CELEX: 32018M8872
Language: en
Date: 2018-05-24 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 24/05/2018 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.8872 - ADVENT INTERNATIONAL / LAIRD) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
                                                                Brussels, 24.05.2018
                                                                C(2018) 3315 final
                                                                        PUBLIC VERSION
                                                                To the notifying party
Subject:        Case M.8872 – ADVENT INTERNATIONAL / LAIRD
                Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC)
                                1                                                                             2
                No 139/2004 and Article 57 of the Agreement on the European Economic Area
Dear Sir or Madam,
1.      On 19 April 2018, the European Commission received notification of a proposed
        concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which Advent
        International Corporation ('Advent', United States) acquires within the meaning of
        Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation control of the whole of Laird PLC ('Laird', the
        United Kingdom)by way of purchase of shares.3
2.      The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:
        −     for Advent : a global private equity investor that focuses on investments in five core
              sectors, namely business and financial services; healthcare; industrial; retail, consumer
              and leisure; and technology, media and telecom. Amongst other portfolio companies,
              Advent owns Idemia, a global company which develops, manufactures and markets
              security technology products and services for the telecommunications, payments and
              identity markets.
        −     for Laird : a global technology company that provides systems, components and
              solutions that enable connectivity in mission-critical wireless applications and antenna
              systems and protect electronics from electromagnetic interference and heat.
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 146, 26.4.2018, p. 8.
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.
 ---pagebreak--- 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) 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
4  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.
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