Market announcement
Apollo Group OÜ
LEI code
984500BVJ5AFDT5C6D03
Size of the entity
Large group
Economic activities
Financial and Insurance Activities
Industry sector(s)
Other financial market operator
Country of registered office
Estonia
General information
Categories
Press release
Does the information contain personal data?
No
Is the data provided voluntary or not?
No
Original language of the information to be provided
Estonian
Is information covering a period?
No
The date to which the information relates
13.10.2026
Version
1
Unique data record identifier
19075
Submission date and time
13.10.2026 16:16:59
Content of announcement in Estonian
Title
Täiendatud: Leedu Konkurentsiameti otsus Vilniuse Akropolise kino kohta
Message
Leedu Konkurentsiamet jättis 6. oktoobril 2026 rahuldamata äriühingu emaettevõtja MM Grupp OÜ (edaspidi MMG) taotluse lahendada Vilniuse Akropolise keskuses asuva kino omandamise küsimus koondumisloa andmise kaudu.
MMG hinnangul ei ole ameti otsus kooskõlas Euroopa kinotehingute turul, sealhulgas Leedus, väljakujunenud praktika ega konkurentsireeglitega. Amet käsitles Hollywoodi filme teistest filmidest eraldiseisva turuna ning kaubanduskeskustes asuvaid kinosid eraldi turuna võrreldes väljaspool kaubanduskeskusi tegutsevate kinodega.
Samuti ei arvestanud amet MMG hinnangul piisavalt asjaolu, et Apollo kino sisenemine Vilniuse kinoturule 2021. aastal suurendas konkurentsi ja tõi kasu tarbijatele. Otsuse tulemusel võib Vilniuse Akropolise kino kuuluda tulevikus Apollo Groupi asemel Forum Cinemasele, kuigi see suurendaks turu kontsentratsiooni: Forum Cinemas oleks Vilniuses oma lähimast konkurendist ligikaudu kaks korda suurem.
MMG on otsustanud Leedu Konkurentsiameti otsuse kohtus vaidlustada ning otsus ei ole jõustunud. Vilniuse Akropolise kino edasine omandiküsimus sõltub seega kohtumenetluse lõpptulemusest, milleni jõudmine võib võtta aastaid. Üksnes MMG jaoks ebasoodsa lõpliku kohtulahendi korral võib realiseeruda prospekti lehekülgedel 26–27 kirjeldatud kino võõrandamise risk, mille realiseerumist hindab äriühing praegu vähetõenäoliseks.
Menetluse taust
Kõnealune otsus on üks osa Leedu kohtus pooleliolevast MMG ja Leedu Konkurentsiameti vahelisest laiemast vaidlusest. Põhivaidlus puudutab Vilniuse Akropolise ja Kaunase Akropolise kino omandamist MMG poolt ning ameti varasema praktika muutmist ja selle tagasiulatuvat kohaldamist.
MMG võõrandas mõlemad omandatud kinod hiljem äriühingule. Vilniuse Akropolise kino opereerib praegu äriühing. Kaunase kino puhul pöörati äriühingu ja MMG vaheline tehing riskide maandamiseks tagasi.
Leedu Konkurentsiamet leidis 28. oktoobril 2025 tehtud otsuses, et MMG omandas kaks kino ilma nõutava koondumisloata. Amet märkis muu hulgas, et MMG võib taotleda koondumisluba tagantjärele.
MMG vaidlustas selle otsuse kohtus, sest MMG hinnangul ei olnud kinode omandamiseks koondumisluba vaja. Paralleelselt esitas MMG Vilniuse Akropolise kino kohta koondumistaotluse, et lahendada selle kino omandiküsimus kohtumenetlusest kiiremini. Leedu Konkurentsiamet keeldus nüüd Vilniuse kino küsimust koondumisloa kaudu lahendamast. Seetõttu jääb nii Vilniuse kui ka Kaunase kino omandamise õiguspärasus kohtu otsustada.
