CELEX: 32015M7740
Language: en
Date: 2015-09-24 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 24/09/2015 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.7740 - APOLLO MANAGEMENT / CDG) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

Brussels, 24.09.2015
C(2015) 6701 final

                                        [pic]

|To the notifying party:                                                |                                                                       |

Dear Sirs,

Subject:    Case M.7740 – APOLLO MANAGEMENT / CDG
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 31 August 2015, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger  Regulation
    by which investment funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Capital Management L.P. ("Apollo", United States) acquire within  the  meaning  of
    Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation control of the whole of the undertaking Casual Dining Group ("CDG", United Kingdom) by means of  an
    amendment of the statutes of CDG.[3]

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

  – for Apollo: investment through funds managed through its affiliates in companies and debt issued by companies in various  businesses  around
    the world, including chemicals, real estate, insurance, paper businesses and television production businesses.

     –  for CDG: dining restaurants in the United Kingdom.

 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(b) 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 293, 5.09.2015, p.5.

[4]   OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.

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                                                                  PUBLIC VERSION

                                                           SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE