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Competition & Regulation

Our experience includes advising:

  • Carlyle Cardinal on the  Irish merger control aspects of its sale of The City Bin Co. to Thorntons Recycling. Both are major providers of waste management services, in particular household waste collection. We advised on the notification of the transaction to the CCPC in August 2022; on responses to extensive CCPC RFIs; and on divestment remedies negotiations with the CCPC, leading to Phase 2 clearance in July 2023.
  • Thorntons Recycling on the implementation of merger control divestment remedies agreed with the CCPC following its acquisition of The City Bin Co., completing in November 2024.
  • one of Ireland’s largest private motor insurers on the CCPC’s long running competition law investigation (2016 –  2021) into alleged anti-competitive practices in private motor insurance by AIG, Allianz, AXA, Aviva, FBD, Brokers Ireland and AA Ireland. This included managing extensive CCPC RFIs and witness summons hearings; analysing and challenging the evidentiary basis of the CCPC’s allegations; and negotiating remedies with the CCPC. The CCPC closed the case on the basis of commitments to operate competition law compliance programmes and made no finding of competition law breach.
  • J&E Davy on the Irish merger control notification of the sale of its wealth management and capital markets businesses to Bank of Ireland. The CCPC cleared the transaction  unconditionally at Phase 1 in 2021.
  • Carlyle on the EU merger control filing relating to its sale of Payzone to AIB / First Data. The European Commission cleared the transaction unconditionally at Phase 1 in October 2019.
  • Uniphar (a major pharmaceutical wholesaler) on the Irish merger control aspects of multiple acquisitions including its acquisition of a rival wholesaler, Cahill May Roberts (a ‘3 to 2’ transaction, cleared by the CCPC at Phase 2 in 2013); Sisk Healthcare (cleared by the CCPC with behavioural remedies at Phase 2 in 2018); the proposed acquisition of Navi (prohibited at Phase 2 in 2022) and the acquisition of the Sam McCauley Pharmacy Group (cleared with divestment remedies at Phase 1 in 2023).
  • A major truck manufacturer on the defence of Irish High Court competition law damages proceedings brought by Irish hauliers on the back of the European Commission finding of competition law breach by DAF, Daimler, IVECO, MAN and Scania in 2016. These proceedings are ongoing.
  • King Digital Entertainment plc on its USD$5.9bn sale to Activision Blizzard Inc. under the EU Merger Regulation. This transaction was also cleared by the US and South Korean merger control authorities.
  • DCC plc on the sale of Fannin Compounding to Baxter Healthcare. This ‘merger to monopoly’ was cleared by the CCPC under the ‘failing firm/division’ defence.
  • ComReg (the Irish telecoms regulator) on a number of regulatory matters including High Court enforcement proceedings.
  • Asics, the well-known sportswear brand, in defence of an abuse of dominance case in the Competition List of the High Court.
  • Public bodies such as SOLAS/FÁS, the IDA and Fingal County Council on their EU/Irish public procurement obligations. We have also represented numerous bidders in challenges to the decisions of public bodies under public procurement remedies rules.
  • Aughinish Alumina on challenges before the EU Courts to European Commission Decisions finding a hydrocarbon tax exemption to be unlawful State aid.
  • DCC plc on the sale of part of its Food & Beverage division to Valeo Foods UK Limited.  This transaction was cleared, subject to remedies, by the CCPC.
  • Premier Lotteries Ireland Limited on the regulatory aspects of its negotiations with the Irish Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for the award of the new National Lottery licence in 2014.

Areas of expertise include: