Swiss Post banned from takeover
Last Friday, Switzerland’s Competition Commission (Comco) forbade Swiss Post to take over the Quickmail Group.
The commission said that the transaction would eliminate effective competition, and that there was also a market-friendly alternative. As both companies are engaged in the delivery of letters, parcels and magazines, the takeover would give Swiss Post a de facto monopoly.
Comco would only authorise the proposed restructuring takeover if the company was likely to disappear from the market within a short period of time without support and if there was no better alternative to the merger.
The commission has discovered that there is another interested buyer that would take over the Quickmail Group and thus remain in competition with Swiss Post. This is considered a competition-friendly alternative and would therefore be permitted. (mk)