CELEX: 32016M7921
Language: en
Date: 2016-02-10 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 10/02/2016 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.7921 - CINVEN / KURT GEIGER) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

                                        Brussels, 10.02.2016
                                        C(2016) 912 final

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|                                                                       |To the notifying party:                                                |
|                                                                       |                                                                       |

Dear Sirs,

Subject:    Case M.7921 – CINVEN / KURT GEIGER
         Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004[1] and Article 57 of the Agreement on the
         European Economic Area[2]

 1. On 18 January 2016, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation
    by which Cinven Capital Management (V) General Partner Limited, part of the Cinven group, ("Cinven", UK)  acquires  within  the  meaning  of
    Article 3(1)(b) of the  Merger Regulation sole control over Kurt Geiger Topco Limited ("Kurt Geiger", Cayman Islands) by way of purchase  of
    shares.[3]

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

      – Cinven: private equity business engaged in the provision of investment management  and  investment  advisory  services  to  a  number  of
        investment funds active in a wide range of sub-sectors, mainly business services, consumer, financial services, healthcare,  industrials,
        and technology, media and telecommunications.

      – Kurt Geiger: London-based retailer of shoes and accessories for men and women that  offers  products  through  its  stores  globally  and
        concessions within department stores and online.

 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)
                                        Johannes LAITENBERGER
                                        Director-General

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[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 26, 23.1.2016, p.5.

[4]   OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.

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                                                                  PUBLIC VERSION

                                                           SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE