On Thursday 18 December, the European Commission approved the acquisition of Délifrance of France by the Belgian group Vandemoortele, both manufacturers of frozen bakery products (croissants, pains au chocolat, etc.). This took place under EU Merger Regulation 139/2004 and was subject to commitments made by both companies.
To address concerns about maintaining sufficient competition in certain retail market segments in France and Italy, the companies have proposed the complete divestment (infrastructure, commercial contracts, personnel) of two French production sites that are located in Avignon and Béthune.
According to the European Commission, the sale of these sites to a third party will make it possible to maintain sufficient levels of competitive pressure on the entity that has been merged. Vandermoortele will only be able to acquire it definitively once the EU institution has approved the procedure for buying back the transferred entities from a suitable buyer. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)