CELEX: 32020M9718
Language: en
Date: 2020-02-18 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 18/02/2020 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.9718 - COBEPA / GERFLOR) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
                                                                Brussels, 18.02.2020
                                                                C(2020) 1043 final
                                                                                 PUBLIC VERSION
                                                                To the notifying party
Subject:        Case M.9718 – COBEPA / GERFLOR
                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 16 January 2020, the European Commission received notification of a proposed
        concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which Cobepa SA
        (‘Cobepa’, Belgium) acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger
        Regulation sole control over Gerflor Group (‘Gerflor’, France), consisting of the
        undertakings Topfloor SAS (currently the ultimate shareholding company), Midfloor,
        Gerflor SAS, Romus SAS, Gradus Ltd and SPM International SAS, by way of
        purchase of shares.3
2.      The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:
              for Cobepa: investment in Europe and North America,
              for Gerflor: manufacture and supply of flooring solutions and wall finishes for
                 professional and non-profesional customers.
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
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 (the‘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 24, 24.1.2020, p. 33.
4       OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.
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--- 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
                                           2