The Dutch competition authority (ACM) has unconditionally cleared Dossche Mills’ acquisition of Meneba. While Meneba is the largest flour producer in the Netherlands, Dossche Mills is a Belgian flour producer that supplies Dutch customers (industrial customers and small artisanal bakeries) from Belgium and a single location in the Netherlands. As part of its investigation, the ACM analysed the distance over which mills supply flour and factors such as supply and transport costs. In addition to Dutch mills, mills located in Belgium and Germany were also included in the analysis, and the ACM found that competition from German mills in particular will likely increase in the near feature. On this basis, the ACM concluded that Dutch customers located in the areas supplied by Dossche Mills and Meneba would keep sufficient sources of supply from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany post-transaction, and that the acquisition of Meneba by Dossche Mills would therefore not lead to any anticompetitive effects.
CRA advised Dossche Mills during the ACM proceedings.
For more details, please see the ACM’s press release.
