The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA) approved on 19 June 2017 the acquisition of Eepee Agri Oy by Hankkija Oy. The FCCA concluded that the acquisition will not significantly impede effective competition, because Hankkija and Eepee Agri only have minor overlapping operations. Hankkija operates mainly in the wholesale sector, while Eepee Agri is one of its retailers in Southern Ostrobotnia.
Hankkija, a subsidiary of the Danish Agro group, is a store and service chain for agriculture-related products.
Eepee Agri is a company owned by Etelä-Pohjanmaan Osuuskauppa selling agriculture, iron, grain, garden and oil products. Eepee Agri is a retailer of Hankkija in Sourthern Ostrobotnia (Etelä-Pohjanmaa).
The FCCA’s decision includes business secrets of the parties involved. The decision cannot be published until the business secrets have been removed, i.e. in around two weeks’ time.
Further information: Research Officer Pontus Ranta, tel. +358 (0)29 505 3747, email firstname.lastname@kkv.fi
According to the Competition Act, the FCCA must be notified of the transaction if the combined turnover of the parties to the corporate transaction exceeds 350 million euros and the turnover of at least two of the parties resulting from Finland exceeds 20 million euros for both. FCCA approves a corporate transaction if it has no harmful impacts referred to in the Competition Act. FCCA will intervene in corporate transactions if its investigations suggest that the acquisition substantially impedes effective competition on Finnish markets or a substantial part of the markets, particularly through the creation or reinforcement of a dominant market position.