CELEX: 32015M7524
Language: en
Date: 2015-03-04 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 04/03/2015 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.7524 - LONE STAR / HANSON BUILDING ENTITIES) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

                                        Brussels, 4.3.2015
                                        C(2015) 1546 final

|PUBLIC VERSION                                   |
|                                                 |
|SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE                      |

|                                                                       |To the notifying party                                                 |

Dear Sirs,

Subject:    Case M.7524 - LONE STAR / HANSON BUILDING ENTITIES
         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 5 February 2015, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation
    by which Lone Star Funds belonging to the Lone Star Group acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation control  of
    the whole of the undertakings Hanson Brick Ltd (Canada), Hanson Brick America, Inc.  (U.S.),  Hanson  Pipe  &  Precast  LLC  (U.S.),  Hanson
    Building Products Limited (UK) and Hanson Pipe & Precast, Ltd. (Canada) (altogether 'Hanson Building Entities') by way of purchase of shares
    and securities.[3]

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

      – for Lone Star Group: investment in financial and other investment assets and investments in  financially  oriented  and  other  operating
        companies,

      – for Hanson Building Entities: manufacture and trading of facing, engineering and special bricks,  concrete  and  lightweight  blocks  and
        other concrete products, block paving and urban drainage systems and structural insulated panels.

 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 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)
                                        Alexander ITALIANER
                                        Director-General

-----------------------
[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 51, 13.2.2015, p. 65.

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