10 June 2011: Retail sale of household appliances and consumer electronics
The Autorité de la concurrence clears, subject to conditions, the acquisition of French Saturn stores’ sole control
by HTM (Boulanger stores).
The Autorité de la concurrence has investigated the takeover by High Tech Multicanal Group (hereafter HTM) of Media Concorde SNC. Both companies are active in the retail sale of household appliances and consumer electronics (audio/visual equipments, computer and electronic equipments, etc.).
HTM, controlled by the Mulliez family, owns many subsidiaries that operate stores under the brand names Boulanger and Electro Dépôt. The Mulliez Family controls the retail chain Auchan as well, that is also active on this market.
The Media Concorde SNC company operates, in France, stores under the brand name Saturn.
Despite the absence of competition concerns regarding the upstream supply market, the Autorité noted that the transaction would lead to a substantial increase in market presence of the newly formed company’s stores in seven catchment areas: Aubergenville, Mulhouse, Angers, Le Havre, Toulon, Tours and Avignon.
Therefore, the Autorité cleared the acquisition, subject to commitments that will remedy the competition problems identified on these catchment areas.
The newly formed entity committed to divest some retail outlets
HTM committed, on the one hand to divest five Saturn stores in the cities of Aubergenville (Yvelines), Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin), Angers (Maine-et-Loire), Le Havre (Seine-Maritime) and Toulon (Var) and one Boulanger store in Tours (Indre-et-Loire), and on the other hand to abandon the project of a Saturn store opening in Vedène (near Avignon, in the Vaucluse).
> Consult the fhe full text of Decision 11-DCC-87 of 10 June 2011.
> Press contact: André Piérard - Tel. +33 1 55 04 02 28 - email