B100 Limited, a newly incorporated subsidiary of the Swedish refrigeration group Beijer Ref AB (Beijer Ref), has applied to the Commerce Commission for clearance to acquire the business and assets of Realcold Limited (Realcold).

Beijer Ref recently entered the New Zealand market through its acquisition of Patton Limited (Patton), an assembler and distributor of commercial refrigeration, air conditioning, and condensation equipment.

Realcold, founded in 1955 and based in Auckland, also assembles and distributes commercial refrigeration and air conditioning equipment in New Zealand. As such, the businesses of Realcold and Patton potentially overlap in a number of areas, including the importation and wholesale supply of refrigerants, refrigeration components, and refrigeration equipment.

A public version of the application will be available shortly on the Clearances Register.

 

Background

When considering a proposed merger, the Commission must determine whether the competition that would be lost with the merger would be substantial.

We will give clearance to a proposed merger only if we are satisfied that the merger is unlikely to have the effect of substantially lessening competition in a market.

A fact sheet explaining how the Commission assesses a merger application is available on the clearances page.