12 September 2014: The European Commission has referred the examination of four major acquisitions back to the Autorité de la concurrence
The European Commission has just sent back to the Autorité de la concurrence four merger casesthat would normally have fallen within its jurisdiction. In agreement with the companies concerned, it has considered that the French competition authority was the best placed to examine the acquisitions, particularly in relation to the national impact of these operations and its experience in the sectors concerned.
- Ramsay and Prédica / Générale de Santé (diagnostics and hospital-care supply sector)
The Autorité will be scrutinizing this operation to ensure that it does not significantly affect competition between clinics in France, in particular in Île-de-France where the companies already have a major presence.
- Kingfisher / Mr. Bricolage (do-it-yourself and home-improvement products retail sector)
The operation will create an industry leader with the superstores Castorama, Brico Dépôt, Mr. Bricolage and Les Briconautes/Les Jardinautes. The Autorité will carefully analyse the operation effects catchment area by catchment area and will particularly monitor those areas in which the superstores have a simultaneous presence. The acquisitions’ upstream effects, at the stage of the supply of DIY, gardening and home-improvement products, will also be examined.
- Carrefour / Dia (food retail distribution sector)
The Autorité will study the effects of the operation on all the local markets concerned: in Paris, the Parisian region, the major provincial cities and several provincial areas outside of the cities. The Autorité will also determine whether the operation is likely to harm competition in the upstream market for consumer goods supply.
- UGI (Antargaz)/Totalgaz (wholesale of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
Antargaz’s acquisition of Totalgaz, a subsidiary of the Total group, will lead to the disappearance of one of the major operators in the LPG sector in France. The Autorité will therefore analyse the operation’s impact on the markets for the sale of conditioned LPG, bulk LPG and fuel LPG.
| Timetable Merger control decisions are issued within a term of 25 working days from the date of acceptance of a file as complete, if no specific competition difficulties arise (phase 1). Should this move to the in-depth investigation stage (phase 2), the decision will be issued within a term of 65 working days. The Ramsay and Prédica / Générale de Santé operation was formally notified to the Autorité on 20 August 2014. It is now up to Kingfisher, Carrefour and UGI to give formal notification of their acquisition projects |
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