26/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - Mergers: Henkel/Spotless. On Friday 26 September, the European Commission cleared the planned acquisition of Spotless Group SA (France) by Henkel AG & Co KGaA (Germany). Both companies are active amongst other things in the production of laundry and home care products. The Commission concluded that the transaction would not raise competition concerns as the two companies' product ranges are to a large extent complementary. In markets where the two companies have overlapping activities, such as the market for carpet cleaners in France where Henkel's MiR brand competes with Spotless' Eau Ecarlate and K2r brands, the Commission found that the merged entity will continue to face competition from a number of other branded products as well as retailers' private labels after the transaction. Likewise in the market for metal polishes in Sweden, where Henkel's Häxan brand has a strong position and Spotless is active with the Bistro brand, the Commission's investigation confirmed the presence of a number of actual and potential competing alternatives that would continue to exert competitive pressure on the merged entity. Finally, the Commission's investigation confirmed that bringing together the two companies' product portfolios would not raise any competition concerns. (EL)