On 26 June 2024, the Danish Competition Council approved OK acquiring control of Coop Danmark A/S, which is a subsidiary of Coop amba and is behind SuperBrugsen, Dagli’Brugsen, Kvickly and 365Discount.
Due to OK and Coop amba’s long-standing collaboration and market positions, the transaction has involved different product markets within, for example, petrol and groceries, and the merger process has required separate analyses of competition in a number of local geographical markets. Therefore, the transaction process involved a plurality of analyses, calculations and data sets to identify every nook and cranny of the two old cooperative societies’ new partnership.
The agreement on OK’s investment in Coop Danmark A/S was finally adopted in April 2024 and has awaited the competition authorities’ approval since then. The merger was successfully approved by both the Danish and Faroese competition authorities after an efficient and thorough process that took just three months from the submission of the first draft notification to the decision by both authorities. In connection with the Danish Competition Council’s approval, OK has committed to divest a few petrol stations and OK Plus shops in small towns to ensure that the merger does not harm competition at the local level either.
Read the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority’s press release here.
Accura has advised OK throughout the process.
Photo: Coop.dk