The German Competition Authority Bundeskartellamt, has cleared the acquisition of Friedrich Hofmann GmbH by Veolia Umweltservice GmbH, subject to preconditions.
Veolia's main activities in Germany include drinking water supply, wastewater treatment, waste management, including material recycling, and energy supply, and it operates approximately 250 facilities in Northern, Eastern and Southern Germany. The acquired Friedrich Hofmann was engaged in the collection of municipal waste, light packaging, glass packaging, waste paper and non-hazardous commercial waste in the Franconia and Upper Palatinate regions of Bavaria.
With the acquisition, Veolia will take over a medium-sized competitor in Central Franconia, which is by far the largest provider of such services in the Bavarian region. Therefore, it was assessed that the acquisition would significantly restrict competition in the areas of household collection of lightweight packaging and glass packaging for packaging recycling and household collection of waste paper for public waste management in Nuremberg, Fürth and Erlangen. The takeover was authorized with the precondition that the parties sell one of the Nuremberg landfills to an independent competitor to be approved in advance by the Bundeskartellamt.
(Bundeskartellamt – 30.11.2023)
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