CELEX: 32020M9750
Language: en
Date: 2020-03-13 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 13/03/2020 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.9750 - HIG CAPITAL / LAGARDERE SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT SAS / LAGARDERE SPORTS INC) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
                                                                 Brussels, 13.03.2020
                                                                 C(2020) 1748 final
                                                                                 PUBLIC VERSION
                                                                 To the notifying party
Subject:        Case M.9750 - HIG CAPITAL / LAGARDERE SPORTS AND
                ENTERTAINMENT SAS / LAGARDERE SPORTS INC
                Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation
                                       1
                (EC) No 139/2004 and Article 57 of the Agreement on the European
                                    2
                Economic Area
Dear Sir or Madam,
1.      On 14 February 2020, the European Commission received notification of a proposed
        concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which H.I.G. Europe
        Capital Partners II, L.P. (Cayman Islands), belonging to the H.I.G. Capital group of
        funds (“H.I.G. Capital”, United States of America), acquires within the meaning of
        Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation control of the whole of Lagardère Sports and
        Entertainment SAS (“LSE”, France) and Lagardère Sports, Inc. (“LS”, United States
        of America) together with their direct and indirect subsidiaries (but excluding certain
        subsidiaries3 ), together ( “Lagardère Sports”), by of purchase of shares. 4
2.      The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:
             for H.I.G. Capital: private equity investment firm,
             for Lagardère Sports: a global sports agency offering specialised services (rights
              distribution, host broadcasting, media and programme production, event
              operations, brand development, marketing and sponsorship) and holding a
              portfolio of sports media and marketing rights. Lagardère Sports has a specific
              focus on football.
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       Excluding Lagardère Live Entertainment SAS, Saddlebrook International Sports LLC, World Sport
        Group (Mauritius) Ltd., World Sport Group (India) Ltd. and Lagardère Paris Racing Ressources SA SP.
4       Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 62, 25.02.2020, 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 139/2004.5
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)
                                                  Olivier GUERSENT
                                                  Director-General
5  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.
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