Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11301 – WÜRTH / DREES / LCM (JV)) – Candidate case for simplified procedure
Date: 2023-11-21
Institutions: Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission
Subjects: bolt and screw industry, consultancy, digital technology, economic concentration, financial services, merger control, project management, real estate business, software, wholesale selling








C_202301088EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
Series C













C/2023/1088


21.11.2023






Prior notification of a concentration
(Case M.11301 – WÜRTH / DREES / LCM (JV))
Candidate case for simplified procedure
(Text with EEA relevance)
(C/2023/1088)


1.   
On 13 November 2023, 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:






—


Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG (‘Würth’, Germany), controlled by Reinhold Würth,










—


Drees & Sommer SE (‘Drees’, Germany), part of the Drees & Sommer Group,










—


LCM Digital GmbH (‘LCM’, Germany), currently solely controlled by Drees.




Würth and Drees acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control of LCM.
The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares.


2.   
The business activities of the undertakings concerned are the following:






—


Würth is active in the global production and distribution of assembly and fastening materials. The Würth Group companies are divided into two entities: The Würth Line specialises in the production and sale of assembly and fastening materials for customers in the skilled trades, construction and industry. The Allied Companies, comprising trading and production companies, operate in related business areas, ranging from electrical wholesaling and electronics to financial services.










—


Drees is active in consultancy, planning and project management, supporting private and public customers and investors in matters relating to real estate and infrastructure.










—


LCM specialises in the development of digital solutions and products, with a focus on digital solutions for customers in the construction industry. LCM offers services such as software development, app development, e-commerce solutions and digital marketing strategies. LCM has so far been active in the EU and Switzerland.






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 treatment for certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings (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.11301 – WÜRTH / DREES / LCM (JV)
Observations can be sent to the Commission by email or by post. Please use the contact details below:
Email: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu
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 160, 5.5.2023, p. 1.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2023/1088/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)