On Monday 12 June, the European Commission approved the acquisition of the company Intrum Justitia by Nordic Capital, subject to the condition that the companies divest their overlapping activities in the fields of debt collection and purchasing in five Nordic countries.
Nordic Capital is a capital investment company which owns, amongst others, the Norwegian company Lindorff, which is particularly active in debt collection and purchasing in Europe. Intrum Justitia is a Swedish company also present on the debt collection and purchasing market.
The Commission had concerns that the planned transaction would reduce competition in the debt collection and purchasing markets in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway and Sweden, as both companies are active in these countries. This would have the consequence of a loss of quality of services and higher prices for debt collection, and a potential reduction in the number of debt purchasers.
Nordic Capital has therefore undertaken to sell all of Lindorff's debt collection and purchasing activities in Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Sweden, as well as Intrum Justitia's activities in this sector in Norway. The European Commission concluded that if these commitments are honoured in full, the transaction would be compatible with the competition rules under European Union law. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)