Haniel/Fels and Haniel/Ytong mergers
cleared subject to conditions
04.04.2002
The Bundeskartellamt has cleared Haniel group’s planned acquisitions of the companies Fels-Werke GmbH, Goslar, and Ytong Holding AG, Munich, which operate in the foam mortar market. However, both projects were only cleared subject to suspensive conditions.
The President of the Bundeskartellamt, Ulf Böge, stated: “The two merger projects would, in the form as notified, have led to dominant positions of the acquirer, Haniel group, in various regional markets for masonry materials in western and northern Germany. Therefore, clearance was only possible subject to suspensive conditions.” Accordingly, the merger with Fels-Werke GmbH, Goslar, may only be put into effect if Haniel withdraws from two significant joint ventures with lime sand and foam mortar producers in North-Rhine/Westphalia (Ruhrbaustoffwerke GmbH & Co., Castrop-Rauxel and KSPE Kalksandstein Planelemente GmbH & Co. KG, Haltern-Sythen).
In the Ytong case, the participating companies have to sell two foam mortar plants, one located in western and the other in northern Germany, before putting the merger into effect.