Industrial Development Agency may take over H. Cegielski – Fabryka Pojazdów Szynowych. The President of UOKiK gave the consent for four more transactions concerning undertakings operating in the following markets: selling hearing aids, plastics, road construction materials and chemicals.

Industrial Development Agency is a government agency established to support the restructuring of Polish businesses and adapt them to the conditions of international competition. It owns several dozen subsidiaries. H. Cegielski – Fabryka Pojazdów Szynowych (FPS) produces, inter alia, railway and tramway carriages as well as provides repair and maintenance services to these products. To date, the only owner of FPS has been H. Cegielski – Poznań, a machine and plant producer for the shipbuilding industry. The President of UOKiK granted the Industrial Development Agency a consent to acquire 100% of the FPS shares by public auction on 12th September 2010.

A consent was also issued for the acquisition of GEERS by Audionova. The participants of the concentration are retail sellers of hearing aids. Audionova operates in several European countries, whereas GEERS finds its market mainly in Germany. In Poland the company owns GEERS Akustyka Słuchu, which has a chain of 129 outlets selling hearing aids.

Another decision relates to the acquisition of Libet (an undertaking operating in Wrocław) by Cydia. The target company is a cobble seller and producer. Cydia is a company intentionally established to perform this transaction by Innova/4, an investment fund, which controls in Poland such companies as Meritum Bank and Expander Advisors.

The President of UOKiK has also given a consent for taking over Rosti by Stella Plastic. The undertakings produce plastic components used e.g. in the food industry (package lids) or in home appliances (kettles, coffee makers, etc). Stella Plastic does not produce or sell its products directly in Poland. The other company, however, has a subsidiary – Rosti (Polska).

In addition, Brenntag Polska has been allowed to acquire 100% of Cheman's shares. The participants of the concentration operate mainly in the chemicals wholesale market.

Having carried out the antimonopoly proceedings, the President of UOKiK decided that the concentrations shall not significantly impede competition in Poland.

Under the existing regulations, a transaction should be notified to the antitrust authority if the combined turnover of undertakings concerned in the year preceding the transaction exceeded 1 billion euro worldwide or 50 million euro in Poland.

Simultaneously, we would like to inform that the information on all antitrust proceedings regarding mergers and acquisitions carried out by UOKiK is available at the Office’s website.

Additional information the media:
Małgorzata Cieloch, Spokesperson for UOKiK
Department of International Relations and Communication
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warsaw, Poland
Phone: (+48 22) 827 28 92, 55 60 106, 55 60 430
faks (+48 22) 826 11 86
E-mail: malgorzata.cieloch@uokik.gov.pl