Andrew Page takeover to face further investigation by competition watchdog

The acquisition of automotive parts and garage equipment supplier Andrew Page by the US owner of Euro Car Parts is to face further investigation.

Andrew Page was bought in a pre-pack deal by LKQ Corporation in October 2016, a move which safeguarded the future of the company’s 2,000-strong workforce.

Following an initial investigation in March, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) asked Euro Car Parts to address competition concerns because it found the two business competed closely with eachother.

The CMA said that the deal with Andrew Page would be subjected to an investigation unless it offered “acceptable ways of addressing competition concerns”.

Euro Car Parts has “chosen not to offer these”, the CMA said, and now the deal will be scrutinised by an independent group of CMA panel members, called a phase two investigation. They have set a deadline of November 5 for a final decision.

The CMA said: “Both Euro Car Parts and Andrew Page supply car parts to independent garages across the UK, and the CMA found that they compete closely with each other. Therefore, the CMA is concerned that the merger could substantially reduce competition in a number of local areas, as well as for some large customers that purchase car parts on a national basis.

“Customers could lose out if their suppliers are no longer competing with each other to offer the best deal.”

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