Purchase of ISS á Íslandi ehf. by Sands ehf.

The Competition Authority has been investigating Sandur's acquisition of ISS á Íslandi ehf. Sandur is a privately-owned investment company, while ISS provides, among other things, comprehensive cleaning services and all manner of related services throughout the country. The merging parties are therefore in unrelated activities and the transaction does not lead to an increase in concentration in any market; the merger is therefore considered a so-called conglomerate merger.

Following an investigation and having regard to the evidence, the Competition Authority is of the opinion that the merger does not prevent effective competition and will not result in the creation of a dominant position. Furthermore, it will not otherwise significantly distort competition in the market. Therefore, there are no grounds to take action regarding the merger under Article 17(c) of the Competition Act No. 44/2005.