The distributor Casino, in financial difficulty, announced on Friday February 2 that it had obtained the authorization from all the competition authorities necessary for its takeover. Its financial restructuring now remains subject to a decision by the Paris commercial court. The group must change hands by March or April and come under the control of billionaires Daniel Kretinsky and Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, backed by the Attestor investment fund.
On January 8, the European Commission authorized the takeover of the French distributor and gave its agreement on competition issues. Friday night, in a press release, Casino announces that “the European Commission issued a decision on February 2 authorizing the operation, under the regulations on foreign subsidies”.
The group also announces that the competition authorities of Serbia, North Macedonia, Morocco and Kosovo “have issued decisions authorizing, under merger control, the takeover of the Casino group by the consortium as part of the financial restructuring, it being specified that the acquisition vehicle of the consortium will be controlled by” Daniel Kretinsky’s company.
Casino specifies that the Luxembourg Insurance Authority has also “authorized the indirect change of control of Casino RE [filiale de réassurance du groupe] ». The distributor “recalls that the completion of its financial restructuring now remains solely subject to the approval of the accelerated safeguard plans for Casino, Casino Finance, Distribution Casino France, Casino participations France, Quatrim, Monoprix and Ségisor by the Paris commercial court”.
A hearing is due to be held on February 5 at the Paris commercial court on the rescue plan for the distributor, which entered into an accelerated safeguard procedure at the end of October which runs until the end of February.