Jens Steger Discusses How EDEKA Merger Will Create a Precedent for the Food Industry in Lebensmittel Zeitung

German newspaper Lebensmittel Zeitung turned to Jens Steger for legal insights on antitrust issues involved in the planned mega-merger between two leading German grocers. Kaisers Tengelmann, one of Germany’s largest grocers with a yearly turnover of €1.8 billion, has announced plans to sell its entire business to its competitor EDEKA, one of the four biggest grocers in Germany with an turnover of approximately €46 billion in 2013. This merger contains numerous legal issues related to merger control law in Germany, including the newly incorporated significant impediment to effective competition (SIEC) test. Jens noted that competitors of EDEKA in particular should be admitted to the merger control proceeding before the German Bundeskartellamt.