The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of the Dutch-based company Packard Bell by Taiwan-based personal computers manufacturer Acer. The Commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.

Acer is a global supplier of personal computers (PCs) and related products, including laptop and desktop personal computers, servers and storage, LCD monitors and high definition TVs. Packard Bell is a European supplier of desktops, notebooks and digital entertainment solutions.

The Commission’s examination showed that the proposed merger would entail horizontal overlaps for desktops and laptops, both for professionals and consumers, at the EEA and national levels. However, the market would remain competitive post-merger in all segments of the PC sector with established alternative suppliers such as Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Fujitsu-Siemens, Toshiba, Sony and Lenovo.

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