Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has issued 28 decisions in concentration cases since the beginning of 2016. The M&A activity has ranged across markets, including retail of everyday household items, electric energy, automobiles, real estate and dyed metals.

The first of the concentrations involved the creation of a joint venture by Jeronimo Martins and Vershold Solutions. The former belongs to a capital group held by the owner of discount shops chain Biedronka. The company from the Vershold group seeks clients from Asia and distributes their products to discounters in Poland and other countries. The joint enterprise will operate under the name Asia Styles and will import and wholesale food products, and produce and distribute Asian ready-made meals.

Another acquisition involves two more consumer goods retailers. Stokrotka has been cleared to purchase a large format store from Frac Handel.

Gate Gourmet Sweden has also received the green light to acquire IFS Global, which is owned by a capital group that operates in the retail tourism market, mainly in airplane and ferry transport. In Poland the company operates duty-free shops at Warsaw’s Modlin airport and on Unity Line ferries. Gate Gourmet Sweden is owned by a capital group that engages in catering, procurement, logistics and the delivery of products and services for entities serving passengers in air and rail transport.

On the energy market, UOKiK has approved Fortum Holding to take over the Duon Group. Fortum belongs to a group led by the Finnish government, whose businesses mainly engage producing and selling electricity and heat. The Duon Group distributes natural gas, retails natural gas and electricity and also wholesales electricity. Fortum Holding is to take sole control of the Duon Group.

Elsewhere on the energy market, SFW Energia is set to acquire the Mielec Power Plant. SFW Energia generates, transmits and distributes heat in the municipality of Gliwice. Power Plant Mielec is a manufacturer and supplier of heat and electricity in the municipality of Mielec.

UOKiK has also okayed POL-MOT Auto to acquire properties from Audi/Volkswagen dealership and servicer Sieńko i Syn. POL - MOT Auto is also an authorised dealer that sells and services the Skoda, Opel and Peugeot brands and also services Fiat and Chevrolet. It has been cleared to buy a dealership and gas station in Bialystok belonging to Sieńko i Syn.

UOKiK has also approved the construction of apartments in Warsaw by a joint venture between Robyg and NCRE II Investments. Robyg is a developer operating mainly in Warsaw and the Tri-cities area on Poland’s Baltic coast. NCRE II Investments is held by a capital group that, together with Robyg, invests in the Polish real estate market. The joint venture will operate under the name Robyg Praga Investment II.

Finally, KARO - Biuro Handlu Zagranicznego (KARO - Foreign Trade Office) has been approved to acquire Walcownia Metali Dziedzice (the Dziedzice Metal Rolling Mill). Karo trades (purchases, transports and sells) scrap non-ferrous metals, particularly aluminium and copper. Walcownia Metali Dziedzice produces brass, in particular bars and rods, general purpose pipes and condensing pipes for heat exchangers, profiles, tapes and discs for coinage.

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