1.   

On 14 September 2018, the Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1).

This notification concerns the following undertakings:

—	CEP IV Daisy S.à r.l., controlled by The Carlyle Group (together ‘Carlyle’, United States),

—	Investindustrial Vehicle, controlled by the Investindustrial Group (together ‘Investindustrial’, United Kingdom),

—	B&B Italia SpA. (‘B&B Italia’, Italy),

—	Louis Poulsen A/S (‘Louis Poulse’, Denmark),

—	Flos SpA. (‘Flos’, Italy).

Carlyle and Investindustrial acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) and Article 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control of the whole of B&B Italia, Flos and Louis Poulsen. The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares.

2.   

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

—   for Carlyle: as a global alternative asset manager, managing funds that invest globally in buyout and growth capital, real estate, infrastructure and energy, structured credit, hedge funds, middle market debt and private equity,

—   for Investindustrial: as a European group of investment, holding and financial advisory companies, investing in medium-sized companies active in sectors such as industrial manufacturing, retail, leisure and business services,

—   for B&B Italia: the manufacture and distribution of designer furniture focusing on indoor and outdoor furniture for residential applications, including furniture for living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, as well as light fixtures for indoor use,

—   for Louis Poulsen: the manufacture and distribution of designer lighting solutions, including indoor and outdoor lighting products for consumer and professional use,

—   for Flos: the manufacture and distribution of designer lighting solutions, including indoor and outdoor lighting products for consumer and professional use.

3.   

On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved.

Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under the Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.

4.   

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission.

Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. The following reference should always be specified:

M.9102 — Carlyle/Investindustrial/B&B Italia/Louis Poulsen/Flos

Observations can be sent to the Commission by email, by fax, or by post. Please use the contact details below:

Email: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu

Fax +32 22964301

Postal address:

European Commission

Directorate-General for Competition

Merger Registry

1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

BELGIQUE/BELGIË