Consolidated files

The Competition Authority seeks views on the merger of Haga and Olís on the one hand, and the merger of N1 and Festi on the other.

The Competition Authority is currently investigating the competitive effects of the merger between Haga hf. and Olíuverzlun Íslands hf. on the one hand, and the merger between N1 hf. and Festi hf. on the other. As these mergers concern markets of great public interest, the Competition Authority has decided to publicly solicit the views of the public and businesses on the impact of the mergers on competition. To give the public and other stakeholders the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the matters, the Competition Authority has published the merger notifications for the cases on its website.

Data collection in the Haga and Olíuverzlun Íslands case has been ongoing for some time, as the investigation began after a sufficient merger notification was received by the Competition Authority on 26 September. Data collection in the N1 and Festi case is at a later stage, as a sufficient merger notification in that case was received just over a month later, on 31 October.

Research subject

In both cases, the Competition Authority must investigate whether the merger in question prevents effective competition by creating or strengthening a dominant position for one or more undertakings, or otherwise significantly distorting competition in the market, in accordance with Article 17. para. c of the Competition Act.

In its investigation, the Competition Authority is examining, among other things, the following points:

• The position of the merged entity in the grocery and fuel markets, including the impact of Costco's entry into these markets and the effect of the merger on specific geographical markets.
• The impact of the mergers on the future locations of grocery stores and petrol stations, particularly with regard to retail premises or plots of land that the merged companies will own, should the mergers go ahead.
• Ownership links in the grocery market and the fuel market, where major owners of these companies often have an interest in more than one company in the same market. The ownership links of these companies with suppliers are also under review.
• The impact of the mergers on stockholding and distribution in the fuel market.

Views requested

By this notice, all interested parties are given the opportunity to submit their views on these mergers. Views should be submitted to the Competition Authority no later than 7 December. They may be sent to the following email address: samkeppni@samkeppni.is or by post: The Competition Authority, Borgartún 26, 125 Reykjavík – P.O. Box 5120.

Procedure – time limits

The Competition Authority has 25 working days to decide whether there is a need for a further investigation into the competitive effects of a merger. If this is the case, the authority has a further 70 working days to make a decision in the matter. Given the complexity of the cases and the importance of the underlying markets, it can be expected that the Competition Authority will need to make use of these deadlines.

• Consolidation register for the merger of Haga, Olíuverzlun Íslands and DGV
• Consolidation register for the merger of N1 and Festi