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Case No COMP/M.2232 - MARINOPOULOS ABETTE / SEPHORA HOLDING / JV

Only the English text is available and authentic.

REGULATION (EEC) No 4064/89 MERGER PROCEDURE

Article 6(1)(b) NON-OPPOSITION Date: 20/12/2000

Also available in the CELEX database Document No 300M2232

Office for Official Publications of the European Communities L-2985 Luxembourg

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 20.12.2000

MERGER PROCEDURE ARTICLE 6(1)(b) DECISION

SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURE

PUBLIC VERSION

To the notifying parties

Dear Madam and Sir,

Subject: Case No. COMP/M.2232-MarinopoulosAbette/SephoraHoldings/JV Notification of 21.11.2000 pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 14064/89 Publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities No. C 338 of 29.11.2000, page 10

1.On 21.11.2000, the Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 4064/89 by which the undertaking Sephora Holdings SA (“Sephora”) controlled by Groupe Arnault acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Council Regulation joint control over existing retail activities for cosmetic products in Greece and Romania that are currently operated by Marinopoulos ABETTE, of the Marinopoulos Group of Companies (“Marinopoulos”), by way of purchase of shares.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

For Sephora: production and distribution of its own brand mass-market cosmetics and distribution of Louis Vuitton, Moët, Hennessy and other luxury products, in specialised retail stores.

1OJ L 395, 30.12.1989 p. 1; corrected version OJ L 257 of 21.9.1990, p. 13, as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1310/97, OJ L 180, 9.7.1997, p. 1, corrigendum in OJ L 40, 13.2.1998, p. 17.

Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Bruxelles/Wetstraat 200, B-1049 Brussel - Belgium Telephone: exchange 299.11.11 Telex: COMEU B 21877. Telegraphic address: COMEUR Brussels.

For Marinopoulos: supermarkets, clothing stores, personal hygiene products’ stores; production and distribution of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals; mobile communications and computer hardware and peripherals.

2.After examination of the notification, the Commission has concluded that the notified operation falls within the scope of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 4064/89 and of paragraph 4, subparagraph a of the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EEC) No 4064/89.

For the reasons set out in the Notice on a simplified procedure, the Commission has decided not to oppose the notified operation and to declare it compatible with the common market and with the EEA Agreement. This decision is adopted in application of Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 4064/89.

For the Commission

2OJ C 217, 29.07.2000, p. 32.

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