CELEX: 32016M8169
Language: en
Date: 2016-09-09 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 09/09/2016 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.8169 - VERLINVEST / CRC / JV) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

                                        Brussels, 09.09.2016
                                        C(2016) 5869 final

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                                        To the notifying parties

Dear Sirs,

Subject:    Case M.8169 – VERLINVEST / CRC / JV
         Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004[1] and Article 57 of the Agreement on the
         European Economic Area[2]

 1. On 18 August 2016, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger  Regulation
    by which the undertakings Verlinvest S.A. ('Verlinvest', Belgium) and Chinas Resources (Holdings) Co. Limited ('CRC', Hong-Kong SAR) acquire
    within the meaning of 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control of  the undertaking Resources Verlinvest Health Invstment Ltd. ('JV', Hong-
    Kong SAR) by way of purchase of shares in a newly created company constituting a joint venture.[3]

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

  – for Verlinvest: Verlinvest is a diversification investment holding company whose principal business is to conduct private and public  equity
    investments in the branded consumer goods industry, including food & beverages, retail and hospitality and digital and media,

  – for CRC: CRC is active in various sectors  including  power  generation,  gas,  real  estate,  consumer  products,  construction  materials,
    pharmaceuticals, finance, consumer retail, healthcare, microelectronics, textiles and chemicals;

  – for the JV: The JV will invest in companies which engage in the development and/or sale of food & beverages products that promote a  healthy
    lifestyle and the provision of community healthcare services, primarily in  the People’s Republic of China

 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 paragraphs 5(a) 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 adopted in application of Article 6(1)(b)
    of the Merger Regulation and Article 57 of the EEA Agreement.

                                        For the Commission

                                        (Signed)

                                        Johannes LAITENBERGER
                                        Director-General

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[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]   OJ L 1, 3.1.1994, p. 3 (the 'EEA Agreement').
[3]   Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 311, 26.8.2016, p. 4.
[4]   OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.

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                                                                  PUBLIC VERSION

                                                           SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE