UOKiK gives Maspex the green light to take over Agros-Nova. Following the acquisition Maspex is not seen growing its market share such that it could operate independently of competitors, contractors and consumers.

Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has approved Maspex Wadowice to assume direct control of Agros-Nova and its subsidiaries. Maspex heads a capital group that engages primarily in the production and manufacture of food products including juices, juice products, non-carbonated beverages, energy drinks, pasta, cereal products, sauces, ready-made meals, sweets, and diet supplements. Agros-Nova produces and sells fruit- and vegetable-based products including juices, juice products, non-carbonated beverages, jams, preserves, cranberry, tomato concentrate, ketchup, canned fruit, pickled vegetable products, soups, sauces and ready-made meals.

During its investigation, the Authority turned to the companies’ competitors on the juice and beverage markets to gain insight into the scale of their production and sales in recent years and their assessment of the acquisition.

UOKiK’s analysis showed that the transaction will have the largest influence on the domestic juice and beverage markets, the ready-made sauces market and the jams market. It is Mapex, producer of the well-known Tymbark, Caprio and Kubuś brands of juices, that gives the participants of the transaction such strength. Nonetheless, the takeover will not significantly change the structure of the market because Agros-Nova commands a small share, while Mapex will continue to face competition from other companies including Coca-Cola, Hortex, and Żywiec-Zdrój. The concentration concerns the takeover only of brands of juices, juice products and non-carbonated beverages Dr Witt, Tarczyn and Włocławek, while other labels including Garden, Pysio and Fortuna will not come over.

Competition will also not be affected on the ready-made sauces market. Here Maspex’s share of the market will be the result foremost of the position it will gain from acquiring Agros-Nova’s Łowicz’s brand of sauces, while it will be competing with industry behemoths Heinz and Unilever. The situation will be the same on the jams market, where Agros-Nova holds a strong market position. Maspex, which will square off again its largest competitor Stovit, is not expected to gain a dominant position in this market either.

Additional information for the media:

Press Office, UOKiK
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warsaw
Phone.: +48 22 827 28 92, +48 22 55 60 314, +48 22 55 60 430
E-mail: [SCODE]Yml1cm9wcmFzb3dlQHVva2lrLmdvdi5wbA==[ECODE]