to have been able to advise them on this strategic acquisition."

US firm Shearman & Sterling also took a role on the deal, advising Credit Suisse and Barclays on the financing.

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