The report: “Mergers in the Dutch grocery sector: an ex-post evaluation” is online

The study investigates the impact of three mergers between major Dutch supermarket chains, all cleared with divestitures by the Autoriteit Consument & Markt (“ACM”).
The results obtained show that the mergers had no effect on price but negatively impacted variety. This negative effect has been only partially outweighed by the required store divestitures.
The study finally discusses the implications of such results on the effectiveness of the ACM’s decision.

To see the pubblication click here