BRUSSELS, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The following are mergers under
review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU
merger process:
APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS
-- U.S. buyout firm Carlyle Group CG.O to buy Dutch
lingerie firm Hunkemoeller from its private equity owners
(approved Feb. 5)
-- Pension funds USS Nero Limited of Britain, OPSEU Pension
Plan Trust Fund of Canada and PGGM N.V. of the Netherlands to
acquire Spanish infrastructure firm Global Vía Infraestructuras
from Bankia BKT.MC and FCC FCC.MC (approved Feb. 5)
NEW LISTINGS
-- Nordic Capital to acquire Scandinavian fruits and
vegetables distributor Greendeli Investment Holding (notified
Feb. 5/deadline March 11/simplified)
-- CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd 0001.HK and Vimpelcom VIP.O
to merge their Italian mobile operations (notified Feb.
5/deadline March 11)
EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES
-- Dental supply maker DENTSPLY XRAY.O to merge with
Sirona Dental Systems SIRO.O (notified Jan.7/deadline extended
to Feb. 25 from Feb. 11 after the companies submitted
concessions)
FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE
FEB 12
-- Airbus Safran Launchers, a 50/50 joint venture between
Airbus AIR.PA and Safran SAF.PA , to acquire sole control of
satellite group Arianespace (notified on Jan. 8/deadline Feb.
12)
-- U.S. video game maker Activision Blizzard ATVI.O to
acquire Dublin-based "Candy Crush Saga" creator King Digital
Entertainment KING.N (notified on Jan. 8/deadline Feb. 12)
FEB 15
-- British private equity firm Cinven CINV.UL to acquire
Munich Re's MUVGn.DE Italian insurance unit Ergo Italia
(notified Jan. 11/deadline Feb. 15/simplified)
FEB 16
-- Macquarie infrastructure investment fund MEIF4 to buy a
49 percent stake in Italian hydropower company Hydro Dolomiti
Enel from Enel ENEI.MI (notified Jan. 12/deadline Feb.
16/simplified)
-- Beauty products company Coty COTY.N to acquire 43
brands from Procter & Gamble PG.N (notified Jan. 12/deadline
Feb. 16)
FEB 17
-- U.S. buyout firm Carlyle Group CG.O to acquire Italian
customer services group Comdata (notified Jan. 13/deadline Feb.
17/simplified)
-- U.S. buyout firm Carlyle Group CG.O to acquire Italian
customer services group Comdata (notified Jan. 13/deadline Feb.
17/simplified)
FEB 18
-- McKesson (N:MCK) MCK.N to acquire certain businesses, notably
pharmaceutical wholesaling in UK and Ireland, from UDG
Healthcare UDG.L (notified Jan. 14/deadline Feb. 18)
FEB 22
-- British private equity firm Cinven CINV.UL to acquire
British shoe company Kurt Geiger (notified Jan. 18/deadline Feb.
22/simplified)
FEB 23
-- Sanofi SASY.PA and Google GOOGL.O to jointly set up a
joint venture for diabetes treatment (notified Jan. 19/deadline
Feb. 23)
FEB 24
-- Private equity firm PAI Partners to acquire French hotel
operator B&B Hotels (notified Jan. 20/deadline Feb.
24/simplified)
-- Sphinx Investment Pte Ltd and CVC Capital Partners
[CVC.UL ]to jointly acquire British motor services company RAC
(notified Jan. 20/deadline Feb. 24/simplified)
FEB 25
-- Israeli drugmaker Teva TEVA.TA to acquire U.S. peer
Allergan's AGN.N generics drugs business (notified Jan.
21/deadline Feb. 25)
FEB 26
-- British supermarket J Sainsbury (OTC:JSAIY) SBRY.L , Dansk
Supermarket A/S and Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc MRW.L to
acquire a grocery store (notified Jan. 22/deadline Feb.
