Commission européenne, DG COMP MERGER REGISTRY, 1049 Bruxelles, BELGIQUE  
Europese Commissie, DG COMP MERGER REGISTRY, 1049 Brussel,   BELGIË  
 
Tel: +32 229 -91111. Fax: +32 229 -64301. E -mail: COMP -MERGER -REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu . 
  EUROPEAN COMMISSION  
Brussels,  23.1.2020  
C(2020 ) 452 final  
PUBLIC VERSION  
To the notifying parties  
Subject : Case M. 9612  – CENTRAL GROUP / SIGNA PRIME / MAHIS JV  
Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation 
(EC) No 139/20041 and Article 57 of the Agreement on the European 
Economic Area2  
Dear Sir or Madam,  
1. On 19 December 2019 , the European Commission received notification of a proposed 
concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger  Regulation by which  Harng Central 
Department Store Ltd  (“Central  Group ”, Thailand) and SIGNA Prime Selection AG 
(“SIGNA Prime”, Austria ), acquire within the meaning of Article s 3(1)(b)  and 3(4)  of 
the Merger Regulation joint control over the whole of Mariahilfer Straße 10 -18 
Beteiligung S .à .r.l (“Mahis JV”, Luxembourg) by way of purchase of shares .3 
2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:  
 for Central  Group : merchandising, real estate, retailing, hospitality and restaurants 
primarily in Southeast Asia including Thailand,  Indonesia and Vietnam. In the EU, 
Central Group is active in the retail sector in Italy, Germany and to lesser extent in 
Denmark. In particular, it operates premium department stores in Berlin, Hamburg 
and Munich (through The KaDeWe Group).  
 
 for SIGNA Prime : purchase, development, rental, lease and management of retail 
and office real estate primarily in Germany and Austria. SIGNA Prime also holds 
the majority of shares in real estate companies that own certain department store 
properties of the departm ent store chain GALERIA Karstadt Kaufhof in Germany.  
 
 for Mahis JV: indirectly holds the real estate property at Mariahilfer Straße 10 -18, 
Vienna, which is currently occupied, in particular, by a furniture store . 
 
                                                 
1 OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 ( the ‘Merger Regulation ’). With effect from 1 December 2009,  the Treaty on 
the Functioning of the European Union ( ‘TFEU ’) has introduced certain changes, such as the 
replacement of ‘Communi ty’ by ‘Union ’ and ‘common market ’ by ‘internal market ’. The terminology 
of the TFEU will be used throughout this decision.  
2  OJ L 1, 3.1.1994, p.  3 (the ‘EEA Agreement ’). 
3  Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 4, 08.01.2020 , p. 11. 

2 3. After examination of the notification, th e European Commission has concluded that 
the notified operation falls within the scope of the Merger  Regulation  and of 
paragraph 5 (c) of the  Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of 
certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 .4 
4. For the reasons set out in the Notice on a simplified procedure, the European 
Commission has decided not to oppose the notified operation and to declare it 
compatible with the internal market and with the EEA Agreement. This decision is 
adopte d in application of Article 6(1)(b) of the Merger  Regulation  and Article 57 of 
the EEA Agreement . 
For the Commission  
 
 
(Signed)  
Olivier GUERSENT  
Director -General  
 
 
                                                 
4  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5 .