Lenz & Staehelin advised Carrefour and Maus Frères in the sale of Distributis

Lenz & Staehelin represented Carrefour and Maus Frères in the sale of their joint venture Distributis, owner of the Carrefour hypermarkets in Switzerland, to Coop. This latest merger in the Swiss retail market was subject to an in-depth phase II investigation. The Swiss Competition Commission held that this transaction led to the creation or strengthening of Coop's collective dominant position with Migros on the distribution side in Switzerland and in local markets. It was nevertheless authorised on 27 March 2008 subject to various conditions, notably the divestiture by Coop of 20'000 square meters of retail outlets in particularly concentrated local markets.

The legal team of Lenz & Staehelin was led by Benoît Merkt and included Rayan Houdrouge, Stéphanie Buchheim and Jonas Oggier.