EUROPEAN COMMISSION DG Competition

Only the English text is available and authentic.

REGULATION (EC) No 139/2004 MERGER PROCEDURE

Article 6(1)(b) NON-OPPOSITION Date: 24/10/2019

In electronic form on the EUR-Lex website under document number 32019M9524

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 24.10.2019 C(2019) 7746 final

PUBLIC VERSION

To the notifying party

Subject: Case M.9524 - Fortress Investment Group / Majestic Wine Warehouse / Les Celliers de Calais Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 and Article 57 of the Agreement on the European Economic Area

Dear Sir or Madam,

1.1. On 30 September 2019, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which Fortress Investment Group LLC (‘Fortress Investment’, USA) acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation sole control of the whole of Majestic Wine Warehouses and Les Celliers de Calais. The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares.

2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

- for Fortress Investment: an investment management firm;

- for Majestic Wine Warehouses and Les Celliers de Calais: retailers of wine, beer, spirits and other beverages.

3.3. 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.

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 341, 09.10.2019, p. 5.

4 OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.

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.

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) Cecilio MADERO VILLAREJO Acting Director-General

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