19 March 2010: Food retail distribution in the DOM (French overseas territories)
The Autorité de la concurrence authorizes the acquisition of certain companies of the Louis Delhaize distribution group
by the Hoio group, subject to the sale of a store in Martinique
The Autorité de la concurrence has examined the Hoio group’s acquisition of certain companies from the Louis Delhaize group. Both of these groups are active in the retail distribution sector, most notably for food, in Guyana, Martinique and Guadeloupe. From the Delhaize group, the Hoio group acquires the Cora hypermarket in Cayenne (Guyana), some 50 local stores under the Ecomax name located in Guyana, Martinique and Guadeloupe, as well as the Propadis corporation, a food wholesaler in Guyana.
Prior to this operation, the Hoio group had not been present in the primarily food-based retail distribution markets in Guyana and Guadeloupe. On the other hand, it operates minimarkets in Martinique under its own store name, Super H, as well as supermarkets under the Casino name and hypermarkets under the Géant name.
The Autorité de la concurrence has therefore examined the operation’s effects on the island’s various trade areas (Plaine foyalaise, Marin, François, Ducos, Robert, Sainte-Marie and Lorrain zones). In this last area, the Autorité considered that the acquisition of an Ecomax store would strengthen the Hoio group’s pre-existing dominant position as a result of its operation of a Casino and of a Super H. In the other areas, the Autorité considered that the presence of several other distribution groups would serve to maintain satisfactory competition.
In the end, the Autorité de la concurrence authorized the operation, subject to the Hoio group’s commitment to sell the store acquired in the Lorrain area to a third party.
> For more details, please consult the full text of decision 10-DCC-25 of 19 March 2010