CELEX: 32021M10402
Language: en
Date: 2021-08-27 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 27/08/2021 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.10402 - BLACKSTONE / GTCR / CAMPAIGN PARENT) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
                                                                 Brussels, 27.08.2021
                                                                 C(2021) 6487 final
                                                                                 PUBLIC VERSION
                                                                 The Blackstone Group Inc.
                                                                 345 Park Avenue
                                                                 10154 New York, NY
                                                                 United States of America
                                                                 GTCR LLC
                                                                 300 North LaSalle Street Suite 5600
                                                                 60654 Chicago, IL
                                                                 United States of America
Subject:        Case M.10402 – Blackstone/GTCR/Campaign Parent
                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 5 August 2021, the European Commission received notification of a proposed
        concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which The
        Blackstone Group Inc. (‘Blackstone’, USA) and GTCR, LLC (‘GTCR’, USA) acquire
        within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) and Article 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint
        control over the whole of the undertaking Campaign Parent, LLC (‘Campaign Parent’,
        USA), which is currently solely controlled by funds managed by GTCR, by way of
        purchase of securities.3
2.      The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:
             for Blackstone: global asset management and investment firm,
             for GTCR: private equity investment firm, focused on financial services &
              technology, healthcare, technology, media & telecommunications and business
              services industries,
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 325, 13.08.2021, p. 2.
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---        for Campaign Parent: ultimate holding entity of two operational subsidiaries,
        Simplifi and Advantage,
       for Simplifi: technology platform that helps advertisers sell advertisements online,
        including on the web, the mobile web, in apps and with Connected TV
        advertising,
       for Advantage: provider of enterprise-level software designed for advertising
        agencies and marketing companies.
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(a) 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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