EU executive clears Refresco's purchase of Pride Foods
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission has approved Dutch drinks maker Refresco's takeover of British fruit juice bottler Pride Foods, the EU executive said on Friday, on the condition Refresco sells some of Pride Foods' German plants.
"The proposed transaction, as originally notified, would have eliminated an important competitor from the market of private label bottlers for supermarkets in France, Germany and Belgium," the European Commission said in a statement.
"The commitments offered by Refresco address these concerns," the Commission added.
Pride Foods operates under the name Gerber Emig and announced its deal with Refresco in April, seeking to create a pan-European bottler of soft drinks and fruit juices. (Reporting by Robin Emmott; editing by Foo Yun Chee)
