AMCOR
European Commission approves takeover of Bemis / Divestment of three plants in Ireland and UK required
The European Commission has approved the acquisition of film and packaging group Bemis (Neenah, Wisconsin / USA; www.bemis.com) by competitor Amcor (Hawthorn / Australia; www.amcor.com). The Australian group announced the USD 6.8 bn (nearly EUR 5.9m) merger in mid-2018 – see Plasteurope.com of 07.08.2018.
The EU competition authorities are focused on the groups' healthcare packaging activities (Photo: Bemis) |
A condition of the EU approval is the divestment of packaging activities for healthcare products in Europe. Specifically, Amcor must divest three Bemis plants for flexible packaging in the UK and Ireland, with combined annual sales of USD 170m. By contrast, merging of the groups' food packaging activities is not seen as a competition concern in Europe.
Regulatory approval from the US and Brazil is pending, but Amcor said the companies were already in advanced talks with regulators in both countries. The transaction is now expected to close in the second quarter of 2019. Previously, Amcor had planned to see the deal completed in early 2019.
Regulatory approval from the US and Brazil is pending, but Amcor said the companies were already in advanced talks with regulators in both countries. The transaction is now expected to close in the second quarter of 2019. Previously, Amcor had planned to see the deal completed in early 2019.
13.02.2019 Plasteurope.com [241759-0]
Published on 13.02.2019