On Monday 21 September, the European Commission cleared the proposed acquisition of Mercator by Fortenova unconditionally under the EU Merger Regulation. The Commission concluded that the transaction would not give rise to any competition concerns within the European Economic Area (EEA).
Both Fortenova and Mercator supply the market for everyday consumer goods. Within the EEA, Fortenova is currently present in Croatia and Slovenia. Mercator’s activities take place mainly in Slovenia.
The transaction is part of the broader restructuring of Fortenova’s predecessor, Agrokor. In essence, it reintegrates Mercator into the same group of companies that it had been part of between 2014, when Agrokor took control, and April 2019, when all of Agrokor’s other assets, except Mercator, were transferred to Fortenova.
The Commission found that the transaction, as notified, would not significantly reduce head-to-head competition between the two companies in the markets for the acquisition and wholesale supply of daily consumer goods (the companies have very low to moderate combined market shares; a number of competitors offer effective alternatives for the products concerned). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)