Tobacco.org

Commission clears acquisition of Nabisco by Philip Morris. 

The European Commission has approved the acquisition of US company Nabisco Holdings Corp. by Philip Morris Companies Inc, also of the United States. The deal will create one of the world's biggest players in the consumer food products sector, but the impact in Europe will be limited to chocolate confectionery in The Netherlands and there is sufficient competition from other multinational companies, local manufacturers and retailers' brands. . .

As far as the EEA is concerned, the only substantial overlap is in chocolate confectionery in the Netherlands where Kraft's strong brands such as Milka and Côte d'Or will be joined by United Biscuits' Verkade chocolate, a well-known Dutch brand. However, the Commission's investigation showed that there remains sufficient competitive pressure from multinational players such as Nestlé, Ferrero and Mars and from Dutch player Baronie de Heer. In addition, retailer brands for chocolate tablets also have a particularly strong position in the Netherlands.

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