IP/06/892
Brussels, 29th June 2006
Mergers: Commission approves proposed acquisition of Fotovista by DSG The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of the French firm Fotovista S.A. by the UK company DSG International plc. Both companies are retailers of electrical and electronic consumer goods. The Commission concluded that the proposed concentration would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.
DGS is a UK company specialised in the retail of consumer electronics goods, personal computers, domestic appliances and communication products. DGS trades in the EEA under a number of well-known retail chain brands, which include “Dixons”, “Currys” and “PC World”.
Fotovista is engaged in the on-line retailing of electronic consumer products, and also in photo processing, in Europe, mainly under the brands “Pixmania” and “Mypixmania”.
The activities of DSG and Fotovista overlap in various segments within the electrical and electronic consumer goods retail sector in a number of EEA countries, particularly the UK and the Nordic countries. However, the market investigation carried out by the Commission confirmed that these overlaps are limited, and that the presence of other strong competitors active in the EEA, both on-line and through shops, guarantees a wide choice for consumers. The Commission received no complaints about the proposed transaction during its market investigation.
The Commission has therefore concluded that there would be no risk of anticompetitive effects occurring as a result of the proposed transaction.
