Egg packers agree to interim separation
UK - The UK's two largest egg packers (Deans Foods and Stonegate), whose merger is subject of a Competition Commission investigation, have agreed to partially reverse their integration as an interim measure.Chairman of the inquiry, Dame Barbara Mills said: “When this merger was referred to the Commission, the companies had already integrated their businesses to a significant degree.
“The measures we have now agreed provide satisfactory separation of the businesses and other safeguards protecting our scope for action, if we were to conclude that this merger created a substantial lessening of competition.”
Measures include separating activities such as sales and marketing, farm management, human resources, IT, finance and accounting. The companies will separate transport and forecasting after the peak Christmas sales season.
Source: FWi