Croatia’s market competition agency, AZTN, said on Thursday it has approved a proposed acquisition of local piping solutions provider Vargon by Austrian manufacturer of piping solutions Pipelife, a unit of Wienerberger.
This concentration will have an effect on the production of plastic pipes and fittings and the wholesale of plastic pipes and fittings in Croatia, in Slovenia and northern Italy, as well as in Croatia’s non-EU neighbours, AZTN said in a press release.
“These companies do not operate in the same product market, since Pipelife does not have production facilities in the defined relevant market for the production of pipes and fittings, whereas there will be a horizontal overlap in the wholesale of plastic pipes and fittings, given that both companies are present on that market,” it added.
In June, Austrian building materials manufacturer Wienerberger said it has signed a deal to acquire Vargon for an undisclosed sum and the closing of the transaction will take place in 2022, subject to necessary antitrust approvals and the fulfillment of other conditions precedent typical for such transactions. Pipelife is fully owned by Wienerberger.
Operating from its production site near the northern Croatian Adriatic port of Rijeka, the family business generated revenues of 24.4 million euro ($24 million) in 2021.
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
DOJ and FTC Introduce Website for Reporting Anti-Competitive Healthcare Practices
Apr 18, 2024 by
CPI
US Congress Advances Legislation to Compel TikTok Sale
Apr 18, 2024 by
CPI
UK Financial Sector Advocates Enhanced Regulatory Accountability
Apr 18, 2024 by
CPI
Google and All 50 States Defend $700 Million Consumer Settlement
Apr 18, 2024 by
CPI
Colorado Enacts First Law to Protect Consumer Brainwave Data
Apr 18, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI