The Autorité de la concurrence clears the takeover of C2s clinics by the Elsan group
Following the referral decision of the European Commission on 12 April 2021, the Elsan group notified the Autorité of its plan to take exclusive control of the C2S clinics on 30 April 2021.
Parties to the transaction
The Elsan group operates around 120 private health establishments located in France, which mainly offer medical, surgical and obstetrical services as well as follow-up and rehabilitation care. Elsan also offers, to a lesser extent, comfort home hospitalisation and cosmetic surgery services.
C2S is a private hospitalisation group active in France, which has 17 healthcare establishments located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté regions. These establishments mainly offer medical, surgical and obstetrical services and, to a lesser extent, after-care and rehabilitation services, home hospitalisation and cosmetic surgery.
The transaction is not likely to harm competition
During its analysis, the Autorité was able to re-examine and confirm its decision-making practice established in particular in its decision 20-DCC-38 regarding the exclusive control acquisition of the company Hexagone Santé Méditerranée and SCI Bonnefon- Carnot by the Elsan group.
Any competitive risk could thus be ruled out concerning the markets in which the activities of the parties overlap, namely the markets for the supply of diagnostics and hospital care, the provision of infrastructure physicians necessary for their activities, follow-up and rehabilitation care, home hospitalisation and cosmetic and comfort surgery.
The Autorité also ruled out any competitive risk with regard to the markets for follow-up and rehabilitation care and home hospitalisation, given the location of the parties' establishments, the presence of competitors and the applicable regulations, in particular for home hospitalisation.
Considering that the transaction is not likely to harm competition, the Autorité cleared it without condition.
See decision 21-DCC-86 regarding the exclusive control acquisition of the C2S clinics by Elsan group