CELEX: 32022M10642
Language: en
Date: 2022-04-12 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 12/04/2022 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.10642 - CENTRAL / SIGNA / SELFRIDGES) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
                                                               Brussels, 12.4.2022
                                                               C(2022) 2477 final
                                                                               PUBLIC VERSION
                                                               Harng Central Department Store
                                                               Limited
                                                               14th floor, Central Chidlom Tower,
                                                               22 Soi Somkid Ploenchit Road
                                                               10330 Lumpini, Pathumwan Bangkok
                                                               Thailand
                                                               SIGNA Holding GmbH
                                                               Maria-Theresien Straße 31
                                                               6020 Innsbruck
                                                               Austria
                                                               SIGNA Retail Selection AG
                                                               Bärengasse 29
                                                               8001 Zürich
                                                               Switzerland
Subject:        Case M.10642 – CENTRAL / SIGNA / SELFRIDGES
                Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation
                (EC) No 139/20041 and Article 57 of the Agreement on the European
                Economic Area2
Dear Sir or Madam,
1.      On 21 March 2022, the European Commission received notification of a proposed
        concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which Harng Central
        Department Store Limited (‘Central’, Thailand), on one hand, and SIGNA Holding
        GmbH (Austria) and SIGNA Retail Selection AG (Switzerland), together ‘SIGNA’,
        on the other hand, will acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger
        Regulation joint control over SFP Holdings Limited, Selfridges Manchester Limited
        and SHEL Holdings Europe Limited (together ‘Selfridges’, UK), controlled by
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’).
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---    Selfridges Group Limited (Canada). The concentration is accomplished by way of
   purchase of shares.3
2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are the following:
       Central: is active worldwide in real estate, retailing, hospitality and restaurants
        primarily in Southeast Asia. In the EU, Central is active in the retail sector in Italy
        with the banner ‘la Rinascente’, in Germany with the banner ‘The KaDeWe
        Group’ and in Denmark with the banner ‘Illum’. It also conducts property
        development activities in Germany, Denmark and Italy,
       SIGNA: is primarily active in two business areas: retail trade and real estate. In
        retail trade, it operates a chain of mainly non-food products stores in Germany
        (‘GALERIA’) and in Belgium (‘INNO’). It also owns specialised brick and
        mortar shops of sporting goods, as well as a number of online shops with the
        banners ‘SportScheck’ and ‘SIGNA Sports United Group’. Further, it operates
        furniture stores in Austria, as well as two online furniture shops (‘kika’ and
        ‘Leiner’). In real estate, SIGNA focuses on purchase, rent, lease and management
        of land and buildings as well as project development. It owns real estate
        properties primarily in Austria, Germany, Northern Italy and Switzerland. It also
        operates luxury hotels in Austria and Italy,
       Selfridges: is primarily active in the retail of mainly non-food products including
        beauty products, womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, footwear, accessories
        and homewares. Selfridges’s retail business comprises three separate operating
        banners: ‘Selfridges’, ‘De Bijenkorf’ and ‘Brown Thomas and Arnotts’ with
        stores located in the UK, Ireland and The Netherlands, associated digital
        platforms, and real estate holdings in the UK and Ireland.
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 139/2004.4
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
3  Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 139, 29.3.2022, p. 8.
4  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.
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