A PYMNTS Company

France: Regulator clears The Kooples Group/Maus Frères takeover

By  |  May 20, 2019

In April this year the group Maus Frères notified the Autorité de la concurrence his project of taking over the company The Kooples Group. By a decision the Autorité clears the transaction without conditions.

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    The family group Maus Frères incorporated under Swiss law is mainly active in the retail distribution of clothing and footwear, through the Lacoste, Aigle and Gant brands, globally, as well as in the DIY distribution sector in Switzerland.

    In particular, the Autorité examined whether the acquisition of The Kooples brand by an actor already holding well-known ready-to-wear brands is likely to restrict competition in the retail clothing and footwear retail markets, especially at the local level where the parties’ stores are located in the same catchment areas.

    It found that in each of these areas, consumers will continue to benefit from alternative offers equivalent to the parties’ brands, in terms of price and commercial positioning (ranges). These competing stores remain in sufficient numbers not to encourage the new entity to increase the price of the items sold or to degrade the quality of the services provided in its stores.

    Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.