RBB has advised Auchan on the notification of its acquisition of 98 hypermarkets and supermarkets operating under the Casino Group banner before the French Competition Authority.
RBB was involved early in the process, from the selection of targets to the assessment of local competitive conditions. The team evaluated market shares across affected local areas, produced geographic maps required by the Authority, and analysed catchment areas susceptible to raise competition concerns.
The transaction was cleared by the French Competition Authority subject to commitments on only two stores. One involved the divestiture of a supermarket in Aubagne. The other, a novel remedy, requires Auchan to sublease part of its sales area in the La Valentine hypermarket (Marseille) to two separate buyers.
RBB’s team, led by Benoît Durand
Benoît DurandPartner and Etienne Pfister
Etienne PfisterPartner, and supported by Meryem Haraj Touzani
Meryem Haraj TouzaniAssociate Principal and Alexander Eroshenko
Alexander EroshenkoSenior Associate, worked alongside Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP.
