Hussmann Corporation - proposed acquisition of Austral Refrigeration Holdings Pty Ltd

Summary

Hussmann proposed to acquire Austral's commercial refrigeration business.

As part of the transaction, Woolworths proposed to acquire Hussmann's Australian maintenance and service business assets.

Market definition

The ACCC considered the proposed acquisition in the context of the following markets:

i. The national market for the manufacture and supply of remote refrigerated display cases;
ii. The national market for the design and installation of remote refrigeration systems; and
iii. Region-based markets for the maintenance of remote commercial refrigeration systems.

Competition analysis

The ACCC considered that the proposed acquisitions were unlikely to substantially lessen competition in any relevant market. Factors informing this view included:

i. in each relevant market, a number of actual and potential alternatives existed that would continue to competitively constrain the merged entities; and
ii. barriers to entry and expansion did not appear significant.