Merger clearance: The French Competition Authority delivers its first clearance decision of a merger (Pellier Metz/Bailly)

*This article is an automatic translation of the original article in French, provided here for your convenience. Read the original article. Aut. conc. dec. no. 09-DCC-01 of April 8, 2009 relating to the takeover of Pellier Metz S.A.S. by the Bailly S.A.S. group. In a decision dated April 8, 2009, the French Competition Authority unconditionally authorized the acquisition of Pellier Metz SAS by the Bailly SAS group. Both companies are active in the motor vehicle retail sector in eastern France, the target being BMW dealerships, while the acquiring group operates dealerships for various brands, including BMW. This is the first merger decision issued by the Authority under the regime resulting from the Law of 4 August 2008 and is therefore of particular interest. Controllability of