Supermarket chains Jumbo and Coop cleared to acquire locations of rival Emté

The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has cleared the acquisition of 130 locations of Dutch supermarket chain Emté by rival chains Jumbo and Coop. Emté has locations in the east and south of the Netherlands. Jumbo will acquire 79 locations, and Coop will acquire 51 locations. One condition though is that Jumbo must sell locations to a competitor in three towns. This will ensure that consumers have sufficient supermarkets to choose from.

Acquisition of Emté locations by Jumbo subject to conditions

Jumbo is cleared by ACM to acquire 79 Emté locations. However, Jumbo will have to sell locations in Eindhoven, Veghel and Reusel to a competitor. This is because the investigation conducted by ACM has revealed that too little competition would remain in these towns after the acquisition. ACM must first clear the buyer of these locations. The sale of these three locations will ensure that consumers have sufficient options in these towns.

ACM does not expect any anticompetitive issues at a national level. Jumbo's national market share will only slightly increase, and, besides Jumbo, multiple supermarket chains are active that all compete with each other.

Acquisition of Emté locations by Coop

The acquisition of Emté locations by Coop will not cause any anticompetitive issues. Coop will acquire 51 Emté locations. In the towns where Coop and Emté locations are both present, sufficient competition will continue to remain after the acquisition.

ACM's merger control

ACM enforces fair competition between companies, and prevents the abuse of market power. When assessing mergers or acquisitions, ACM assesses in advance whether companies that wish to acquire or merge with another company do not gain too much market power. 

By doing so, ACM protects both competition and consumers.