26/simplified)
-- German food company Tonnies to acquire Danish peer Tican
(notified Jan. 22/deadline Feb. 26)
FEB 29
-- U.S. computer maker Dell Inc to acquire data storage
company EMC Corp (N:EMC) EMC.N (notified Jan. 25/deadline Feb. 29)
MARCH 1
-- Germany's Allianz SE ALVG.DE plans to acquire a 50
percent stake in SES Shopping Center FP 1 GmbH and so take
joint control of the Fischapark shopping centre in Wiener
Neustadt, Austria (notified on Jan. 26/deadline March
1/simplified)
MARCH 2
-- Italian insurer HDI Assicurazioni, which is a unit of
German insurer Talanx TLXGn.DE , to acquire Italian life
insurer CBA Vita, its subsidiary Sella Life and the remaining 49
percent stake in InChiaro Assicurazioni SpA(notified Jan.
27/deadline March 2/simplified)
MARCH 3
-- U.S. asset manager Blackstone (N:BX) BX.N to acquire indirect
sole control over Norwegian publishing and paper company Norske
Skog (notified Jan. 28/deadline March 3/simplified)
MARCH 4
-- Macquarie Capital and Canadian real estate investor
Ivanhoe to jointly acquire real estate developers Logos
Australia and Logos China (notified Jan. 29/deadline March
4/simplified)
-- U.S. engineering and construction group Fluor Corp (N:FLR)
FLR.N to acquire Dutch rival Stork LNDACT.UL (notified Jan.
29/deadline March 4/simplified)
MARCH 7
-- Private equity firm American Securities to acquire U.S.
industrial product company Blount International BLT.N
(notified Feb. 1/deadline March 7/simplified)
-- Private equity fund Lone Star Fund to acquire food and
beverage vending machine maker N&W Global Vending
NWGLV.UL (notified Feb. 1/deadline March 7/simplified)
-- Coop subsidiary Bell AG to acquire poultry processing
company HL Verwaltung (notified Feb 1/deadline March
7/simplified)
MARCH 8
-- Celulosa Arauco y Constitucion S.A. (Arauco) and Sonae
Industria SGPS, SA (Sonae Industria) to acquire indirect joint
control of wood products company Tableros de Fibras S.A.
(Tafisa) (notified Feb 2/deadline March 8/simplified)
MARCH 9
-- U.S. office supplier Staples SPLS.O to acquire U.S.
rival Office Depot ODP.O (notified Aug. 21/deadline extended
for the third time to March 9 from March 2 after the companies
asked for more time)
-- German agricultural services company Hauptgenossenschaft
Nord to buy sector peer Roth Agrarhandel (notified on Feb.
3/deadline March 9/simplified)
MARCH 10
-- Private equity firm KKR KKR.N tpo acquire sole control
of French IT services provider Webhelp (notified on Feb.
4/deadline March 10/simplified)
-- Statoil Fuel and Retail STL.OL to acquire fuels
business of Dansk Fuels (notified on Feb. 4/deadline March 10)
-- EDF EDF.PA and China General Nuclear Power Corp forms
NNB GenCo consortium for nuclear power plant construction
(notified on Feb. 4/deadline March 10)
-- LVMH LVMH.PA is combining its private equity and real
estate units with U.S. private equity firm Catterton to form L
Catterton (notified on Feb. 4/deadline March 10/simplified)
APRIL 22
-- Hutchison Whampoa 0001.HK to acquire Telefonica's
TEF.MC O2 UK subsidiary (notified Sept. 11/deadline extended
for the fifth time to April 22 from April 18)
JUNE 23
-- Oilfield services provider Halliburton (N:HAL) HAL.N to buy
rival Baker Hughes BHI.N in a stock and cash transaction
(notified Nov. 27/deadline extended to June 23 from May 26)
SUSPENDED
-- SOCAR, Azerbaijan's state energy company, to buy stakes
in Greek natural gas grid operator DESFA from Greek natural gas
utility DEPA (notified Oct. 1/deadline suspended on Jan. 21)
GUIDE TO EU MERGER PROCESS
DEADLINES:
The European Commission has 25 working days after a deal is
filed for a first-stage review. It may extend that by 10 working
days to 35 working days, to consider either a company's proposed
remedies or an EU member state's request to handle the case.
Most mergers win approval but occasionally the Commission
opens a detailed second-stage investigation for up to 90
additional working days, which it may extend to 105 working
days.
SIMPLIFIED:
Under the simplified procedure, the Commission announces the
clearance of uncontroversial first-stage mergers without giving
any reason for its decision. Cases may be reclassified as
non-simplified - that is, ordinary first-stage reviews - until
they are approved.