CELEX: 32020M9791
Language: en
Date: 2020-04-23 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 23/04/2020 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.9791 - SIGNA RETAIL / CENTRAL GROUP / GLOBUS) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
                                                                Brussels, 23.04.2020
                                                                C(2020) 2687 final
                                                                                 PUBLIC VERSION
                                                                To the notifying parties
Subject:        Case M.9791 – SIGNA RETAIL / CENTRAL GROUP / GLOBUS
                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 March 2020, the European Commission received notification of a proposed
        concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which the
        undertakings SIGNA Retail Selection AG and SIGNA Prime Selection AG (“Signa
        Group”, Switzerland, Austria), belonging to the group SIGNA Holding GmbH,
        ultimately controlled by Familie Benko Privatstiftung, on the one hand, and Harng
        Central Department Store Ltd. (“Central Group”, Thailand), ultimately controlled by
        the Chirathivat family, on the other hand, acquire within the meaning of
        Article 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control over the whole of
        Magazine zum Globus AG (“Globus”, Switzerland). The concentration is
        accomplished by way of purchase of shares and assets.3
2.      The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:
        −     for Signa Group: retailing, including through various department stores in
              Germany (“GALERIA Karstadt Kaufhof”) and Belgium and furniture stores in
              Austria, as well as real estate primarily in Austria and Germany.
        −     for Central Group: merchandising, real estate, retailing, hospitality and restaurants
              primarily in Southeast Asia and retailing in Italy, Denmark and Germany through
              the premium department stores of The KaDeWe Group.
        −     for Globus: operating department and other (fashion) stores across Switzerland.
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 100, 27.3.2020, p. 15.
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(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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