The Competition Council has authorized an economic concentration whereby joint control over Zmanagement LLC will be acquired by a group of associates (natural persons) following the purchase of the company’s share capital from its current sole shareholder.

This decision marks the first merger assessed by the Competition Council under the simplified procedure pursuant to the new Regulation on Economic Concentrations, which entered into force on 17 March 2025. The new legal framework brings greater clarity and flexibility to the notification process, enabling a streamlined assessment of transactions that do not raise competition concerns.

Zmanagement LLC operates in the HoReCa sector (hotels, restaurants, and catering services) in the municipality of Chișinău, where it owns the “Zentrum” hotel.

The acquiring associates are also shareholders of the ACVILIN Group – a group of companies active in the import and distribution of tobacco products, wholesale trade in food and non-food products, construction, as well as rental and operation of real estate.

The Competition Council’s assessment found that the parties are active in different markets, with no horizontal or vertical overlaps, and that the transaction therefore constitutes a conglomerate-type concentration.

Following its review, the authority concluded that the notified transaction falls within the scope of Law No. 183/2012 on Competition, but does not affect or distort the competition on the market. Consequently, the transaction was authorized and declared compatible with the competitive environment.

The Competition Council recalls that concentrations meeting certain criteria may be assessed under the simplified procedure, which allows for a shorter review period.

The simplified notification form may be submitted pursuant to Annex No. 2 of the Regulation on Economic Concentrations, approved by Plenum Decision No. 2 of 6 March 2025. The categories of concentrations eligible for this procedure are set out in Section 2, points 133–135 of the Regulation.