Henkel’s brands takeover conditionally approved

Poland’s Office for Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has conditionally approved the takeover of three Polish detergent brands from PZ Cussons’s portfolio by Henkel, the watchdog said in a statement on Thursday. The deal involves Henkel buying the E, Kokosal and IXI brands of liquid laundry detergents, fabric softeners and dishwashing liquids. In order to be able to finalize the takeover, Henkel will have to sell the Rex detergent brand within the next 12 months. A market analysis performed by the watchdog found that the transaction could highly increase Henkel’s market power. This in turn could lead to a decline in the number of market players and, due to that, to a growth in prices, the UOKiK said. /kw