M/18/020 Armalou-Spirit Ford/Lillis O’Donnell
Transaction details
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (the “CCPC”) has cleared the acquisition by Armalou Holdings Limited, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Spirit Ford Limited, of Lillis-O’Donnell Motor Company Limited (the “Transaction”). On 9 February 2018, the CCPC received a notification of the Transaction from the parties involved.
The CCPC’s primary role in the merger review process was to ensure that the result of the merger or acquisition will not be to substantially lessen competition in any markets for goods or services in the State. The CCPC has formed the view that the Transaction will not substantially lessen competition in any market for goods or services in the State. The CCPC will publish the reasons for its determination on its website no later than 60 working days after the date of the determination and after allowing the parties the opportunity to request that confidential information be removed from the published version.
Pursuant to section 19(1) of the Act, any proposed merger or acquisition that is required to be notified to the CCPC shall not be put into effect until the CCPC has made a determination in relation to such merger or acquisition. The Transaction was put into effect in December 2015 without being notified to the CCPC. In October 2017, the CCPC commenced an investigation into the suspected breach of the notification requirements under section 18(1) of the Act, which is an offence under section 18(9) of the Act. The CCPC’s investigation is ongoing and, as such, the CCPC is not in a position to provide further information at this time.
| Notification date | Decision date |
|---|---|
| Friday February 9, 2018 | Thursday, March 22, 2018 |
| Parties Involved | Business activities |
|---|---|
| The Acquirer – Armalou Holdings Limited | Armalou Holdings Limited is the parent of a number of companies involved in the importation and distribution of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles and the sale of Volvo, Skoda and Ford motor vehicles in the State. Armalou Holdings Limited is part of the corporate group known as the OHM Group. Spirit Ford Limited specialises in the sale of new and used Ford cars and light commercial vehicles and provides both aftersales and repair services. |
| The Target – Lillis-O’Donnell Motor Company Limited | Lillis-O’Donnell Motor Company Limited, a private company limited by shares, registered in the State under company number 125254. Lillis-O’Donnell Motor Company Limited operated a Ford cars and light commercial vehicle dealership and aftersales service and repair business. |
| The Vendor – Lillis-O’Donnell Holdings Limited | Lillis-O’Donnell Holdings Limited, a private company limited by shares. Records available from the Companies Registration Office show that the company subsequently changed its name from Lillis-O’Donnell Holdings Limited to Airfield Villas Limited, the change was registered by the Companies Registration Office on 12 April 2016. |
| Economic sector | Media merger |
|---|---|
| Motor retail sector | No |
| Submissions from third parties due by: | |
|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Phase 2 |
| Thursday, March 1, 2018 | |
| Current status: Completed |
|---|
| Cleared (Phase 1) |
| Authorised Officer Assigned | Contact Details |
|---|---|
| Emily Thornton | Tel: 01 4703607 |
Media enquiries: doireannsweeney@ccpc.ie
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