Metcash Trading Limited - completed acquisition of Fresh Market Meats

Summary

Metcash has acquired Fresh Market Meats, a packaged meat supply business, which supplies meat products to independent grocery retailers in Western Australia.

Market definition

The ACCC did not consider it necessary to come to a definitive view on market definition because the results of the competition analysis would be unchanged, regardless of the precise definition of the meat markets adopted.

Competition analysis

The ACCC formed the view that the completed acquisition was unlikely to substantially lessen competition in the relevant markets. Factors informing this conclusion included:
- that there was no horizontal overlap between the merger parties;
- that there was limited vertical overlap between the merger parties; and
- barriers to entry and expansion appeared to be low.