The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission today issued a Statement of Issues on the proposed acquisition by InvoCare Limited of Bledisloe Group Holdings Pty Ltd.
InvoCare is the largest provider of funeral services and the largest operator of private cemeteries and crematoria in Australia. Bledisloe operates a funeral directing business in Australia and owns cemeteries and crematoria in Queensland.
The funeral directing brands owned by InvoCare include, amongst others, White Lady Funerals, Simplicity Funerals, Guardian Funerals, W.N. Bull, Ann Wilson Funerals, Le Pine Funerals and George Hartnett Funerals.
The funeral directing brands owned by Bledisloe include, amongst others, Gregory and Carr, Boland Funerals, Metropolitan Funerals and WD Rose Funerals.
The Statement of Issues seeks further information on certain competition issues, which have arisen from the ACCC's market inquiries to date.
The ACCC invites further submissions from the market by 4 February 2011. To allow for submissions in response to the Statement of Issues, the ACCC's final decision will be deferred until 3 March 2011.
Submissions can be sent by email to the ACCC at: mergers@accc.gov.au.
The Statement of Issues will be available on the public merger register on the ACCC's website.