L’Oréal/Body Shop
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
The European Commission has cleared French beauty company L'Oréal's proposed acquisition of UK retailer The Body Shop, Commission announces June 1. "After reviewing the operation, the Commission concluded that the transaction would not result in higher prices for cosmetics to the detriment of European consumers or otherwise significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area," the agency adds. Further, horizontal overlaps between the two companies are "limited," and the combined entity would "continue to face several strong competitors with significant market shares," the agency notes. L'Oréal announced its planned $1.15 bil. purchase of the retailer in March (1"The Rose Sheet" March 20, 2006, p. 3)...