The battle for Kaiser's Tengelmann continues. The German Federal Cartel Office blocked the take-over by the competitor Edeka. Edeka started a new offensive for Tengelmann according to the Lebensmittelzeitung (the food newspaper). This newspaper reports that Kaiser's Tengelmann wants to buy fruits and vegetables together with the Edeka Group from the beginning of August. And according to the Lebensmittelzeitung the Federal Cartel Office has agreed with this plan. But a spokesperson for the Federal Cartel Office couldn’t confirm this to our editors.
“The Federal Cartel Office hasn’t checked this plan nor has it agreed with it,” stated the spokesperson of the Federal Cartel office. If both companies continue with this plan the consequences will be theirs too.
In order to get permission for the merger of Kaiser's Tengelmann and Edeka, despite the ban by the Federal Cartel Office, the two large companies have submitted an application for ministerial approval by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs.