1.   

On 22 July 2021, 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:

—	Lactalis Group (‘Lactalis’, France); and

—	La Cible (‘Leerdammer’, Netherlands) (2).

Lactalis acquires, within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation, sole control of the whole of Leerdammer.

The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares.

2.   

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

—	Lactalis: production and distribution of milk and dairy products, in particular cheeses, cream, butter, desserts and extra-fresh dairy products; and

—	Leerdammer: production and distribution of cheeses under the ‘Leerdammer’ brand.

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.

4.   

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit any observations they may have on the proposed operation to the Commission.

Observations must reach the Commission no later than ten days following the date on which this notification is published. The following reference should always be specified:

M.10260 — Lactalis/Leerdammer

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