26 December 2018: Bookshops

The Autorité de la concurrence clears the acquisition of Decitre and Decitre Interactive by  Furet du Nord

On 3 December 2018, FDN Finances (Le Furet du Nord group) notified the Autorité de la concurrence of its intention to acquire exclusive control of Decitre and Decitre Interactive.

Parties to the transaction

The Furet du Nord group is mainly active in the book and stationery retail sector, almost exclusively through a network of brick-and-mortar shops, localized in the north of France.
Decitre and Decitre Interactive are also active in the book and stationary retail sector. The stores they manage are primarily located in the Rhône-Alpes region. Additionally, they sell databases and biographic research tools for professionals.

The transaction is not likely to harm competition

The Autorité de la concurrence cleared the transaction, concluding that the new entity would hold limited market share in the markets concerned.

Insofar as Decitre and Le Furet du Nord are active in distinct geographical areas, the transaction will not lead to any overlapping activities at local level. Further, the online book retailing activity of Groupe Furet du Nord being very limited; the transaction only brings about marginal change to the market for distance sales of books to the final consumer, which rules out any competition issues in the market.

Lastly, any risk of foreclosure in the upstream book and stationery supply markets can be ruled out as the new entity will face numerous competitors in this market (specialized supermarkets, supermarkets, bookstores), some of which are active throughout France. 

> The full text of Decision 18-DCC-216 of 12 December 2018 will be published shortly on the website of the Autorité.
>  Press contact: Chloé Duretête Tel +33 (0)1 55 04 01 20 / E-mail