• UOKiK has initiated the second stage of proceedings concerned with
• Maxima Grupe’s take-over of control over the owner of the Stokrotka chain.
• The case requires that a market survey be conducted.
• This by no means determines the decision that will be issued in the future.

Maxima Grupe is a Lithuanian company that is the owner of two retail store chains operating in Poland - Aldik and Sano. Emperia is a Warsaw Stock Exchange listed company that is the owner of the Stokrotka chain.

The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection has decided that the activity of the participants of concentration overlaps on the local FMCG retail markets, and on the national FMCG supply market. Furthermore, supplier-recipient relationships may also exist between concentration participants. Maxima places on the market such items as petfood, cereal, canned meat, pâtés and sauces, while stores owned by Emperia may be the purchasers of those products.

The second phase of the proceedings has been initiated as a market survey needs to be performed. First of all, UOKiK has to verify the market shares of transaction participants and their competitors. This will enable the Authority to assess if the concentration poses
a threat to competition.

Commencement of the second stage of proceedings by no means determines the type of the decision that will be issued in the future. The President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection may approve the concentration (conditionally or unconditionally), or may prohibit the transaction.

Additional information

Pursuant to the act on competition and consumer protection, proceedings pertaining to concentration consist of two stages. The first stage of the proceedings takes up to one month; however, in particularly complex cases where there is a probability of a significant restriction of competition or where a market research needs to be carried out, such proceedings may also last longer.

The UOKiK website publishes information on all concentration-related anti-trust proceedings conducted by the Authority.

Additional information for the media:

UOKiK Press Office
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warsaw
Phone: 695 902 088
E-mail: [SCODE]Yml1cm9wcmFzb3dlQHVva2lrLmdvdi5wbA==[ECODE]

Twitter: @UOKiKgovPL