Baker McKenzie advised Selecta AG (“Selecta”), a leading European vending and coffee services provider on its sale of Selecta Finland to JOBmeal. This was a ‘forced’ sale, as EU antitrust regulators cleared Selecta’s proposed acquisition of Dutch peer Pelican Rouge, subject to the divestment of all their vending service activities in Finland.
Selecta Finland employs about 95 people and generated net sales of approximately €13.7 million in the business year 2016/17. The acquisition represents JOBmeal’s first expansion to a new country.
The sale is subject to approval from the European Commission (EC) and the finalisation of the transaction is expected by March 2018.
Selecta and Pelican Rouge are both active in the vending services market in the European Economic Area.
In 2017,the European Commission examined the effects of the proposed transaction in the vending services market and its sub-segments at national level where the activities of Pelican Rouge and Selecta would overlap, notably in Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway and the UK.
The Commission concluded that the proposed transaction would not lead to serious doubts in the market for vending services in any of these countries with the exception of Finland.
In Finland, according to the Commission’s analysis, anti-competitive effects would likely arise in the market for full vending services, so Selecta was forced to sell its business in the country.
Baker McKenzie’ Zurich office advised Selecta with a team led by Alexander Fischer, who was assisted by Philippine Bossy and Christian Rioult.
