‘3 to 2’ merger unconditionally cleared in Finland

In November 2011, following a Phase I investigation, the Finnish competition authority unconditionally cleared the acquisition of the Finnish ice cream producer Ingman by Unilever. The transaction reduced the number of main branded ice cream suppliers in Finland from three to two. The FCA concluded that the transaction would not give rise to concerns of collective dominance, citing factors such as the high degree of product differentiation in the market and the ability of buyers to disrupt any attempt at coordinating.RBB Economics advised Unilever during the investigation, working alongside lawyers Castrén & Snellman.