Täpsustus 7,5 miljoni euro suuruse trahvi kohta
Meedias on viimasel ajal esitatud väiteid, et Leedu Konkurentsiamet määras Apollo Groupile 7,5 miljoni euro suuruse trahvi. Trahvi adressaat oli MM Grupp OÜ, mitte Apollo Group.
Sama eristus on välja toodud ka prospekti lehekülgedel 26–27:
„Riskijuhtimise eesmärgil teostatakse uute kinode omandamine tavaliselt MM Grupp OÜ tasandil, kes annab omandatud kinode omandiõiguse seejärel üle Äriühingule. Seetõttu ei kuulu Äriühing Leedu ameti poolt Vilniuse Akropoli ja Kaunase Akropoli kino omandamisega seoses määratud 7,5 miljoni euro suuruse trahvi adressaatide hulka.“
Lisainfo:
Toomas Tiivel
Juhatuse esimees
+372 550 5285
Content of announcement in English
Title
Updated: Decision of Lithuanian Competition Authority regarding Vilnius Akropolis Cinema
Message
On October 6, 2026, Lithuanian Competition Authority rejected the application of the company's parent company MM Grupp OÜ (hereinafter MMG) to resolve the issue of acquiring the cinema located in the Vilnius Akropolis center by granting a concentration permit.
MMG believes that the Authority's decision is not in line with established practice in European cinema transaction market, including in Lithuania, or with competition rules. The Authority treated Hollywood films as a separate market from other films and cinemas located in shopping malls as a separate market from cinemas operating outside shopping malls.
MMG also believes that the Authority did not sufficiently take into account the fact that Apollo cinema's entry into Vilnius cinema market in 2021 increased competition and brought benefits to consumers. As a result of the decision, Vilnius Akropolis cinema may in the future belong to Forum Cinemas instead of Apollo Group, although this would increase market concentration: Forum Cinemas would be approximately twice the size of its closest competitor in Vilnius.
MMG has decided to challenge the decision of Lithuanian Competition Authority in court and the decision has not entered into force. Further ownership of Vilnius Akropolis cinema therefore depends on final outcome of court proceedings, which may take years to reach. Only in the event of a final court decision unfavourable to MMG could the risk of the cinema being transferred, as described on pages 26–27 of the prospectus, materialise, which the company currently assesses as unlikely.
Background of the procedure
The decision in question is part of a broader dispute between MMG and Lithuanian Competition Authority, which is pending in Lithuanian court. The main dispute concerns MMG's acquisition of Vilnius Akropolis and Kaunas Akropolis cinemas and change and retroactive application of the Authority's previous practice.
MMG later transferred both acquired cinemas to the company. The company currently operates Vilnius Akropolis cinema. In the case of Kaunas Akropolis cinema, the transaction between the company and MMG was reversed to mitigate risks.
Lithuanian Competition Authority found in a decision issued on 28 October 2025 that MMG acquired two cinemas without required merger clearance. The Authority noted, among other things, that MMG might apply for merger clearance retrospectively.
MMG challenged this decision in court, as MMG considered that a merger permit was not required for the acquisition of the cinemas. In parallel, MMG filed a merger application for Vilnius Akropolis cinema in order to resolve the ownership issue of this cinema more quickly than in court proceedings. Lithuanian Competition Authority has now refused to resolve Vilnius Akropolis cinema issue through a merger permit. Therefore, the legality of the acquisition of both the Vilnius and Kaunas cinemas remains for the court to decide.
Clarification on the 7.5 million euro fine
There have been recent media reports that Lithuanian Competition Authority has imposed a fine of 7.5 million euros on Apollo Group. The fine was imposed to MM Grupp OÜ, not Apollo Group.
The same distinction is also made on pages 27 of the prospectus:
"For risk management purposes, the acquisition of new cinemas is usually carried out at the level of MM Grupp OÜ, which then transfers the ownership of the acquired cinemas to the Company. Therefore, the Company is not among the recipients of the 7.5 million euro fine imposed by Lithuanian Authority in connection with the acquisition of Vilnius Akropolis and Kaunas Akropolis cinemas."
Additional information:
Toomas Tiivel
Chairman of the Management Board
+372 550 5285