CELEX: 32018M8918
Language: en
Date: 2018-06-01 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 01/06/2018 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.8918 - AEA INVESTORS / BCI / SPRINGS) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
                                                                Brussels, 01.06.2018
                                                                C(2018) 3650 final
                                                                        PUBLIC VERSION
                                                                To the notifying parties
Subject:        Case M.8918 – AEA Investors/BCI/Springs
                Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC)
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                No 139/2004 and Article 57 of the Agreement on the European Economic Area
Dear Sirs,
1.      On 4 May 2018, the European Commission received notification of a proposed
        concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which AEA Investors LP
        (together with its affiliates 'AEA', USA) and British Columbia Investment Management
        Corporation (together with its affiliates 'BCI', Canada) acquire within the meaning of
        Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation joint control of the whole of SIWF Holdings, Inc.
        (together with its subsidiaries 'Springs', USA) by way of a purchase of shares.3
2.      The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:
        −     for AEA: private equity fund with investments in various sectors, in particular value
              added industrial products, specialty chemicals, consumer/retail and services,
        −     for BCI: investing on behalf of public sector clients in fixed income, mortgages, public
              and private equity, real estate, infrastructure and renewable resources,
        −     for Springs: manufacture and supply of a variety of window coverings, e.g. blinds,
              shades, shutters, draperies and retractable awnings. Springs distributes its products
              under the brands Bali, Graber, SWFcontract, Horizons, MechoSystems, Sunsetter,
              Mariak, and Patrician.
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 167, 15.5.2018, p. 21.
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(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
4  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.
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