After Cartelamts decision
Takeover ban: Premium Food Group occurs a complaint
The Premium Food Group must not buy the Vion slaughterhouses. The cartel office has forbidden this. The group is therefore moving to court – and can imagine further steps.
The Premium Food Group (formerly Tönnies Group) defends itself against the ban on the Federal Cartel Office to adopt several battle stations by the competitor Vion. The food and battle group said that the case had been inserted and wanted to have the case checked by the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court. The appeal aims to contest an official decision.
The Premium Food Group plans to buy several locations from the Dutch company Vion – including the Buchloe, Crailsheim, Hilden and Waldkraiburg cattle slaughterhouses, as well as two skin processing companies. Vion wants to withdraw largely from Germany.
However, the antitrust authorities prohibited the takeover in June. They fear too much market position – to the disadvantage of farmers and other competitors. “In addition to its already dominating position in the slaughtering and processing of pigs in Germany, the Premium Food Group would also have gained a leadership position in the cattle area,” said Kartellamt President Andreas Mundt.
Tönnies: “We have a different market share”
Maximilian Tönnies, managing co -partner of the Premium Food Group and son of Clemens Tönnies, cannot understand the argument. “We have a different market share than the Federal Cartel Office,” he said on Monday evening at an event at an event at the Economic Public Association (WPV) in Düsseldorf. The group has proven several times to lead other companies out of crises and to create a perspective for employees, farmers and partners.
Tönnies also takes other steps into account, such as applying for a ministerial license to the Federal Ministry of Economics. “We keep all the options open.” The company enjoys a high degree of trust in politics. Such an exemption is possible, for example if there is an outstanding public interest.
Group gets into the family Butchers
The Premium Food Group recently announced that the majority also adopted the sausage manufacturer The Family Butchers from Versmold. This is also checked by the antitrust authorities.
Germany’s largest meat group Tönnies renamed Premium Food Group at the beginning of this year. This was justified with the change from the pure meat company to a food company with a wide range of products. The slaughterhouse business continues to operate under the name Tönnies. According to its own statements, the group based in East Westphalia has recently achieved 7.8 billion euros in sales a year and employs 21,000 people worldwide.
dpa
Source: Stern
