CELEX: 32021M10351
Language: en
Date: 2021-07-14 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 14/07/2021 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.10351 - BDT CAPITAL PARTNERS / CULLIGAN GROUP) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
                                                                Brussels, 14.7.2021
                                                                C(2021) 5362 final
                                                                                 PUBLIC VERSION
                                                                BDT Capital Partners, LLC
                                                                401 North Michigan Avenue,
                                                                Suite 3100
                                                                IL 60611 Chicago
                                                                United States of America
Subject:        Case M.10351 – BDT Capital Partners/Culligan Group
                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 22 June 2021, the European Commission received notification of a proposed
        concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which the
        undertakings BDT Capital Partners, LLC (“BDT”, United States), acquires within the
        meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation sole control over the whole of the
        undertaking Culligan Group, which is currently solely controlled by Advent
        International Corporation (“Advent”, United States) and currently operates via AI
        Aqua (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l. and its various subsidiaries by way of purchase of shares.3
2.      The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:
             for BDT: BDT is a merchant bank specialised in investments in family-owned
              and founder-led businesses. BDT currently has 18 controlled portfolio companies
              active globally,
             for Culligan Group: Culligan is an international provider of water treatment
              solutions, engaged in the business of developing and distributing water treatment
              products for homes, businesses and industrial facilities as well as portable, “on-
              the-go”, solutions. It specialises in the provision of a wide variety of water
              treatment products, including softening and filtration systems, water coolers,
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 226, 6.7.2021, 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---         reverse osmosis systems, desalination, membrane solutions and deionisers. In
        addition, it offers in-home water testing, design and installation services, on-site
        water analysis and commercial equipment and services.
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)
                                                   Olivier GUERSENT
                                                   Director-General
4  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.
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