CELEX: 32016M7824
Language: en
Date: 2016-02-11 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 11/02/2016 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.7824 - VITA CENTRAL EUROPE / WALMARK) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

                                        Brussels, 11.02.2016
                                        C(2016) 950 final

                                        [pic][pic]

|To the notifying party:                                                |                                                                       |

Dear Sirs,

Subject:    Case M.7824 - VITA CENTRAL EUROPE / WALMARK
         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 18.01.2016, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article  4  and  following  a  referral
    pursuant to Article 4(5) of the Merger Regulation by which the undertaking Vita Central  Europe  B.V.  (‘Vita  Central’,  The  Netherlands),
    belonging to the private equity group known as Mid Europa (‘Mid Europa’, United Kingdom), acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b)  of
    the Merger Regulation control of the whole of the undertaking Walmark, a.s. (‘Walmark’, Czech Republic),  currently  jointly  controlled  by
    Vita Central and Aternus, a.s. (‘Aternus’, Czech Republic), by way of purchase of shares.[3]

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

    - Mid Europa: private equity group which invests in a  number  of  sectors,  including  healthcare,  retail,  business  services,  logistics,
      telecommunications and leisure in Central and Eastern Europe and Turkey. Mid Europa owns, amongst others, Zabka,  a  chain  of  convenience
      stores in Poland.

    - Vita Central: investment vehicle.

    - Walmark: is active in the field of the production and distribution of dietary supplements,  over-the-counter  (‘OTC’)  pharmaceuticals  and
      other related products, mainly in Central and Eastern Europe.

 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(d) 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

                                        -----------------------
[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 028, 26.01.2016, p.6.

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

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                                                                  PUBLIC VERSION

                                                           SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE