Prior notification of a concentration

(Case M.9019 — Mars/AniCura)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2018/C 327/11)

On 10 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:

—	Mars, Incorporated (United States),

—	AniCura TC AB (Sweden).

Mars, Incorporated (‘Mars’) will acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation sole control of the whole of AniCura TC AB (‘AniCura’).

The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

—	Mars is a global company, headquartered in the United States, active in several business segments, including pet care. Mars' petcare segment, headquartered in Belgium, is a pet food and veterinary care provider. Mars is active in the EEA in the manufacture and provision of pet food,

—

AniCura is a provider of veterinary care for companion animals (primarily dogs and cats). AniCura is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and operates animal hospitals and clinics across several countries in the EEA (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy). AniCura is also active in the sales of ancillary products, including pet food, through its animal hospitals and clinics.

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.

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.9019 — Mars/AniCura

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

(1) OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’).