European Commission approves Selecta acquisition of vending company Pelican Rouge

The two companies are both active in the vending services market in the European Economic Area, and the Commission examined the effects of the acquisition in markets where their activities would overlap: in Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway and the UK.

The Commission found that the purchase would not lead to competition concerns in any of these countries except Finland, where the two companies have a high combined market share.

Selecta has therefore offered to divest all of its vending service activities in the country, the Commission said.

Selecta said in March that the combined company will have pro forma revenues of over €1.3 billion and pro forma EBITDA in excess of €200 million.

Selecta operates more than 132,000 vending machines in 15 countries, while Pelican Rouge is active in eight countries and has more than 150,000 customers around the world, Selecta said. Pelican Rouge is also a coffee provider owning and operating its own roasting facility.