CELEX: 32013M6983
Language: en
Date: 2013-11-05 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 05/11/2013 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.6983 - STEINHOFF INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS / KIKA / LEINER) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

                                        Brussels, 5.11.2013
                                        C(2013) 7594 final

|PUBLIC VERSION                                   |
|                                                 |
|SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE                      |

                                        |                                                                   |To the notifying party                                                    |

Dear Madam(s) and/or Sir(s),

Subject:    Case No COMP/M.6983 - STEINHOFF INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS/ KIKA/ LEINER
         Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004[1]

 1. On 1 October 2013, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger  Regulation
    by the undertaking Steinhoff International Holdings Limited (“Steinhoff”, South Africa) which acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b)
    of  the  Merger  Regulation  control  of  the  whole  of  the  undertaking   Rudolf   Leiner   Gesellschaft   m.b.H.   (Austria)   and   LKM
    Beteiligungsgesellschaft m.b.H. (Austria), (together referred to as “Kika and Leiner”), by way of purchase of shares.

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

     – Steinhoff is active internationally in several retail sectors. In Europe, Steinhoff operates retail stores selling,  among  other  things,
       furniture, kitchens, household goods, products for home decoration and  electrical  appliances.  Steinhoff  also  manufactures  and  sells
       furniture at the wholesale level in Europe and provides certain logistics, supply chain management and warehousing services.

     – Kika and Leiner operate retail stores, mainly in Austria, selling furniture, kitchens, household goods, products for home decoration,  and
       small domestic electrical appliances.[2]

 3. After examination of the notification, the European Commission has concluded that the notified operation falls within the scope of the Merger
    Regulation and of paragraph 5(c)i and 5(c)ii of the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under
    Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004.[3]

 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 adopted in application of Article  6(1)(b)  of
    the Merger Regulation.

                                        For the Commission
                                        (signed)
                                        Alexander ITALIANER
                                        Director-General

-----------------------
[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 "Community" by "Union" and "common market"  by  "internal  market".  The
    terminology of the TFEU will be used throughout this decision.

[2]   Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 292, 8.10.2013, p. 7.

[3]   OJ C 56, 5.3.2005, p. 32.