Following a request by the Dutch Competition Authority (NMa), the European Commission (EC) has announced this week that it has referred the proposed acquisition of Netherlands-based Super de Boer assets by Schuitema to the antitrust body.
According to an EC statement, the Commission has opted to refer the case in its entirety, as it considers that the proposed acquisition could 'significantly affect' competition in the retail market for daily consumer goods in the Netherlands.
Through the proposed transaction, wholesale organisation Schuitema – which also operates 39 of its own stores – would acquire control of 21 supermarkets and 59 franchise supermarkets in the country, currently operating under Super de Boer's franchise formula.
The deal is closely linked to the acquisition of all Super de Boer assets by Jumbo, a move that was cleared by the NMa on 4 December 2009.
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