Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.9154 — DV4/ABP/OMERS/QIA/Real estate JV) — Candidate case for simplified procedure (Text with EEA relevance.)
Date: 2018-12-03
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: economic concentration, investment company, merger control, real estate business








C_2018435EN.01004001.xml










3.12.2018   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 435/40






Prior notification of a concentration
(Case M.9154 — DV4/ABP/OMERS/QIA/Real estate JV)
Candidate case for simplified procedure
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2018/C 435/09)

1.   
On 26 November 2018, the Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1).
This notification concerns the following undertakings:






—


DV4 Limited (‘DV4’, British Virgin Islands);










—


Stichting Depositary APG Strategic Real Estate Pool (‘APG’, the Netherlands);










—


Oxford Jersey Holding Company Limited (‘Oxford’, Jersey);










—


Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company Q.P.S.C. (‘QDREIC’, Qatar).




Oxford, DV4, APG and QDREIC acquire within the meaning of Articles 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control over an existing joint venture that owns, develops, manages and offers for rent residential real estate at the Middlewood Locks site in Manchester (United Kingdom).
The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares.


2.   
The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:
—   for DV4: a real estate investment fund;
—   for APG: a depositary for an investment fund whose ultimate beneficial owner is Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP, a pension administration organisation that specialises in the field of collective pensions in the public sector;
—   for Oxford: part of the wider OMERS Administration Corporation (‘OMERS’) Group. OMERS is the administrator of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System Primary Pension Plan and trustee of the pension funds. OMERS manages a diversified global portfolio of stocks and bonds as well as real estate, private equity and infrastructure investments;
—   for QDREIC: a real estate investment and development company, wholly owned by the sovereign investment fund of the State of Qatar.


3.   
On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved.
Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under the Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.


4.   
The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission.
Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. The following reference should always be specified:
M.9154 — DV4/ABP/OMERS/QIA/Real estate JV
Observations can be sent to the Commission by email, by fax, or by post. Please use the contact details below:





Email: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu




Fax +32 22964301




Postal address:




European Commission




Directorate-General for Competition




Merger Registry




1049 Bruxelles/Brussel




BELGIQUE/BELGIË







(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’).

(2)  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.