IP/99/460
Brussels, 6th July 1999
Commission clears CVC’s acquisition of the food
and beverage glass packaging activities of Danone
and Gerresheimer
The European Commission has approved the acquisition of sole control by
CVC European Equity II Limited over BSN Emballage S.A., belonging to
Groupe Danone S.A. (France), and certain subsidiaries of Gerresheimer Glas
AG (Germany). The acquired companies produce glass containers for food
and beverages. In light of remaining competition in these markets, the
Commission considers this acquisition to be compatible with the common
market.
CVC is a company belonging to the CVC Capital Partners group. BSN manufactures
glass containers and bottles for food and beverages with production sites located in
France, Spain and the Netherlands. Gerresheimer manufactures glass containers
and bottles for food and beverages and has production sites in Germany.
The Commission assessed the market for glass containers used as a packaging
material for foods and beverages as the most likely relevant product market affected
by this operation. The Commission examined the possible effects of the operation in
different EU Member States, in particular France, and also on a wider geographic
scale, in an area covering Northern Continental Europe (France, the Benelux
countries and Germany).
Especially in France the new entity’s significant market share will be roughly in the
region of two fifths, similar to the market share of its main competitor, Saint Gobain
Emballage. In Germany, the new entity’s market share will be smaller, namely
roughly in the region of one fourth. The merger would not therefore create a single
dominant position for the new entity. Neither would the change of the existing market
structure in France be significant enough to create or strengthen any possible
collective dominance by BSN and Saint Gobain Emballage. On a wider Northern
Continental European scale, the operation would also leave a sufficient degree of
effective competition by other competitors in a market that features considerable
imports and strong buying power of customers for glass containers for food and
beverages.